“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1” by Alan Moore

I read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 last month, and it’s already fading a little, which is not a good sign.

This is a pretty typical “superhero team assembles” type story, although maybe Alan Moore pioneered it, I’m not sure. There’s the retrieving of each member (in a mini-adventure), the squabbling on the job, the event that unifies them into a team that wants to work together etc. Pretty fun, and of course, I really enjoyed all the literary references, although there were a few I didn’t get. I always love a good shoutout to The Murders in the Rue Morgue, which was the first detective story I remember reading.

It was very well written – witty and tightly-plotted; I’m not sure why I don’t have more praise for it. I’ll probably read Vol. 2 at some point, but I’m in no hurry.

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This is book 21 of 25 of my Dec 11, 2011 book challenge.

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