Customer Reviews

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The VOL 01

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This was the first Alan Moore comic I read, and I could tell right off the bat why comic fans always speak so reverentially about the man. After reading just a few panels, it was clear that Moore is someone concerned about the texture of language, the subtext of character, and nuance of meaning.

I had heard this one wasn't Moore's best effort, but I wanted to read it before I saw the Sean Connery movie based on it. I was still highly impressed, however, and thought it was one of the best written comic I'd ever read. But after just recently finishing Moore's mesmerizing FROM HELL, I can see that by comparison, LEAGUE is a slightly inferior work. But that's just because FROM HELL is hands-down the most amazingly complex and well written comic novel I've ever read.

Still, LEAGUE, a high concept literary action hero romp is a lot of fun, and if it's not quite the toure-de-force that Moore achieved with FROM HELL, it's still a thrilling story.

In the 1960s I loved "The Classics Illustrated" series of comics. The stories were based, as the title implies, on classic novels. Perhaps my favorite was "Master of the World," based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne. The science fiction theme and the characters created this wonderful world that appeared as though it could be real, rather than the complete fantasy of Superman or Marvel's venerable lineup of mutants and superheroes.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is reminiscent of those great Classics Illustrated comics, but with a much more adult edge. Early in the book we find Alan Quatermain addicted to opium and apparently well down the road to an oblivious death. We soon find Hawley Griffin, "The Invisible Man," creating multiple pregnancies attributed to either demons or saints. Clearly this story is far different from the comics I read as a youth. But what a story it is. While told with a distinctly adult edge, the story is an epic tale of some of the best literary characters of the Victorian era fighting against a villain intent on (what else?) conquering the world.

In the course of the travails of the dubiously phrased good guys a number of deaths occur, and the significantly less than pure predilections of our heroes form a dark base to a story that is nominally of good versus evil, but turns out to be more of evil versus not-as-evil.

The real marvel of the story is the style in which it was written. I have read many of the classics that form a basis for this graphic novel, and the style herein emulates that style in a disconcertingly exceptional way. There were points where I wondered how Alan Moore was able to capture the style of 100 years ago in a newly created novel. If there were gross inconsistencies with that style, I was unable to find them. Those unfamiliar with classic literature may find the style a bit difficult to read, but once you get into it you find that it challenges your mental abilities and makes you think about events and writing in a different way.

There have been few graphic novels for which I would provide more than a mild recommendation to another reader. In the case of this novel, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys graphic novels and classic literature, particularly adventure classics. If you enjoyed "Classics Illustrated" series of books that date quite far into the past, you will find some similarities. However, be warned that this is clearly an adult story. Enjoy!

I wanted to give some information about the "Absolute Edition" of this book, because the listing here doesn't really tell you anything about it. The "Absolute Edition" is the one with the $75 list price. It features two oversized books in a sturdy slipcase. The first book is the acclaimed League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 comic book series that has been printed in a few other forms, although this version is printed much larger. The second book contains Alan Moore's scripts for the comic book series. If you enjoyed the comic book series and can't get enough of it, this book is for you. I was amazed at how detailed the scripts were. He gives camera angles and everything for virtually every panel in the comic. This is the ultimate version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

this is a very good comic book. the only reason i didn't give it a five-star rating is because i think that the characters can be fleshed out a little bit more. that having been said this is an enthralling and gripping read.

if you have seen and hated the movie (as i did) then please don't turn your back on this. the story is much better and the characters are more rich than in the movie. the difference abound greatly between the comic and the movie. quartermain isn't the rough and tumble hero in this comic, rather he is a bumbling, opium addicted, idiot. he does sober up somewhat by the end but he still isn't the same character depicted in the movie (which makes him more interesting). nina murray (harker in the movie) is the most mysterious as her story isn't expounded on as of yet (but here's to hoping the second collection does). nemo is an ego-maniac, the invisible man is a pervert, and dr. jekyl is a wus.

those thing having been said, the plot is great and the twist at the end is even better. read this for a good time and i guarantee you will enjoy it (at least better than the movie!).

This is one of the best comics I've ever read, I only wish there were more like this (other than volume 2). It's dark, smart and intriguing. An incredible tale I fully expect to read again. Can't wait for the volume 3 compilation!

This 'graphic novel' by Alan Moore is filled with fascinating characters, literary references, and very dry humor. It's a hundred times smarter than the movie that came out last summer under the same title.

This tells the story of five famous characters from Victorian literature who join forces in a 'league of extraordinary gentlemen' to save the world. Allan Quatermain from 'King Solomon's Mines', Mina Murray from 'Dracula', Dr. Jekyll and his Hyde counterpart, the invisible man and Captain Nemo from '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' come together, bantering over cups of tea(...).

The graphic element of this graphic novel is absolutely stunning. The artist O'Neill assembles crowded street scenes in Paris and London with a few quick strokes of his brush, and lovingly creates detailed images of the macabre and sometimes perverse world Moore has created in words. Take a look at the all girls 'school' the characters visit while recruiting the invisible man. Whew.

The action is fast paced, the dialogue is biting and believable, and the characters are great fun. Overall, a good, smart story.(...)Enjoy.

It is the late nineteenth century, and the dawn of the new century brings with it fresh worries. As fearsome techno-pirates and criminal masterminds threaten the stability of the empire, a group of five unlikely individuals are brought together - Miss Mina Murray, a recently divorced young woman who's name hangs under a social black cloud following her suffering the attentions of a certain Transylvanian nobleman; Mr. Alan Quatermain, the fabled explorer of the dark continent recently turned to opium addiction; Captain Nemo, the embittered techno-pirate and master of the incredible underwater vessel NAUTILUS; Hawley Griffin, the 'Invisible Man', a psychopathic rapist and murderer; and Dr. Henry Jekyll, an exiled British chemist constantly battling his murderously savage alter-ego, Mr. Edward Hyde. This group is charged recovering a top-secret alloy from the clutches of an Insidious Doctor from the Orient, who has based himself in Limehouse - however, all is not as it seems, and it would appear that they have as much to worry from their employer - the mysterious 'M' - as any other foe...

In this series, Mr. Alan Moore (of Watchmen and From Hell fame) and Mr. Kevin O'Neil create a fantastic tour de force of Victorian literature which brings together such disparate elements as the scientific romances of Verne and Wells, the social documentary of Dickens, the pulp mystery of Conan Doyle, the feel of contemporary 'steampunk' and even period pornography into a rollicking, page-turning adventure story which stands heads and tails above most 'proper' books, let alone the much maligned 'graphic novel' genre. And in doing so, they breathe new life into beloved old characters and scenarios, and create a world populated with practically every product of the human imagination. O'Neil's artwork creates a wonderfully realized steampunk version of the nineteenth century, a marvellous world of Victorian skyscrapers and airships and fantastic machinery, and complements the story well. A fantastic, perfect adventure story.

Rule Britannia.

You don't expect to find a comic that would so justify a complete set of literary footnotes, but that's just what this is. Stranger still, it's a pulp adventure with literary qualities.

Highly, highly recommended.

This was a great comic, and I really enjoyed reading it. But I feel like the story suffered a bit. This is Moore's continuing exploration of the superhero, and he extends it to the beginning of the 20th century through the literature of the day. If we view this as a comic book of the 1900's, and I doubt that Moore and O'Neill were aiming for anything less, then I feel that it was a great success.

But it feels incomplete to me. It is inevitably a comic book: too much story being crammed into too few pages. The characters are fleshed out nicely in the limited space they're given, but they still feel a bit too one-dimensional. And the story is good, but like in the classic comics, it feels rushed.

If Moore had never written something like Watchmen, I'd probably have given this five stars without a second thought. But after raising the bar as he and his contemporaries have, it's become harder for me to handle the rhythm of the comic formula.

MOORE DID IT ONCE AGAIN WITH THIS SUPERHEROIC TAKE ON CLASSIC POPULAR LITERARY CHARACTERS. SAW THE MOVIE SHORTLY AFTER READING THE BOOK. DESPITE LESS CHARACTER, THE BOOK PROVIDES A MORE ENJOYABLE THRILLS FROM SEEING HOW MOORE REINVENTS EACH OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK SO THEY CAN FIT TOGETHER AS MISFITS. CAN'T WAIT FOR VOLUME 2.