Captain Nemo! The Invisible Man! Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Intrepid explorer Allan Quatermain! These and other amazing heroes of the Victorian age u...
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reviews
Jun 14, 2008
Jean
rated it: 
Bah. This was another disappointing read for me. I had high hopes for this series. This book brings together a problem-solving team composed of characters from Victorian lit: Mina Murray (whose brief marriage to Jonathan Harker has ended badly), the Invisible Man, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, and Henry Jekyll & Edward Hyde. While Sherlock Holmes is not present in the flesh, he is certainly on everyone's minds. How could such a premise go wrong? Maybe Moore just needs a lot more space and
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Jun 01, 2010
Ceridwen
rated it: 
My only experience with Alan Moore's work was through the movie adaptations and interviews when something new came out. He always completely disowned the film adaptations, and with good reason. My husband and I both watched the film version of this graphic novel, and both of us thought we'd fallen asleep or been abducted by aliens or something, because we could never remember the ending. So we rent it again, watch it, and two days later, I think I've slept though the ending again, because it was
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Sep 22, 2007
Ben
rated it: 
Alan Moore has had terrible luck with the film industry. The only adapatation of his work that he had the presence of mind to disavow before its release was the surprisingly good "V for Vendetta." The others of his works produced for the screen were the tepidly-received "From Hell" and the god-awful "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" adaptation, "LXG."
The film was stillborn, creatively, lacking the tongue-in-cheek humor and moral ambiguity tha More...
The film was stillborn, creatively, lacking the tongue-in-cheek humor and moral ambiguity tha More...
Aug 27, 2008
Travis
rated it:
Moore takes what is basically fan fiction for English lit. majors and creates one of the best comics to come out in years!
A brilliant adventure story with a ton of fun cameos and a wicked sense of humor.
The mystery is clever, the character interaction is great, there are so many cool adventure moments and Kevin Nowlan's art perfectly suits the vibe Moore is trying to create.
only drawback is I now drive my friends crazy by creating all kinds of different LoEG type groups i More...
A brilliant adventure story with a ton of fun cameos and a wicked sense of humor.
The mystery is clever, the character interaction is great, there are so many cool adventure moments and Kevin Nowlan's art perfectly suits the vibe Moore is trying to create.
only drawback is I now drive my friends crazy by creating all kinds of different LoEG type groups i More...
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May 16, 2008
Andy
rated it:
Great concept, terrible execution. Moore manages to reduce about a dozen Victorian adventure classics to fit into his apparently pea-sized brain, and out comes this. This book offended both my conservative and my liberal impulses, with banal pornographic sequences, flat, amoral "heroes" and offensive Asian stereotypes. (Moore has less sympathy for Chinese people than Tolkien has for orcs.) This book certainly isn't suitable for children, and it's too childish for me. So I don't kn
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Aug 02, 2010
Liz (Consumed by Books)
rated it:
This is actually my first graphic novel and my first Alan Moore, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure that it would be my thing, but I thought it was really interesting.
When I picked this book up, I was expecting something that was all action, but I definitely felt like there was a good plotline as well. Moore is an excellent storyteller, and I was impressed by how nicely tied together everything was. I also enjoyed the incorporation a couple of different li More...
When I picked this book up, I was expecting something that was all action, but I definitely felt like there was a good plotline as well. Moore is an excellent storyteller, and I was impressed by how nicely tied together everything was. I also enjoyed the incorporation a couple of different li More...
Sep 01, 2008
Russ
rated it:
I did think it was decently done; however, I did expect more from it. Having read Watchmen and V for Vendetta, I was expecting something akin to those. Also, being an English teacher, the premise had me excited as well. I guess I expected a deeper storyline than I found here. Also, it bothered me that Mr. Hyde resembled more the beastly creature that popular culture has devised, rather than the rather small being that Robert Louis Stevenson actually created. It would be like seeing Boris Ka
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Jan 03, 2009
Joe
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 05, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Since the reign of Elizabeth I, England has expected extraordinary people to serve in extraordinary ways. Also, has generally kept them on retainer. For reasons that aren’t explained, there has been a break in this tradition, which is convenient for us because we get to see the league reformed under the auspices of “M” – who has a decided connection to the late great detective Sherlock Holmes, and Mina Murray, who survived Dracula and has become . . . something. She drags Allan Quartermain bo
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Jul 31, 2011
Yeah, three and a half stars. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But it did not necessarily live up to the hype. On the one hand, it's really red meat for someone like me that likes 19th century fiction. I mean, I actually read H. Rider Haggard for pleasure, without skipping parts even. But I think this franchise is more impressive in its breadth than in its depth. That is to say, it is intoxicating and fun and impressive to see such disparate worlds of fiction stitched together
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May 18, 2011
earthy
rated it:
Great concept, horrible execution. The art is atrociously awful, and sexism and racism abound (perhaps legitimate given the time period, but is it necessary to revel in them with such glee?). As a diehard Sherlockian, I was a bit confused about the timing--this story takes place in 1898, and Sherlock Holmes is believed dead; however, his "hiatus" was actually 1891-1894, so he'd totally be around at this point. As continuity errors go, it's a big one, since the plot and particularly
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Apr 19, 2011
Poonam
rated it: 
This comic seems like a mash-up of all the author's favorite, eccentric characters - Captain Nemo (Prince Dakkar of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), Allan Quatermain (of King Solomon's Mines) who is now a drug addict, Dr, Jekyl-Hyde, invisible Hawkley Griffin (of Invisible Man) and attractive Mina Murray (of Bram Stoker's Dracula) who is now divorced (Wasn't she happily married in the novel? Writer's fantasy woman. :P) and is responsible for bringing these men together at the behest of wh
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Mar 24, 2011
Karly
rated it:
In simplest terms, this does for Victorian literature what Fables went on to do for fairy tales and Hellboy for mythology.
While the plot is simple enough: the league of extraordinary gentlemen, consisting of Mina Murray (recently divorced), Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Hawley Griffin, and Dr. Jeckyll, are assembled and hired by M16 to protect England from threats which only their unique abilities can take on, the real highlight of this work comes from the sheer detail put into it. The More...
While the plot is simple enough: the league of extraordinary gentlemen, consisting of Mina Murray (recently divorced), Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Hawley Griffin, and Dr. Jeckyll, are assembled and hired by M16 to protect England from threats which only their unique abilities can take on, the real highlight of this work comes from the sheer detail put into it. The More...
Mar 03, 2011
Joe
rated it:
I rarely give out 5 stars on anything, because I like to save those sparklies for something special. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is something special. The story is awesome. The art is awesome. The creators embrace the medium rather than run from it. And these guys aren't afraid to tell a story.
If I have one major gripe with many "graphic novels" today is that they are trying too hard to create "art", and by "create art", I mean, "avoid even More...
If I have one major gripe with many "graphic novels" today is that they are trying too hard to create "art", and by "create art", I mean, "avoid even More...
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Dec 21, 2010
Ganglion
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 20, 2010
Chelsea
rated it:
Though I expected quite a lot out of this graphic novel, it did not disapoint. It was a terrific nod to 19th century pulp and speculative fiction. All the great bastions of Romantic and Victorian horror make their appearance. Of course, being a woman, I am quite partial to Dracula's Mina Murray, but I also adore Nemo and I squealed at Holme's cameo towards the end of the novel. Kudos to Alan Moore for another ingenious foray into the graphic world.
This is, of course, not a book for More...
This is, of course, not a book for More...
Apr 02, 2010
Mo
rated it:
As much as I love the unbelievably stunning artwork, I just can't bring myself to finish this book. I realize that Moore is attempting to paint a realistic portrait of Victorian England, but the book is so damn sexist and racist that I can't read it any longer.
My friend is convinced that he's trying to call attention to how rampant prejudice was at this time (not like it isn't now), which, given Moore's humorous treatment of other aspects of Victorian culture in written segments of More...
My friend is convinced that he's trying to call attention to how rampant prejudice was at this time (not like it isn't now), which, given Moore's humorous treatment of other aspects of Victorian culture in written segments of More...
Mar 21, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Though not nearly as rich and textured as Watchmen the only other Alan Moore book I've read, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 is certainly engrossing for a comic book. Basically a Victorian boy's dream of literary characters mashed up in adventures to save London, and the British Empire, from sure ruin, these tales are imbued with a smirking racism, orientalism and naivete that makes the Charlie Chan Chinese and bitter Sikh's almost bearable. For a more detailed discussion of this
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May 18, 2009
Mosca
rated it:
This book is really cool. The characters are very engaging; and the world is very well structured. The drawings are superb.
This entire work is a parody of just about every subject it touches on. And it touches many. The most obvious subjects are Victorian England and the popular literature of the nineteenth century. The very many characters and protagonists are famously stolen from mostly well known literary works; and are much more enjoyable because of this theft. Those characters More...
This entire work is a parody of just about every subject it touches on. And it touches many. The most obvious subjects are Victorian England and the popular literature of the nineteenth century. The very many characters and protagonists are famously stolen from mostly well known literary works; and are much more enjoyable because of this theft. Those characters More...
Feb 21, 2009
Angel
rated it:
I am actually re-reading the series in preparation to read Black Dossier. I can't believe I did not add this volume before; I have the second volume added in here. So, I am going to reread it and then write my impressions from the second time around. I did like it the first time, so looking forward to revisiting.
* * *
Now that I am done with it for a second time, I certainly recall one of the things I liked about it, and that was the Victorian feel it has. Yes, I know it is set More...
* * *
Now that I am done with it for a second time, I certainly recall one of the things I liked about it, and that was the Victorian feel it has. Yes, I know it is set More...
Jul 03, 2010
Brad
rated it:
It's easy to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol.1 as a fluffy action confection. It doesn't smack you in the head with a puddle of blood and a happy face pin like Watchmen. Nor does it open with a girl about to be raped in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Fascist London like V for Vendetta. It doesn't open with extreme gravitas.
Instead, we get a fun variation of the classic spy mission opener: Mina Murray (nee Harker, nee Murray) is ordered on a mission by Campion Bond (grandfather More...
Instead, we get a fun variation of the classic spy mission opener: Mina Murray (nee Harker, nee Murray) is ordered on a mission by Campion Bond (grandfather More...
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Jul 23, 2011
Alison
rated it:
A coworker and I got to talking about comics, and I thought I should remedy my lack of education in "traditional" comics just a little bit. Alan Moore seemed a safe place to start, since V for Vendetta and Watchmen were excellent. But... The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is kind of a giant fanfiction-style crossover, featuring characters from Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Robert Louis Stevenson. It's the comic book equivalent of the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Dow
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Feb 25, 2011
William Thomas
rated it:
I think I may have already beaten the 'racism in Moore's work' to a pulp already, so I'll refrain. Maybe. Maybe not. I think maybe he prefers to write about 19th Century happenings because it allows him to use it very freely. In an era of phrenology and modernist colonial rule. An era dedicated to proving racial superiority in a scientific manner. Maybe this allows him to voice some of his own opinions? Prejudices? Maybe he wants to paint the era in a darker light than most would have us believe
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Apr 16, 2009
Bruce
rated it:
I don't have much to add to what fellow Goodreaders and Amazon reviewers have written, and so won't bother. (I here violate my personal review rule requiring that the read be contemporary only to put my reviews of the later volumes into context. Slippery slope, but hey, it's only a personal rule.) This is the original pastiche/Victorian mashup that lets Mycroft Holmes pit the superteam of Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, The Invisible Man, and Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde against Professor
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Mar 27, 2010
Rob
rated it:
So, after revolutionizing American comics in the 80s Alan Moore retreated to a shack in the woods in Scotland* and decided to write 19th-century literature fanfiction. As someone who spent most of high school reading fanfiction, I have the authority to say that this is top-notch stuff, but it still bears fanfiction's weaknesses. A plethora of Victorian characters come on stage and do their schtick, and there's an action-movie narrative weaving it together but not much depth. To be fair, it's
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Jan 03, 2012
Wandering
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. An interesting premise, gathering notorious literary characters and putting their abilities together, followed up with the equally intriguing idea of putting them in famous plot lines (volume two takes place during War of the Worlds). I found the artwork to be quite beautiful and the attention to details lovely.
Enough of the accolades. While overall an awesome book there are some issues, I had a hard time with how they dealt with women. I don't have an issue More...
Enough of the accolades. While overall an awesome book there are some issues, I had a hard time with how they dealt with women. I don't have an issue More...
Jun 03, 2011
Ben
rated it:
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen fell pretty flat for me. I didn't like or dislike it. There's nothing especially wrong with the book, but, while it's certainly better than the horrible movie, I don't see what's that great about it either. The characters and plot were underdeveloped an uninteresting. There are interesting moments in the book, and the writing was good, but the story feels completely forgettable.
I rated V for Vendetta, also by Alan Moore, 3 stars as well, but the two b More...
I rated V for Vendetta, also by Alan Moore, 3 stars as well, but the two b More...
May 15, 2011
Hotavio
rated it:
This bookk features a gathering of personalities in 19th century British literature thrown together on an initially vague mission. The result is an intriguing adventure to snatch a mineral in order to prevent the implosion of London. Moore's zany and often witty storytelling was a perfect match with O'Neill's detailed work (the expressions and more subtle background inticracies often say enough without the dialogue). While there is plenty here to offend contemporary sensibilities (the book is
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Oct 18, 2011
Violet
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 30, 2010
Grace
rated it:
I don’t feel as though I have thaaat much to say about this book, for some reason. Maybe it’s because it was entertaining but not spectacular. The plot was reasonably dramatic but not impressively original. What did I like? I like the idea of drawing a multitude of characters from fiction together into one narrative: Mina Murray from Stoker’s Dracula, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Captain Nemo, Campion Bond (the supposed grandfather of James Bond? I am amused), explorer Allan Quatermain, Prof. Moriarty a
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