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Justice League: One-Shots
Jla: League of One
One of the year's grandest, most breathtaking adventures unfolds in this 112-page instant classic that continues the proud new tradition of JLA original hardcover graphic novels begun by last year's smash hit JLA: Earth 2.
Written and fully painted by the brilliantly gifted Christopher Moeller, JLA: A League of One is an epic story in which the Justice League is divided against itself in a heartbreaking battle to the death. An ancient, evil dragon awakens from his subterranean slumber once again to menace a world that's forgotten that such monsters of flame and guile ever existed. But the new world of today has its own Round Table of protectors in the form of the JLA.
When Wonder Woman goes to the infallible Amazon oracle and learns that the JLA is destined to die in battle against the dragon, she must make the most difficult decision of her life; embarking on a terrible, unwinnable quest to thwart fate, putting her at odds with those she loves most. In JLA: A League of One, Superman, Batman and the rest of the League learn that while some heroes maybe Wonder Woman's match, none surpass her. JLA: A League of One is a sumptuous visual feast, a rich tapestry of storytelling that is poetic in its soaring beauty.
Written and fully painted by the brilliantly gifted Christopher Moeller, JLA: A League of One is an epic story in which the Justice League is divided against itself in a heartbreaking battle to the death. An ancient, evil dragon awakens from his subterranean slumber once again to menace a world that's forgotten that such monsters of flame and guile ever existed. But the new world of today has its own Round Table of protectors in the form of the JLA.
When Wonder Woman goes to the infallible Amazon oracle and learns that the JLA is destined to die in battle against the dragon, she must make the most difficult decision of her life; embarking on a terrible, unwinnable quest to thwart fate, putting her at odds with those she loves most. In JLA: A League of One, Superman, Batman and the rest of the League learn that while some heroes maybe Wonder Woman's match, none surpass her. JLA: A League of One is a sumptuous visual feast, a rich tapestry of storytelling that is poetic in its soaring beauty.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Christopher Moeller
102 books7 followersChristopher Moeller is an American writer and painter, specializing in fully painted graphic novels. Moeller's signature creation is the Iron Empires science-fiction universe, comprising three main fully painted graphic novels Faith Conquers, Sheva's War and Void. In 2006, an Iron Empires role-playing game was published, called Burning Empires.
His professional debut was in 1991, writing and painting Innovation Comic's Rocketman: King of the Rocketmen. This was followed by a run on the adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, also from Innovation, for which he provided artwork and a number of cover illustrations.
Moeller moved to Dark Horse Comics in 1994, writing and painting the first of his Iron Empires graphic novels, Faith Conquers, as well as the short story "The Passage" in Dark Horse Presents #79-81. He illustrated Andrew Vachss' short story "Treatment", included in Vachss' 2002 graphics-adapted collection Hard Looks. He also illustrated covers for both James Bond and Star Wars, as well as an extended series of covers for the Vertigo monthly title Lucifer.
In 1998, Moeller wrote and painted his second Iron Empires graphic novel, Sheva's War, for the short-lived Science Fiction imprint of DC Comics, Helix. That was followed by a run of covers for DC's Batman monthly comic book Shadow of the Bat. In 2000, he wrote and painted the graphic novel JLA: A League of One and followed with JLA Classified: Cold Steel in 2005. In 2013, Moeller successfully crowdfunded the publication of Iron Empires: Void, his third graphic novel in the series.
He currently lives in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
His professional debut was in 1991, writing and painting Innovation Comic's Rocketman: King of the Rocketmen. This was followed by a run on the adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, also from Innovation, for which he provided artwork and a number of cover illustrations.
Moeller moved to Dark Horse Comics in 1994, writing and painting the first of his Iron Empires graphic novels, Faith Conquers, as well as the short story "The Passage" in Dark Horse Presents #79-81. He illustrated Andrew Vachss' short story "Treatment", included in Vachss' 2002 graphics-adapted collection Hard Looks. He also illustrated covers for both James Bond and Star Wars, as well as an extended series of covers for the Vertigo monthly title Lucifer.
In 1998, Moeller wrote and painted his second Iron Empires graphic novel, Sheva's War, for the short-lived Science Fiction imprint of DC Comics, Helix. That was followed by a run of covers for DC's Batman monthly comic book Shadow of the Bat. In 2000, he wrote and painted the graphic novel JLA: A League of One and followed with JLA Classified: Cold Steel in 2005. In 2013, Moeller successfully crowdfunded the publication of Iron Empires: Void, his third graphic novel in the series.
He currently lives in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 24, 2010
I'm a big Wonder Woman fan. Here's the one problem: Wonder Woman is a great character, but she doesn't have many great stories. Personally, I think it's because she lacks a quality rogues gallery. After all, one of the thing that makes Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men so great is the sheer variety of colorful villains they're always fighting. Wonder Woman has...Cheetah? Ares? I'm not sure. Another problem is that back in the hey-day of comics, many of the best writers in the industry (who happened to be male) didn't want to work on a book with a female protagonist. Jerks. As a result, WW was written by a rotating lineup of second-tier talent for a number of years and never really established classic stories.
Thankfully, LEAGUE OF ONE is one of those rare Wonder Woman gems that fans hope for. This was a quick read, and a good one. The gist of the plot is an interesting blend of superhero and classic fantasy. A bunch of evil gnomes awaken an ancient dragon deeps in the mountains of Europe. Wonder Woman learns of this development from the Oracle, who foresees that whoever confronts the dragon will be successful in stopping it, but will perish in the process. Wonder Woman knows that if the Justice League discovers the dragon, they will attempt to help her defeat it and all seven members of the league will be killed. In order to protect her teammates, she deceives, preoccupies, and subdues all the other members of the JLA and faces the dragon herself.
My favorite part of this book is the characterization of Wonder Woman. The story portrays Wonder Woman as a being of immense purity who regularly subjects herself to her own Lasso of Truth in order to purge herself of lies and deceit. As a result of her enduring honestly, its interesting to watch her struggle to betray her teammates, even though she's doing it to save their lives. The action sequences in this book are a lot of fun, but its the character interactions with the rest of the Justice League that interested me most. The inclusion of dragons, gnomes, and other fantasy elements in a superhero story was also a fresh inclusion.
The author of this book is also the artist, and his painted panels are beautiful. It's rare to find a creator this adept at both writing and illustrating. My only complaint is that the characters are sometimes painted without much detail and their faces do not always look consistent through the entire book. Still, it's a small complaint and understandable given the amount of work required to paint 100 pages.
Overall, I was very pleased with this book and would recommend it to all comic book readers, but especially those looking for a great Wonder Woman story.
Thankfully, LEAGUE OF ONE is one of those rare Wonder Woman gems that fans hope for. This was a quick read, and a good one. The gist of the plot is an interesting blend of superhero and classic fantasy. A bunch of evil gnomes awaken an ancient dragon deeps in the mountains of Europe. Wonder Woman learns of this development from the Oracle, who foresees that whoever confronts the dragon will be successful in stopping it, but will perish in the process. Wonder Woman knows that if the Justice League discovers the dragon, they will attempt to help her defeat it and all seven members of the league will be killed. In order to protect her teammates, she deceives, preoccupies, and subdues all the other members of the JLA and faces the dragon herself.
My favorite part of this book is the characterization of Wonder Woman. The story portrays Wonder Woman as a being of immense purity who regularly subjects herself to her own Lasso of Truth in order to purge herself of lies and deceit. As a result of her enduring honestly, its interesting to watch her struggle to betray her teammates, even though she's doing it to save their lives. The action sequences in this book are a lot of fun, but its the character interactions with the rest of the Justice League that interested me most. The inclusion of dragons, gnomes, and other fantasy elements in a superhero story was also a fresh inclusion.
The author of this book is also the artist, and his painted panels are beautiful. It's rare to find a creator this adept at both writing and illustrating. My only complaint is that the characters are sometimes painted without much detail and their faces do not always look consistent through the entire book. Still, it's a small complaint and understandable given the amount of work required to paint 100 pages.
Overall, I was very pleased with this book and would recommend it to all comic book readers, but especially those looking for a great Wonder Woman story.
September 16, 2012
This is one of my favorite Wonder Woman books. I have read reviews on it throughout the internet and it usually receives 3 stars. I think that people are expecting something different. The book is not really about an adventure but about Wonder Woman as a person and I feel the book does an excellent job of portraying who she really is and what she is all about: truth.
Wonder Woman was created by the man who invented the lie detector test. To him, telling the truth was an important part of life. He chose a pretty interesting lifestyle and was always honest about it and surprisingly people's judgements did not hinder his success.
In the book Wonder Woman lays her lasso of truth over her shoulders every morning to bring to light any lies she may be telling herself. Considering how strong denial is in people, I find this to be amazingly strong and honorable. I wish I had my own magic lasso to expose my lies to myself.
Wonder Woman also has to lie in this book and is not very good at it. Plus the books antagonist is a dragon. Dragons are always cool in a book.
Wonder Woman was created by the man who invented the lie detector test. To him, telling the truth was an important part of life. He chose a pretty interesting lifestyle and was always honest about it and surprisingly people's judgements did not hinder his success.
In the book Wonder Woman lays her lasso of truth over her shoulders every morning to bring to light any lies she may be telling herself. Considering how strong denial is in people, I find this to be amazingly strong and honorable. I wish I had my own magic lasso to expose my lies to myself.
Wonder Woman also has to lie in this book and is not very good at it. Plus the books antagonist is a dragon. Dragons are always cool in a book.
November 27, 2022
Rating 4 out of 5 | Grade: B+; Dragon Slayer Diana, Hell yeah!
After hearing a prophecy by the Oracle of Delphi foretelling the death of the Justice League, Diana must take things in her own hands, and face an ancient evil dragon to save the League and humanity from harm.
Not much to say on this one. Pretty straightforward story, some decent set up, could've benefited from better writing. The whole thing came across as a bit cheesy.
But still, Wonder women fought against an ancient dragon, alone, and came out on top. Plus, this one panel. It's just, Magnificent.
Once again proving that Diana shines the most when in stories rooted in Mythology, particularly those which give the warrior amazon in her to shine. I think this as well as stories such as Wonder Woman: Dead Earth & Wonder Woman Black & Gold showcase the best of that warrior aspect.
After hearing a prophecy by the Oracle of Delphi foretelling the death of the Justice League, Diana must take things in her own hands, and face an ancient evil dragon to save the League and humanity from harm.
Not much to say on this one. Pretty straightforward story, some decent set up, could've benefited from better writing. The whole thing came across as a bit cheesy.
But still, Wonder women fought against an ancient dragon, alone, and came out on top. Plus, this one panel. It's just, Magnificent.
Once again proving that Diana shines the most when in stories rooted in Mythology, particularly those which give the warrior amazon in her to shine. I think this as well as stories such as Wonder Woman: Dead Earth & Wonder Woman Black & Gold showcase the best of that warrior aspect.
November 23, 2023
Wonder Woman singlehandedly takes out the JLA then punches through a dragon and quite a few of these epically painted pages would look great airbrushed on the side of a panel van. What's not to like?
November 17, 2011
I was reading the top 10 stories for Wonder Woman and this graphic novel was in the top ten. I'm not much for Wonder Woman, but this comic was amazing. Christopher Moeller has writen and painted a beautiful comic. It has some of awesome things in it:
1. A Dragon
2. Wonder Woman taking out the JLA
3. Wonder Woman fighting a Dragon
4. Painted comic that is drop dead gorgeous
That alone should be enough for anyone to want to read this comic. I don't think I need to say anything else. The comic is awesome.
1. A Dragon
2. Wonder Woman taking out the JLA
3. Wonder Woman fighting a Dragon
4. Painted comic that is drop dead gorgeous
That alone should be enough for anyone to want to read this comic. I don't think I need to say anything else. The comic is awesome.
March 5, 2012
Such a great and fun novel that is well worth the reader's time.
July 11, 2017
I'm still reading random Wonder Woman story arcs while waiting for George Perez's work. I'll never get around to the William Moulton Marston version of Wonder Woman, but I do believe this slim story arc does an effective job of describing WW's core. It's not a conventional superhero premise - she fights a really old dragon. Justice League isn't of any help, because WW has heard a prophecy that anyone who faces the dragon will be killed, and she makes sure every one of them is out of the way.
WW is the only one who can face the dragon, it turns out, because she's no slacker. She's used to purging herself of every bad thought, every lie, and the dragon fire doesn't do much to her. Her struggles with betraying the rest of Justice League also makes for a great arc. I finally feel I'm getting somewhere with this character, that I know who she is and what she stands for, never mind the Themyscira and all that entails, with this comic. Some of the art is also spectacular.
WW is the only one who can face the dragon, it turns out, because she's no slacker. She's used to purging herself of every bad thought, every lie, and the dragon fire doesn't do much to her. Her struggles with betraying the rest of Justice League also makes for a great arc. I finally feel I'm getting somewhere with this character, that I know who she is and what she stands for, never mind the Themyscira and all that entails, with this comic. Some of the art is also spectacular.
January 5, 2020
Enjoyable read. It had a few holes in it, but the overall story was good. I wasn't crazy about the art, but that's just a matter of personal opinion, and not a reflection of the objective quality of it.
October 17, 2022
Tanrılar kehaneti fısıldadı. Yaklaşan tehditle kim mücadele ederse onunla birlikte kendisi de ölecek.
Diana bu kehaneti öğrendikten sonra kararını vermiştir. Ne pahasına olursa olsun ekip arkadaşlarını koruyacaktır. Batman, Superman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern ve Martian Manhunter'ı bir bir etkisiz hale getiren Wonder Woman artık uzun uykusundan uyanmış bir ejderha ile savaşacaktır.
Hikayede pek özel bir şey yok açıkçası. Fazla basit, fazla tahmin edilebilir bir serüven. Okuyucu şaşırtan ya da heyecanlandıran tek bir an dahi yok. Baştan sona her şey düşündüğünüz gibi gidiyor. Görsel olarak kötü olmasa da bana hitap etmiyor.
Takıldığım bir nokta var. Hikayenin başlarında Diana kendini doğruluk kementiyle terbiye ediyor. Yanlış düşüncelerinden temizleniyor. Bunun da kendisinin sürekli yaptığı bir eylem olduğunu görüyoruz. Yozlaşma ve kalbini kötülüğe teslim etme korkusu olduğunu görüyoruz. Wonder Woman gibi fazlasıyla güçlü bir karakterin yaşayabileceği bir korku bence de. Tamam, buraya kadar her şey güzel. Final dövüşünün kırılma anında yaşanan bir sahne var. Dünyayı tehdit eden ejderhanın alevi insanların yalanlarıyla güçleniyor, kim ne kadar yalancı ve yozlaşmışsa o kadar şiddetli acı çekiyor bu alevlerden. Tesadüfe bakın ki bizim Diana da kendini bu denli temizleyen bir karakter. Bu alevlerden etkilenmeyen Diana ejderhayı şaşırtıp günü kurtarıyor.
İkisinin ortada gerçek bir sebep yokken sadece bir anda ortaya çıkan bir kehanet yüzünden karşı karşıya gelmiş olması ne kadar iyi bir rastlantı değil mi? Bu işte yaratıcılıktan yoksun olma durumu değil de nedir?
Diana bu kehaneti öğrendikten sonra kararını vermiştir. Ne pahasına olursa olsun ekip arkadaşlarını koruyacaktır. Batman, Superman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern ve Martian Manhunter'ı bir bir etkisiz hale getiren Wonder Woman artık uzun uykusundan uyanmış bir ejderha ile savaşacaktır.
Hikayede pek özel bir şey yok açıkçası. Fazla basit, fazla tahmin edilebilir bir serüven. Okuyucu şaşırtan ya da heyecanlandıran tek bir an dahi yok. Baştan sona her şey düşündüğünüz gibi gidiyor. Görsel olarak kötü olmasa da bana hitap etmiyor.
Takıldığım bir nokta var. Hikayenin başlarında Diana kendini doğruluk kementiyle terbiye ediyor. Yanlış düşüncelerinden temizleniyor. Bunun da kendisinin sürekli yaptığı bir eylem olduğunu görüyoruz. Yozlaşma ve kalbini kötülüğe teslim etme korkusu olduğunu görüyoruz. Wonder Woman gibi fazlasıyla güçlü bir karakterin yaşayabileceği bir korku bence de. Tamam, buraya kadar her şey güzel. Final dövüşünün kırılma anında yaşanan bir sahne var. Dünyayı tehdit eden ejderhanın alevi insanların yalanlarıyla güçleniyor, kim ne kadar yalancı ve yozlaşmışsa o kadar şiddetli acı çekiyor bu alevlerden. Tesadüfe bakın ki bizim Diana da kendini bu denli temizleyen bir karakter. Bu alevlerden etkilenmeyen Diana ejderhayı şaşırtıp günü kurtarıyor.
İkisinin ortada gerçek bir sebep yokken sadece bir anda ortaya çıkan bir kehanet yüzünden karşı karşıya gelmiş olması ne kadar iyi bir rastlantı değil mi? Bu işte yaratıcılıktan yoksun olma durumu değil de nedir?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2012
I've decided, based on this book, that I am no fan of Wonder Woman.
Cool-
- mythology
- multiple situations so that the whole League is dispatched
- the League I know (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Aquaman)
Ehhh...
- art style; I like more crisp vibrant images (like in Superman/Batman, Vol. 2: Supergirl)
- not enough of the League. Once Wonder Woman dispatches them, it's either her or the dragon we see
- too wordy; Moeller knows he's being read so he layers on the wordiness
Cool-
- mythology
- multiple situations so that the whole League is dispatched
- the League I know (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Aquaman)
Ehhh...
- art style; I like more crisp vibrant images (like in Superman/Batman, Vol. 2: Supergirl)
- not enough of the League. Once Wonder Woman dispatches them, it's either her or the dragon we see
- too wordy; Moeller knows he's being read so he layers on the wordiness
July 14, 2017
Wonder woman taking down the league one at a time so they don't get barbecued by a dragon is pretty sweet. I liked this version of Wonder Woman very much, I liked her strength, compassion, and art style for this particular book. ~Ashley
August 25, 2020
Wonder woman taking down the league one at a time so they don't get barbecued by a dragon is pretty sweet. I liked this version of Wonder Woman very much, I liked her strength, compassion, and art style for this particular book. ~Ashley
July 8, 2017
Justice League: A League of One by Christopher Moeller is a graphic novel about the famed group of heroes, banded together for grand adventures. Mr. Moeller is a writer and painter, his graphic novels are fully painted.
The kids and I happen to be in the library shortly after seeing the wonderful Wonder Woman movie. We went to pick their “summer reading”, my daughter has a list, my son who is younger gets a list from his parents.
Reading the books was a challenge last year, but they did it, and we are hoping for a better reading summer this year.
Our local library tries to encourage kids to read by building on current pop-culture phenomena, taking advantage of the massive marketing campaigns they’ll never be able to wage or afford. Building on the enormous publicity around the movie, the library installed a table filled with Wonder Woman related books and graphic novels. One of the graphic novels was this one, which my daughter promptly picked.
The first thing I noticed about Justice League: A League of One by Christopher Moeller were the wonderful paintings. The vivid colors which brought forth the heroes we all know and love make an impact the eye cannot resist.
The paintings work wonderfully for the first story, built around Wonder Woman who has a difficult choice to make. The panels and splash pages add a powerful visual punch to a wonderful story and move the story forward effortlessly and quickly.
I enjoyed the mythology which the writer incorporated in the first story, actually is based very much on mythology. For example the dragon’s breath that corrupts creatures into obliging servants was a piece of mythology not often noticed by many.
The second story is pure comic fun, the JLA meets an alien race and gets involved in a battle which has taken place for decades. Once the team gets there, the stakes become higher and one wonder if even the mighty DC gods will be able to fix the damage. This is a silly story, but I didn’t think the realistic paintings, as wonderful as they are, worked on this one.
This book works on many levels, the first Wonder Woman story is a solid, well built, well written adventure which asks of the heroine to make brutal decisions and deserves all the praise I can give. The second story, while still enjoyable, is simply not in the same league (pun intended).
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
The kids and I happen to be in the library shortly after seeing the wonderful Wonder Woman movie. We went to pick their “summer reading”, my daughter has a list, my son who is younger gets a list from his parents.
Reading the books was a challenge last year, but they did it, and we are hoping for a better reading summer this year.
Our local library tries to encourage kids to read by building on current pop-culture phenomena, taking advantage of the massive marketing campaigns they’ll never be able to wage or afford. Building on the enormous publicity around the movie, the library installed a table filled with Wonder Woman related books and graphic novels. One of the graphic novels was this one, which my daughter promptly picked.
The first thing I noticed about Justice League: A League of One by Christopher Moeller were the wonderful paintings. The vivid colors which brought forth the heroes we all know and love make an impact the eye cannot resist.
The paintings work wonderfully for the first story, built around Wonder Woman who has a difficult choice to make. The panels and splash pages add a powerful visual punch to a wonderful story and move the story forward effortlessly and quickly.
I enjoyed the mythology which the writer incorporated in the first story, actually is based very much on mythology. For example the dragon’s breath that corrupts creatures into obliging servants was a piece of mythology not often noticed by many.
The second story is pure comic fun, the JLA meets an alien race and gets involved in a battle which has taken place for decades. Once the team gets there, the stakes become higher and one wonder if even the mighty DC gods will be able to fix the damage. This is a silly story, but I didn’t think the realistic paintings, as wonderful as they are, worked on this one.
This book works on many levels, the first Wonder Woman story is a solid, well built, well written adventure which asks of the heroine to make brutal decisions and deserves all the praise I can give. The second story, while still enjoyable, is simply not in the same league (pun intended).
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
February 24, 2018
My copy of this contained The A League of One one shot and a few issues of Cold Steel. I don't contemplate cold steel in this review and thought it was entirely forgettable.
Moeller starts by giving us some intimate time with Wonder Woman, both in her "day job" doing some "routine" justice league work and in some down time at her island home. Once we have this insight into Diana's character he then creates an ethical and physical peril for her, which acts as a crucible for Diana's character, burning away all the dross and leaving us with only what's pure. As a character study performed in crisis I found this satisfying and compelling.
At odds with the justice league, Diana is forced to outmanoeuver or overpower them. This is a lot of fun, and the contrast between between Wonder Woman and Batman is handled especially well.
This is a reasonably complex plot that could have bogged down but is handled with efficiency and tact so that none of its separate elements ever drags on.
The art is done with paints rather than traditional colouring. I found it impressive and evocative. It did occasionally suffer from uncanny Valley syndrome where some of the characters were painted in a more photorealistic style than others (the nymph and dryad from memory) which could jar you out of immersion. The richness of the colours was particularly enjoyable and I think this and Mr Moellers detailed anatomical studies of the characters are it's high points.
While the compositions were not bold or avant garde, the structure of the pages and panels did an admirable job of orienting the viewer to the action and I was never confused in spite of what felt like a new unusually large number of locations.
I would recommend this to people who are already familiar with either Wonder Woman or the justice league, and want a further study Diana's character. If you delight in the technical aspects of comic books, this is a fine example of a painted comic book, a deft handling of a short but complicated tale with many characters and moving parts, and a good example composition working well under narrative strain.
Moeller starts by giving us some intimate time with Wonder Woman, both in her "day job" doing some "routine" justice league work and in some down time at her island home. Once we have this insight into Diana's character he then creates an ethical and physical peril for her, which acts as a crucible for Diana's character, burning away all the dross and leaving us with only what's pure. As a character study performed in crisis I found this satisfying and compelling.
At odds with the justice league, Diana is forced to outmanoeuver or overpower them. This is a lot of fun, and the contrast between between Wonder Woman and Batman is handled especially well.
This is a reasonably complex plot that could have bogged down but is handled with efficiency and tact so that none of its separate elements ever drags on.
The art is done with paints rather than traditional colouring. I found it impressive and evocative. It did occasionally suffer from uncanny Valley syndrome where some of the characters were painted in a more photorealistic style than others (the nymph and dryad from memory) which could jar you out of immersion. The richness of the colours was particularly enjoyable and I think this and Mr Moellers detailed anatomical studies of the characters are it's high points.
While the compositions were not bold or avant garde, the structure of the pages and panels did an admirable job of orienting the viewer to the action and I was never confused in spite of what felt like a new unusually large number of locations.
I would recommend this to people who are already familiar with either Wonder Woman or the justice league, and want a further study Diana's character. If you delight in the technical aspects of comic books, this is a fine example of a painted comic book, a deft handling of a short but complicated tale with many characters and moving parts, and a good example composition working well under narrative strain.
June 13, 2020
There are two stories and some sketches in this Graphic Novel: League of One AND Classified: Cold Steel
General points throughout:
First the art is consistent throughout and powerfully well done.
A few of the individual depictions were off-putting.
Justice League: A League of One
The basis of this story is CRAP. Wonder Woman DOES NOT LIE! This tarnishes Wonder Woman as the divine archetype of Female Empowerment, Wisdom, Strength, Intelligence, Honesty, Truth, and Love that has been fundamental to Diana for 80 years. Especially with the idea that is presented that she regularly test herself with the lasso of Hestia/ The golden prefect.
Diana's defeat of the Dragon is brilliant and warrior born worthy of her history. Once you get past the DECEPTION OF monumental POO. The way Diana deal out the Justice League is very strategic. I further disagree with her not being able to beat Superman. Wonder Woman can absolutely take Superman in a fight. She has magic and Superman is know to be susceptible to magic. In this case it would have taken too long and thus I cede this ridiculous statement by the male writer.
I am also filled with loathing about the conversation between Batman and Diana. He would not insult her. Bruce is a good man. Batman was also tarnished in this story. I think Batman would have been able to dodge Diana's punch.
Classified: Cold Steel
This story is a rescue tale in SPACE. I love the weird alien races on both sides, as well as the additional aliens. I am confused by the story conclusion
So to sum up the ART is magnificent. The Stories were rotten TRIPE.
General points throughout:
First the art is consistent throughout and powerfully well done.
A few of the individual depictions were off-putting.
Justice League: A League of One
The basis of this story is CRAP. Wonder Woman DOES NOT LIE! This tarnishes Wonder Woman as the divine archetype of Female Empowerment, Wisdom, Strength, Intelligence, Honesty, Truth, and Love that has been fundamental to Diana for 80 years. Especially with the idea that is presented that she regularly test herself with the lasso of Hestia/ The golden prefect.
Diana's defeat of the Dragon is brilliant and warrior born worthy of her history. Once you get past the DECEPTION OF monumental POO. The way Diana deal out the Justice League is very strategic. I further disagree with her not being able to beat Superman. Wonder Woman can absolutely take Superman in a fight. She has magic and Superman is know to be susceptible to magic. In this case it would have taken too long and thus I cede this ridiculous statement by the male writer.
I am also filled with loathing about the conversation between Batman and Diana. He would not insult her. Bruce is a good man. Batman was also tarnished in this story. I think Batman would have been able to dodge Diana's punch.
Classified: Cold Steel
This story is a rescue tale in SPACE. I love the weird alien races on both sides, as well as the additional aliens. I am confused by the story conclusion
So to sum up the ART is magnificent. The Stories were rotten TRIPE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
I'd give it three in a half stars, but I can't.
A League of One:
I came from Carol Strickland blog, she raved about it. Honestly, the story sucked. I give it two stars. First, I was promised a fight between Wonder Woman and a dragon. I didn't get that. Just got lots of talking and Diana flying through the dragon's heart. Secondly, she took down Martin The Manhunter, Green Lantern (Kyle Ryner), Aquaman, the Flash (Wally West) with zero ease. No fighting whatsoever, remember folks, they aren't weak at all. Then, as I figured it was going to happen, came Batman and Superman. She struggled to take down Batman, because she "underestimated" him. No really. How did she take him down? Throw a big rock at him, and landed two punches on him (the gut and an uppercut).
She fought Superman next. She got one good kick in, that was it. It's the year 2000, Diana is one of the best fighters on Earth, but Superman it's just... Hail, Superman. Yeah, another thing I don't like? It makes zero sense why she had to take on the dragon herself. Because the story was supposed to show the self-sacrificing nature of a Leaguer? Nope. Batman totally speaks logic, that the League together could've taken down the dragon. Which we later learn was the prophecy. She just was burdened by the weight of the world? So is Superman. She overreacted? Thought too hard on the prophecy? I don't know.
I did like the ending though.
JLA Classified: Cold Steel:
The better story. Just way too wordy.
A League of One:
I came from Carol Strickland blog, she raved about it. Honestly, the story sucked. I give it two stars. First, I was promised a fight between Wonder Woman and a dragon. I didn't get that. Just got lots of talking and Diana flying through the dragon's heart. Secondly, she took down Martin The Manhunter, Green Lantern (Kyle Ryner), Aquaman, the Flash (Wally West) with zero ease. No fighting whatsoever, remember folks, they aren't weak at all. Then, as I figured it was going to happen, came Batman and Superman. She struggled to take down Batman, because she "underestimated" him. No really. How did she take him down? Throw a big rock at him, and landed two punches on him (the gut and an uppercut).
She fought Superman next. She got one good kick in, that was it. It's the year 2000, Diana is one of the best fighters on Earth, but Superman it's just... Hail, Superman. Yeah, another thing I don't like? It makes zero sense why she had to take on the dragon herself. Because the story was supposed to show the self-sacrificing nature of a Leaguer? Nope. Batman totally speaks logic, that the League together could've taken down the dragon. Which we later learn was the prophecy. She just was burdened by the weight of the world? So is Superman. She overreacted? Thought too hard on the prophecy? I don't know.
I did like the ending though.
JLA Classified: Cold Steel:
The better story. Just way too wordy.
January 23, 2021
Ainda que um pouquinho disparatada, mas mesmo assim, penso que foi uma das melhores histórias que li da Mulher-Maravilha (o que também não é dizer muito, visto que não gostei propriamente de mais nenhuma das histórias desta Diana de Temiscira).
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Enfim, para concluir, não desgostei. E estas ilustrações são muito boas, a organização dos quadradinhos desta forma é aquela que eu mais gosto.
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Enfim, para concluir, não desgostei. E estas ilustrações são muito boas, a organização dos quadradinhos desta forma é aquela que eu mais gosto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2018
A League of One is must read comic book for Wonder Woman fans. The story focuses on Wonder Woman and the mythical notion of fate. Upon receiving a prophecy which foretold the League’s death at the hands of a dragon monster, Diana sets out to destroy the monster on her own to save the lives of her friends/teammates.
Batman might be the one with contingency plans to take out the League but Wonder Woman is on another level here. She subdued the League (with a little help from her Nereid and Nymph friends) and distracted Superman long enough for her to deal with the dragon monster. She was a force of nature and it was magnificent to see.
I loved that this story also explored Diana’s relationship with Truth. She can lie and deceive others but it goes against her nature and it hurts her deeply. No one is more hurt by her actions to ‘betray’ the League than Diana herself. She believed she had no choice so she did what had to done. What I love about her is that Diana would make the same choice again, if it meant saving her friends.
I can’t review the story without mentioning the artwork. The gorgeous art helped to elevate the story to another level!
Batman might be the one with contingency plans to take out the League but Wonder Woman is on another level here. She subdued the League (with a little help from her Nereid and Nymph friends) and distracted Superman long enough for her to deal with the dragon monster. She was a force of nature and it was magnificent to see.
I loved that this story also explored Diana’s relationship with Truth. She can lie and deceive others but it goes against her nature and it hurts her deeply. No one is more hurt by her actions to ‘betray’ the League than Diana herself. She believed she had no choice so she did what had to done. What I love about her is that Diana would make the same choice again, if it meant saving her friends.
I can’t review the story without mentioning the artwork. The gorgeous art helped to elevate the story to another level!
June 23, 2017
Not my cup of tea overall, but it was a well rounded story with the perfect amount of threads woven in. My main issues with it would be: 1) Batman's MRA dialogue, 2) Wonder Woman has a thing with Superman. I understand this awful ship was a strange phase DC went through, so I can chalk it up to youthful folly and overlook it. Batman's line about how women complain about sexism when they don't get a job validated my terrible opinion of Batman and my distrust of anyone who likes Batman. This volume typifies the DC output that made me a Marvel fan in the 00s.
This was recommended to me in a list of volumes to check out if you liked the Wonder Woman movie. I would not recommend it to those who liked the Wonder Woman movie. I would offer it as an example of a strong Wonder Woman one-volume story from the hell period in our culture that created MRAs.
This was recommended to me in a list of volumes to check out if you liked the Wonder Woman movie. I would not recommend it to those who liked the Wonder Woman movie. I would offer it as an example of a strong Wonder Woman one-volume story from the hell period in our culture that created MRAs.
January 21, 2024
A long slumbering evil dragon has awakened and thanks to an ancient prophecy WW is informed that should the JLA fight it they will succed in defeating it but all perish in the process. She interprets this as meaning she must face it alone, sacifice herself and so therefore must incapacitate her teammates to protect them.
This is a decent enough story, mixing up myth and superheroics, which is a good fit for WW. The premise is a little flawed, in that to defeat the dragon you have to be pure and without self doubt, which is contary to half the book. It is also a bit dubious as to how relatively easy WW takes out the rest of the league, but that being said is an entertaining enough story with a fairytale like quality. Moeller beautifully illustrates his tale with a hand painted style, though can be a bit light on detail in places.
This is a decent enough story, mixing up myth and superheroics, which is a good fit for WW. The premise is a little flawed, in that to defeat the dragon you have to be pure and without self doubt, which is contary to half the book. It is also a bit dubious as to how relatively easy WW takes out the rest of the league, but that being said is an entertaining enough story with a fairytale like quality. Moeller beautifully illustrates his tale with a hand painted style, though can be a bit light on detail in places.
March 14, 2022
Beautifully painted by Moeller, who is a pretty good writer as well. A strong tale of the 90's JLA big seven team. A little shocking that it came out the same year as Tower of Babel, which ALSO tells the tale of one of the JLA heroes taking out the rest, in a more roundabout way.
Enjoyed the smaller conversations with the crew, as always. Making the JLA human in smaller moments was the best gift that this era gave us.
Could've done without the requisite edgelord panels of goblins taking away babies and children.
All in all probably like a 3.5 stars. Not quite the blockbuster like one saw in that era at its finest, but solid with cool splash moments.
Enjoyed the smaller conversations with the crew, as always. Making the JLA human in smaller moments was the best gift that this era gave us.
Could've done without the requisite edgelord panels of goblins taking away babies and children.
All in all probably like a 3.5 stars. Not quite the blockbuster like one saw in that era at its finest, but solid with cool splash moments.
February 12, 2020
Terrible story. Just feels fake and cheap. Zero star if I could . I have read a lot of WW saga and this is just terrible. Art is very interesting sorta painted oil style .
PS: WW was raised a warrior among warrior and a warrior know he might die as well as the member of team might also die. Turning WW into this mother protective betraying person is plugging her into a female mother role that she isn't. The goddess of truth betraying lying and beating her team member I don't buy it.
PS: WW was raised a warrior among warrior and a warrior know he might die as well as the member of team might also die. Turning WW into this mother protective betraying person is plugging her into a female mother role that she isn't. The goddess of truth betraying lying and beating her team member I don't buy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2021
Havia ouvido falar muito bem dessa HQ e acredito que fui com maior expectativa do que deveria. Na real, achei uma história um pouco besta até, em alguns pontos clichê e pouco marcante, a não ser pelas ilustrações (daí a nota 3) que pontualmente marcam demais e são belíssimas.
Por vezes, a meu ver passou por cenas desnecessárias, além de personagens coadjuvantes extremamente chatos, os quais vou esquecer daqui 2 dias.
Por vezes, a meu ver passou por cenas desnecessárias, além de personagens coadjuvantes extremamente chatos, os quais vou esquecer daqui 2 dias.
December 2, 2017
“Wonder Woman is many different things: an emissary of peace, a loyal friend l, a loving daughter... but first and always she is AN AMAZON. A WARRIOR”
Damn right she is and what’s makes her different from her comrades. She is welling to bloody her sword if need be. Loved this story and highly recommended.
And yeah I love the art a lot. It’s so beautiful. Reminds me of Alex Ross’s paintings.
Damn right she is and what’s makes her different from her comrades. She is welling to bloody her sword if need be. Loved this story and highly recommended.
And yeah I love the art a lot. It’s so beautiful. Reminds me of Alex Ross’s paintings.
February 3, 2018
This book has a lot going for it. Wonder Woman battling and taking down the Justice League one by one and then battling a ferocious dragon along with an army of gnomes.
The nymphs were a fun element to this story. The art was beautiful and amazing. The story has a good flow and was easy to end up reading it in one sitting.
The nymphs were a fun element to this story. The art was beautiful and amazing. The story has a good flow and was easy to end up reading it in one sitting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2018
Phenomenal art with a decent story. This book blends the super hero genre with fantasy, exceptionally well. Definitely a must read for any Wonder Woman fan (especially considering she doesn't have that many classics of her own). This is my third favourite Wonder Woman story, 1) Hiketeia 2) Year One 3) A league of One. I recommend it.
January 3, 2019
Batman is a hardcore misogynist and I really dislike the characterization of Wonder Woman in this. The way the narrative wants me to feel about her situation and the way I actually feel are at odds. Not sure I get why this was lauded as such a good story. Just not a fan of "Wonder Woman is the mom of the League," which is the vibe I get from this.
November 14, 2023
Justice League üyelerinden biri, diğerlerini teker teker saf dışı bırakıyor anları genelde batman’e yazıldığı için bu sekansı wonder woman’dan görmek çok güzel. Orta çağ anlatılarıyla süper kahraman anlatısı güzel harmanlanmış. Moeller’in çizimleri hikaye bir destana dönüştükçe daha etkileyici bir hal alıyor. Karakterin tarihine güzel bir katkı.
May 8, 2024
Readers who see her as a generic "girl" on the team will leave impressed with how much she puts others before herself. Likewise, the story is great for featuring hero vs. hero conflicts in a healthier way than more modern stories. By the end, those previously uninterested in the character may see Wonder Woman as the most powerful hero in the League.
August 17, 2017
says JLA but really is a WW story, Diana vs the Dragon. Good painted art, WW takes out the JLA to protect them was interesting and the final battle with Drakul was good. Just wish the story could have had more meat to it, it all happened very quickly.
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