A review by midnighterbae
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

5.0

A great steampunk/Victorian adventure story and also a subtle deconstruction of those stories. Allan Quatermain is a drug addict, Invisible Man is a borderline psychopath, Captain Nemo is sexist and world weary, Mina Murray struggles with her identity as a "liberated woman" in the Victorian Age, and Jekyll/Hyde continue to have the same problems he had in the Stevenson novel. The art by Kevin O'Neill is grotesque and filled with details and allusions to late 19th century/early 20th century literature. I loved his steampunk London skyline, and his ability to create characterization through facial expressions. The bonus Allan Quatermain prose story is a great tribute to early psychological horror (H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe) and fleshes out that character even more. This book isn't politically correct and contains some racial slurs and sexism/homophobia, but it's written as a period piece. The first volume ends on a great cliffhanger, and I can't wait for more.