The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
192 pages / 2002 / 4 stars / Graphic Novel
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 collects the 6 issue comic series of the same name, written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Kevin O'Neill and published by America's Best Comics, an imprint of Wildstorm Studios. Following the adventures of several literary "superheroes" during the turn of the last century, the story takes place in an England that is just a step away from reality. The main characters are pulled from classic literature of every genre: there is Mina Murray from Bram Stoker's Dracula, Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, Alan Quartermain from H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines, the title characters from Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man. There are numerous other references hidden throughout the collection of other literary characters. I felt that a reference guide would be a fun addition to the collection to point out all the easter eggs hidden in the series.
I really enjoyed reading this series. What's not to love: it's witty, smartly written, there is great character interaction, espionage, intrigue, great literary references sprinkled throughout; everything that makes a great reading experience. I give it 4 stars only for the fact that I still feel it would be been a good addition to the collected edition to have a reference guide to all the references.
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