by GreenCrayon » Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:21 pm
I've read the first volume of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (comprising six issues).
As I was initially tasked with giving an opinion of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel as it relates to the later film, direct comparison is inevitable. And, in a way, that's a shame. They stand as almost entirely different works. While the basic premise of both works is ostensibly the same (take a bunch of period characters, now in the public domain, and blend them together) the resultant works bear very few similarities.
First, I'll begin with a few ways that the graphic novel could be off-putting, especially to people that enjoyed the film (and discarding the obvious, such as how unpleasant reading can make some people feel and the difference in pacing). I took a bit of getting used to Kevin O'Neill's artwork style, but it pretty much seems so did he, because as the series progresses, the quality of the artwork improves. Both the graphic novel and the film take a grandiose vision towards fantastical scenery, and O'Neill depicts some awe-inspiring vistas. Nonetheless, the film did manage to be more visually stunning (pretty much a given, when considering the medium) by the breadth of a hair.
That's almost where my "criticism" of the book ends, though, if it's even fair to have labelled as a negative. Moore spins a tale more coherent and deep than the film ever attempted, even if he didn't do the Hollywood explosive ending... which brings me to a complaint about the movie. Why was Venice blown up? It felt tacked on, as if there was a desperate need for an epic effects scene, but the plot couldn't support one, and pacing be damned.
Anyway, back to the book. There's thick, rich background aplenty, from the charming adverts in the back (I loved the way some of them dropped clues about what was yet to come) to all the properly realised histories of the characters. Each of them is more thoroughly fleshed out, and wishy-washy characters who seemed out of place in the film (I'm looking at you, Tom Sawyer) were gracefully never included. They bore a greater resemblance to how they appeared in their initial works, and they were well motivated, which the film couldn't always claim. The relationships between the characters in the book was solid (if actually strained within the context of the story) and gratifying, and I especially liked that Mina got a significantly more central role, rather than just standing back and letting one of the male characters run the show.
There were lots more references to obscure characters, all blended into making a more colourful and more properly realised vision wherein works of fiction all took place within the same ficton. That praise given, I have to admit that I found a few of the cameos a little strained, and a bit cheesy. It was a delicate mix, and occasionally it didn't quite work as I think was hoped.
There wasn't nearly enough of this graphic novel, a failing of the medium again as they're time consuming to put together and the pay-off isn't always guaranteed. This was offset magnificently by all the details in the aforementioned adverts, and the work of fiction that appeared in the last few pages of every issue, really giving a feeling of value to the publication. Having said there wasn't enough, I'm a glutton for good work, and my next task is finding the time to get through the second volume. I'll probably take my time over that one a great deal more than this, and I'll definitely find the time to read this one again.
I've read the first volume of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (comprising six issues).
As I was initially tasked with giving an opinion of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel as it relates to the later film, direct comparison is inevitable. And, in a way, that's a shame. They stand as almost entirely different works. While the basic premise of both works is ostensibly the same (take a bunch of period characters, now in the public domain, and blend them together) the resultant works bear very few similarities.
First, I'll begin with a few ways that the graphic novel could be off-putting, especially to people that enjoyed the film (and discarding the obvious, such as how unpleasant reading can make some people feel and the difference in pacing). I took a bit of getting used to Kevin O'Neill's artwork style, but it pretty much seems so did he, because as the series progresses, the quality of the artwork improves. Both the graphic novel and the film take a grandiose vision towards fantastical scenery, and O'Neill depicts some awe-inspiring vistas. Nonetheless, the film did manage to be more visually stunning (pretty much a given, when considering the medium) by the breadth of a hair.
That's almost where my "criticism" of the book ends, though, if it's even fair to have labelled as a negative. Moore spins a tale more coherent and deep than the film ever attempted, even if he didn't do the Hollywood explosive ending... which brings me to a complaint about the movie. [spoiler]Why was Venice blown up?[/spoiler] It felt tacked on, as if there was a desperate need for an epic effects scene, but the plot couldn't support one, and pacing be damned.
Anyway, back to the book. There's thick, rich background aplenty, from the charming adverts in the back (I loved the way some of them dropped clues about what was yet to come) to all the properly realised histories of the characters. Each of them is more thoroughly fleshed out, and wishy-washy characters who seemed out of place in the film (I'm looking at you, Tom Sawyer) were gracefully never included. They bore a greater resemblance to how they appeared in their initial works, and they were well motivated, which the film couldn't always claim. The relationships between the characters in the book was solid (if actually strained within the context of the story) and gratifying, and I especially liked that Mina got a significantly more central role, rather than just standing back and letting one of the male characters run the show.
There were lots more references to obscure characters, all blended into making a more colourful and more properly realised vision wherein works of fiction all took place within the same ficton. That praise given, I have to admit that I found a few of the cameos a little strained, and a bit cheesy. It was a delicate mix, and occasionally it didn't quite work as I think was hoped.
There wasn't nearly enough of this graphic novel, a failing of the medium again as they're time consuming to put together and the pay-off isn't always guaranteed. This was offset magnificently by all the details in the aforementioned adverts, and the work of fiction that appeared in the last few pages of every issue, really giving a feeling of value to the publication. Having said there wasn't enough, I'm a glutton for good work, and my next task is finding the time to get through the second volume. I'll probably take my time over that one a great deal more than this, and I'll definitely find the time to read this one again.