It's 1898 and at the behest of M, the mysterious head of the secret Service, Campion Bond is dispatched to procure the services of Miss Mina Murray (nee Harker), adventurer Allan Quartermain, "Science-Pirate" Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego) and Hawley Griffin (a.k.a. the Invisible Man). Together, they must combat an insidious threat that will decide supremacy of the London skies, but their success may unleash a far greater threat. With no shortage of action, Moore and O' Neill sustain a high level of suspense, intrigue, mystery and terrific wit that all contribute to an indispensable read. O'Neill's art, so memorable in Marshal Law, produces a London filled with vivid, magnificent architecture and a malevolent atmosphere ripe with thrills and danger. An unmitigated triumph--pure and simple. --Danny Graydon

Product Description
Proving that mainstream comics could be infused with past literary/cultural ideals and still be bestsellers, the America's Best Comics imprint took the dilapidated superhero genre and created three vastly entertaining hybrids with Tom Strong, Promethea and Top Ten. Now, a stunning coup de grace is delivered with this masterful pairing of Victorian adventure fiction's greatest characters and the old war-horse of the super-group. With the stunning The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it would be no exaggeration to say that Alan Moore has produced a near-perfect piece of adventure fiction that is clever, literate, rich with excitement and hard to put down.It's 1898 and at the behest of M, the mysterious head of the secret Service, Campion Bond is dispatched to procure the services of Miss Mina Murray (nee Harker), adventurer Allan Quartermain, "Science-Pirate" Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego) and Hawley Griffin (a.k.a. the Invisible Man). Together, they must combat an insidious threat that will decide supremacy of the London skies, but their success may unleash a far greater threat. With no shortage of action, Moore and O' Neill sustain a high level of suspense, intrigue, mystery and terrific wit that all contribute to an indispensable read. O'Neill's art, so memorable in Marshal Law, produces a London filled with vivid, magnificent architecture and a malevolent atmosphere ripe with thrills and danger. An unmitigated triumph--pure and simple. --Danny Graydon

If that, in and of itself, is not enough of a hook to get your interested in checking out this collection of the first comic book adventure of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen let me remind you that Alan Moore is doing the writing. The artwork by Kevin O'Neill is certainly evocative of the turn of the last century, or, more to the point, does not look like a contemporary superhero comic book. Moore and O'Neill also maintain a wonderful conceit throughout the series of presenting the comics as being published at the time of the story, filled with wonderful "ads" that are often as interesting as the story (one of which actually required the initial print run of one of the issues to be destroyed, a story you will have to find related elsewhere, patient reader).

Moore's intention was to deal with a superhero group before all the cliches were established (again, similar to how "The Watchmen" was in a different reality unencumbered by the DC and Marvel universes). Seeing an obvious parallel between the Hulk and Jekyll/Hyde, Moore let his imagination roam in his alternate, technically more advanced version of Victorian London. The more you know about literary history from this period (e.g., Emile Zola's Nana is killed in the Rue Morgue by Hyde), the more you will enjoy all this work. But this first adventure for the League still works if late 19th-century fiction is not your forte. British Intelligence has discovered that cavorite, a material that makes flying machines possible, has been stolen by a mysterious Chinese figure (Oh, come on, take a wild guess who it has to be). Campion Bond of MI5 has been ordered to assemble a team of adventurers to retrieve the cavorite, which is crucial to the race to get to the Moon.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is really much more fun than we usually associate with Moore's work. Certainly his tongue has never been further in his cheeks than with this series. The first three issues of Volume 2 have seen the light of day so far this year and if you read through this original endeavor you can quickly get up to speed with the current adventure. Just remember it is 1898 and Britannia waives the rules...


For fans of classic sci-fi greats, this is it!   June 9, 2003
 22 out of 30 found this review helpful

Some weeks ago, I saw the trailer for the upcoming film, not knowing that it is based on a best-selling graphic novel by esteemed author Alan Moore. This is the second time that my curiosity was peaked by a film that got its beginnings from a "comic book" (the first being last year's "The Road to Perdition").

I had to read it and am I glad that I did. As one that was grew up intrigued by the writings of Verne, Wells, and Stevenson and also watched the various film incarnations of Stoker's "Dracula", this book was a must-read.

A thoroughly digestible feast for the literature fan, as well as a treat for the avid or even casual comic book reader, "League" just goes to prove that the modern superhero owes a major debt to the exploits put forth in the pages of works by the aforementioned authors.

The author and illustrator do seem to be influenced a bit by a certain Marvel Comics character, making Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Mr. Hyde a little too similar to the Bruce Banner/Hulk change. That withstanding, the story, with its many other literary references is a welcome addition to anyone's library.

Superman, Batman, Spiderman, AND the X-Men ain't got a thing on Allan Quatermain!

I'm placing my advance order for Volume II.


Victorian "superteam" of known characters   February 18, 2001
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

I said in my review of Top 10 volume 1 that that was Alan Moore's first super-hero team since WildCATS. I was forgetting this, the very wonderful League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The idea is simple: during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, tales of heroic fiction were popular. In this series, characters from those tales are brought together for a shared adventure. In this volume, you can see Miss Mina Murray (from Bram Stoker's 'Dracula') leading a group consisting of Captain Nemo ("20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Mysterious Island", Jules Verne), Allan Quartermain ("King Solomon's Mines" and lots of others, H. Rider Haggard), Dr. Hawley Griffin ("The Invisible Man", H.G. Wells) and Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde ("The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Robert Louis Stevenson).

These characters are such classics that even the most casual of readers will have heard of some of them, and if you are interested in the fiction of that period, it may well be a wonderful treat. Asd well as these characters, the book is liberally peppered with characters from various Victorian sources, up to and including pornography! Mr. Moore has certainly researched this one closely before applying his wonderful imagination.

Having said that, the art by Kevin O'Neill is certainly not completely in character with the art illustrating stories of the period, but Mr. O'Neill has toned down the style he often uses to better suit the content.

But wait, there's more: the volume concludes with a text story of Allan Quartermain, which features him in conjunction with Randolph Carter, John Carter and the Time Traveller (created by H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.G. Wells respectively) which ties in, at least in part, with the main story.

I'd like to reveal the villains of the piece, but that would be telling given that the revelation is part of the story's plot! Good choices, though. And a very enjoyable read.


A rollicking good story   May 21, 2002
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

When Wilhelmina Murray (of Bram Stoker's Dracula) is recruited by Campion Bond to assemble a team of operatives, to work for Britain's intelligence service in 1898, she has very little idea what she's letting herself in for. Together with an aging drug addicted Allan Quartermain, the independent Captain Nemo, the unstable Dr. Henry Jekyll (and more unstable Edward Hyde), and the downright nasty Hawley Griffin (H.G. Wells' Invisible Man); she must unravel a multitude of overlapping mysteries, and save London...but from whom?

This is quite a fun book. As with any story that takes an existing character and casts him or her in a new role, there are bound to be complaints (e.g. when did Captain Nemo become a Hindu, and why is he now so zealous to protect the British Empire?). However, in their new roles, the characters hang together nicely, and work to make a fascinating story.

The illustration is nicely done, though the cartoonists appear to be drawn to women with large bosoms and impossible narrow waists. Overall, I did find this to be a rollicking good story, one that held my interest throughout. As an added bonus, the book ends with a prose prequel that follows Allan Quartermain on an adventure with John Carter, Randolph Carter and the Time Traveler. I highly enjoyed this book, and think that you will, too.


It's no "Watchmen", but ...   November 29, 2002
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Think the Avengers or the JLA of the late 19th century. Mother England needs protection, so MI5 enlists those with proven courage under fire. They are: Mina Murray(Harker) of "Dracula", Alan Quartermain (an Indiana Jones type character from pulp novels), the reluctant Captain Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", Jekyll and Hyde, and Hawley Griffin, the Invisible Man.

Of course, this isn't a typical adventure. It's a mystery, teeming with cameos and reference. When compared with writer Moore's other works, it is surprisingly humourous and lighter in subject matter. Moore does darken some of the charcters though, reminding us that Captain Nemo is an Indian prince embittered with England, Quartermain is an opium addict, and the Invisible Man ... well, just read it and see.

The art is, as always with Moore's works, reflective of the time period. The comic panels usually look like Victorian era etchings, which makes for a nice effect.

Overall, it is a great read, leaving you satisfied for having done so. More to the point, it will leave you desperately awaiting the live action movie this summer, starring Sean Connery as Allan, a role he was born to play.

Come on, it's Alan Moore. Just buy the sodding thing already.