Vol. 1, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

doesn't work well on the kindle, the grayscale makes some of the dialog hard to read and you can't turn it landscape. I needed to enlarge every page and drag it around to read. I really liked the series but I'll not get another graphic novel for my kindle paperwhite

I give the story & art for "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1" 5 stars. I love Alan Moore's work, and have since Swamp Thing. I, unfortunately, bought this for my Kindle Fire and the images are just too damn small, even in the 'magnified' mode, for my aging eyes. Really kills the enjoyment. Buy a hard copy or read it on something bigger than a Fire.

Lighter in weight and tone than From Hell or Watchmen, League appears on the surface to be more rompy fan fiction than reinventing the comic. It was while reading the net's wiki 'Notes on League of Gentlemen' that I began to appreciate each panel's detail and 'mass culture references', to quote TMBG. Three words - a friggin' joy. Now, if I could just summon the moxy to delve into 'Lost Girls'.

Simply put, this is another great installment of an already captivating series. Unreal artwork and brilliant, effective story-telling. Get the whole series- after you read the first, you will want to read them all.

This book is a great read! I find these characters to be very interesting. its very well paced with enough action and suspense. I love the tone, its mixed with this light fun and dark tone. And its just a really fun read but it might not be for everyone though, especially if your a literary snob, Because I don't know how well these characters holds up to the original classic books these characters were based from like Dracula, 10,000 leagues, invisible man etc. While this is embarrassing to admit but I have'nt read any of those books so I would'nt know. And I just love Kevin ONeil's style of artwork. But this is one of my favorite Alan Moore stories.

Its like the English version of The Avengers. Mina Harker (Black Widow), Allan Quatermain (Captain America), The Invisible Man (Iron Man), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, (Bruce Banner and The Hulk), Captain Nemo (Thor). I don't know who (Hawkeye) is...he can be the cat on the front cover.

Lighter in weight and tone than From Hell or Watchmen, League appears on the surface to be more rompy fan fiction than reinventing the comic. It was while reading the net's wiki 'Notes on League of Gentlemen' that I began to appreciate each panel's detail and 'mass culture references', to quote TMBG. Three words - a friggin' joy. Now, if I could just summon the moxy to delve into 'Lost Girls'.

Simply put, this is another great installment of an already captivating series. Unreal artwork and brilliant, effective story-telling. Get the whole series- after you read the first, you will want to read them all.

This book is a great read! I find these characters to be very interesting. its very well paced with enough action and suspense. I love the tone, its mixed with this light fun and dark tone. And its just a really fun read but it might not be for everyone though, especially if your a literary snob, Because I don't know how well these characters holds up to the original classic books these characters were based from like Dracula, 10,000 leagues, invisible man etc. While this is embarrassing to admit but I have'nt read any of those books so I would'nt know. And I just love Kevin ONeil's style of artwork. But this is one of my favorite Alan Moore stories.

Its like the English version of The Avengers. Mina Harker (Black Widow), Allan Quatermain (Captain America), The Invisible Man (Iron Man), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, (Bruce Banner and The Hulk), Captain Nemo (Thor). I don't know who (Hawkeye) is...he can be the cat on the front cover.

This is possibly one of my favorite League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories. I loved seeing the heroes show up in the new millennium, and the pop culture references were great. I think I spotted a few Time Lords here and there, and not to mention that the antagonist was Harry Potter/the Antichrist. A thrilling conclusion to the LXG stories.

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.

Like all things in life, change happens. As we age, many of us want to revel in the delights of the past, while lambasting the here and now (I'm of course referring to the negative reviews). Alan Moore, in his Extraordinary Gentlemen series, refused to fall victim to inertia and made a point of having his characters grow (and in some cases devolve as the years beat them down). The result is epic, and the whole series from beginning to end is nothing less than brilliant. We celebrate the clarity of the initial stages of this tale, watch as massive change morphs the lives of the remaining heroes into something very different than we imagined, and (finally) sit back with a contented smile as the final moments of the Extraordinary Gentlemen saga seeps into what's left of our brains (this last volume, Century #3 2009, is outrageously good).

For those that want something that's fairly easy to grasp (or those that hate leaving the comfort of reality behind), read the initial volumes, then leap to the final two. But I was riveted by every book in this series, and would happily give it 10 stars if possible.

A great read, much darker than the movie. The invisible man is a rapist, Dr. Jekyll is a whore-monger, etc. Definitely not a book for kids. But a very engaging story, even if it's anti-climactic and a bit short.

I've been enjoying this series since the beginning (esp. the first two books), and now Alan and Kevin have turned out one of the best in the last three books - it had gotten rather bogged-down in its own experimentalism, but this edition perks up the story a bit and pushes the narrative forward more than the last few chapters. Good art, good read.

The Good: The premise is amazing. Tailor made for a movie. Which was then made, totally eclipsing the book.

The Bad:I loved the movie. I know, people aren't supposed to admit that, but I say it loud and often. So what if it made Sean Connery quit acting, it entertained me. Having said that, this graphic novels was not good. The artwork was unappealing. That's the best way to describe it. You know what's going on - it's not unclear or anything - but it's not pleasant to look at. It made me want to put the book down. I found it disagreeable to my eyes. The characters are awful people, and not in the fun movie way. Mina whines incessantly (strange as she is in charge now, apparently that's how Moore believes women lead). Quartermain is a drug addict who seems to be getting a his hate lust up way too much for the significantly younger Mina. The invisible man is a serial rapist, and we're supposed to find this acceptable behavior just because. No Tom Sawyer. No Dorian Gray. No fun, at all.

I tend to be prejudiced in favor of anything that Alan Moore works on, so I began reading "1910" enthusiastically. Sadly this did not last. Characters were introduced without development - "Dossier" provided background but not in a way that creatively jived with this work - and though they seemed very interesting the many characters' abrupt appearances and disappearances were confusing. The plot could have been excellent, but instead consisted of the characters we knew muddling about and accomplishing nothing, while new and interesting characters (Mac, for example, as well as Janni) did not receive the background and development they deserved. There was just too much going on, and it all happened too fast, to really let me understand anything very much at all. Compared to previous LXGs, it felt like being at a large party where everyone knows each other and about twenty-five people are introduced to you simultaneously, while everything important happens in another room and without explaination. And after fifteen minutes, they kick you out.
Alan, if you're reading this, please consider this criticism friendly. I've got a lot of respect for you and this story's still got a lot going for it. But break it down and spread it out! The structure of "League" vol.1 was terrific: there was a buildup to the plot, natural and individual character exposition, and good tempo. Please go back to that.

I bought this comic after watching the movie in high hopes that it would be better than the movie. The book came in fine conditions and has a very interesting art style and yet at the same time is very crude and mainly looks like a bunch of scribbles. There are some very detailed panels and character designs but the artists style is very distracting from this. The story itself is interesting but it lacks in character development all around and is pretty much soaked in misogyny. The constant use of rape situations is highly inappropriate and made me incredibly uncomfortable throughout the first three chapters. It was unneeded, especially since most of these situations occurred around the main and only female character. It was disgusting and the writers should be ashamed of themselves. One of the main things I was hoping for was how the Invisible Man would be shown in the comic. Out of all the characters, Rodney Skinner was one of my favorites from the movie version. I wanted to see if he was any different from his comic counterpart Griffin. However, after reading this I despised Griffin and their interpretation of him from HG Well's 'The Invisible Man'. In the book it was said that he had a horrible temper and was an extraordinary genius. Instead of delving into this, the writers made him a psychopathic rapist who preys on underage girls and can't be bothered with trying to find the cure to his invisibility. There are a million different ways to have gone about this instead of that way. Because of his lack of caring (or more of the writer's lack of caring) he barely goes through any development. I'll admit after reading I looked up Griffin's bio on Wikipedia and was even more disappointed in how they handled his character. In general I was heavily disappointed in the characters as well as the art style. I would not recommend this book, unless you enjoy scribbles and undeveloped characters.

After reading comics such as Girl Genius and Archie comics, I feel like buying this book was a waste of money. The plot was lacking as well as the artistry. I had high hopes for it because of the movie, but I was sorely disappointed.

What Jasper Fford does in the Tuesday Next series for Victorian classic literature (Dickens, Austen, Bronte), and what Neil Gaiman does in "The Sandman" series and other works for Greek and Norse mythology , the four authors illustrators of LoEG do for Edwardian pulp fiction (Doyle, Wells, Haggard, Verne, Stoker, Rohmer). Here are Mina Murray (ex-bride of Dracula) , Allan Quatermaine (a long way from “Shangri-la"), Henry Jekyll and his alter - ego Edward Hyde (now grown to King Kong-like dimensions), Captain Nemo (now an anti- colonialist Hindu) and Harley Griffin (the Invisible Man). They are locked in struggle with villains ranging from James Moriarty to the Morlocks, and the graphic novel is full of allusions that will delight fans of all the above writers, as well as many others from Henry James to Shel Silverstein. The illustrations, reminiscent of Edward Gorey, have an Edwardian lushness that goes well with the over-the-top plot, and nowhere is there the slightest hint that any of this should be taken seriously.

The trade paperback Volume includes a half dozen bonus features, including reproductions of five of the six comic book covers which made up the first volume, a set of trading cards featuring the main characters, a "paint by numbers" activity, a maze, and a volume from the "Boys' First Rate Pocket Library" providing backstory on how Allan Quatermain came to be the wasted drug addict we meet at the beginning the LoEG. A rollicking ride!

The Third Volume of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is closer to The Black Dossier than Volumes 1 and 2, which means it's a polarizing work that is going to frustrate some, and please others. Each of the three chapters, 1910, 1969, and 2009, introduce period specific references that become increasingly arcane. There's little chance you'll pick up every detail Moore and O'Neill dump in the readers lap, but following the trail beyond the book can lead in fascinating directions. It's a complex work, and perhaps another experiment in reader tolerance. I enjoyed it, but I'll suggest that new readers start elsewhere (obviously) and fans who disliked The Black Dossier will probably dislike Volume 3.

Their last mission was in a Cold War Britain of the late 1950's, where Mina Murray and the rejuvenated Allan Quatermain risked their apparently endless lives to steal the ultra-classified documents detailing the secret history of the League. As enemies of the (literally) Orwellian state, they were pursued by fictional weapons of statecraft that included a humorously inept young spy named 'Jimmy' Bond.

Volume three takes us back almost 50 years, introducing a League that has replaced it's dead and retired veterans with the immortal hermaphrodite* Orlando (*not the correct term, since he/she shifts back and forth between genders for extended periods, and possesses only one set of sexual characteristics at a time), the occultist Thomas Carnacki, and 'gentleman thief' A.J. Raffles. It also introduces the teenaged daughter of Captain Nemo, Janni, who abandons her ailing father and her birthright of piracy and slaughter, seeking a new life for herself in England. The League, meanwhile, finds itself up against an enemy who has grand ambitions that involve shaping the future of humanity to fit his own desires. With a stratagem that transcends death and time, Mina Murray is the only person capable of following and defeating Oliver Haddo (a character taken from 'The Magician' by W. Somerset Maugham, based on the infamous 'Great Beast' and co-founder of The Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley; Crowley later assumed the sobriquet himself to critique the novel), in a struggle that spans the course of the 20th Century.

For completists, the book is well-designed, with thick, semi-gloss paper of the highest quality and sturdy, cloth-bound covers -- Top Shelf didn't cut corners by using the cheap, acidic paper and stamped particle-board that DC do quite regularly (my copy of The Black Dossier hardcover has already yellowed, while older books printed on better stock remain arctic white. Even the 'glossy' paper DC uses is still thin, pulpy, acidic trash that puts an expiry date on purchases. They do use premium paper on Absolute editions and the more expensive hardcovers, however). So even if you don't love the course Moore has been charting the last few years, at the very least you end up with a well-produced book. It includes all the prose stories and ads that came with the softcovers, and features painted endpapers by O'Neill. The format is the standard 7 x 10 inches (roughly) of The Black Dossier and the Nemo books, one size down from the LOEG: Volume 1 and 2 Omnibus hardcover.

It's not for everyone, but it's one of those stories you might feel differently about in a couple years. Or maybe not. {85/100}

What if all of classic literature was real? What if all the amazing characters from fiction existed in the same world? And what if they were superheroes?

In an alternate version of Victorian England, the British government calls on a group of unique individuals to solve the worst crimes. When a powerful element is stolen, Mina Harker (from "Dracula") tracks down the legendary adventurer Allan Quartermain, now an old man addicted to laudanum. The two of them board the steampunk submarine of Captain Nemo (from "2000 Leagues Under the Sea"), recruit Mister Hyde and the Invisible Man, and set out to save the British Empire. As the five explore the criminal underworld of London, they're forced to deal with each other as well a dark conspiracy working against them.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is basically a literary take-off on the Justice League of America. The series takes fictional characters from different novels and turns them into superheroes.

The artwork is truly amazing. Although it's drawn in a sketchy and abstract way, the amount of detail is incredible. We see folds and wrinkles on people's skin, and clouds of smoke and dust. In the background of every scene, there are references to other events and characters. The architecture of the buildings is never simple, but sprawling with arches and statues and all sorts of little bits. One of my favorites is the girls' boarding school, which is shaped like a gigantic bum with a hand spanking it. Honestly, you could write a book about all the stuff happening in each panel, and some authors have.

The whole graphic novel is a delight from beginning to end. The characters clash in wonderful ways, from Quartermain's struggling against his addiction, Mister Hyde's brutal tactics, the Invisible Man's sociopathic perversions, Captain Nemo's stern authoritarianism, and Harker's feminism and secrets. The conversations are arguments between the five of them are great with clever quips and retorts. The actual story takes them into conflict with other literary characters such as Ishmael from "Moby Dick," Fu Manchu, and Lady Chatterly, and throws them into battles and adventures, all the way up to a kite-flying climax. It's one of Alan Moore's best works.

Trade paperback collecting the first six issues of the original comic series.

This was one of the earlier arrivals in the current wave of steampunk, and as such, it can be hard to appreciate how original this was when it was first published. Bringing together 19th Century literary figures Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Mina Murray (from Dracula), Allan Quatermain, and the Invisible Man, this story is all-in over-the-top steampunk action, with a dash of intrigue and a ton of literary references.

The story is brutally violent in places, and darkly humorous throughout. It plays with a whole range of elements from British literature and pop culture.

The plot has some fun twists, but is also a bit predictable in places, but the overall flavor of the story and the richness of detail in the art and narration make up for much of that.

The backup prose story is (intentionally) densely wordy, but does a nice job of providing a prequel for the character of Allan Quatermain, while managing to smoothly bring together the works of H. Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Wells, and H.P. Lovecraft.

I have a weird relationship with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series. I'd seen the movie first, which robs this book of most of it's shock value, but I still like this book better than the movie. The keywords being 'this book', as I feel this series goes down the drain before too long.

Reviewing just this book, the story is really strong. Moore brings in characters from the best Victorian literature, including characters from Dracula, 20,000 leagues under the sea, and Poe. All these different story-worlds are strung together seamlessly, and Moore's twists on the characters have a tendency to make them a lot more interesting.

Other things I like about this are best illustrated in contrast to my thoughts on the rest of this series. The main character, Mina, is a very competent leader in this book, but she gets worse as time goes on. The plot flows into the literary references, rather than Moore wasting time putting in Easter eggs nobody cares about. The plot isn't fantastic like in Watchmen, and that's what keeps this book from earning a five star rating, but it was still better than what's to come.

As a stand alone book, this is pretty good, and who knows, you may like the full series better than I did. Time will tell.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is Allan Moore's tale of British literary characters banding together to save England in the late 19th century. The artwork is fantastic. It is stylized to reflect the art of the period, and I love it! The writing is good, but not Moore's best. It is written to mimic the fun of the early serialized adventure comics. It can be funny and/or fun at times, yet I don't always find Moore's humor amusing (sometimes just crass). He does, however, create a unique team of heroes (or antiheroes) with interesting personalities. Each is different--some disturbingly so--and the lone gentlewoman on the team is by far the best reason to pick up this book.

Main character Mina Murray is a strong-willed woman in a world controlled by men. That type of character often appears in fiction, but I find them to act like modern women and the men often just accept them. Miss Murray proves her realism as she struggles to lead four strong men who are unaccustomed to taking orders--especially from a woman. I can't do her character justice, but Moore does. If you like female characters who can hold their own in a male-dominated society without flaunting their sexuality: she's your girl.

Gentlemen is a decent read, but not as epic as I've come to expect from Moore. It also contains some gore and adult content, sometimes for laughs, but call me crazy: I don't find rape amusing. There is a lot to love here, but I'd only recommend this to those who want more Moore after reading such titles as Watchmen and V for Vendetta, or those who are looking for a shorter Moore work before taking on one of his longer, more serious titles.