Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday Trades & Graphic Novels: JLA A League Of One

What if an Oracle of Old foretold that your friends, those as close to you as family, would die in a battle? What if the only choice was to betray them and fight alone? That is the main theme behind JLA A LEAGUE OF ONE. Wonder Woman has been told of the return of an ancient evil. A dragon of old has been awakened deep within the Earth. Wonder Woman is told that if the Justice League fights as a team they will all die. So Diana makes a decision.


In this Graphic Novel we see the character of Wonder Woman in a variety of ways. She is the devoted spiritual Princess of the Amazons and a powerful member of The Justice League. We see a fun loving Diana who is friend of nymphs and mere maidens. It is also a book that shows the Warrior who will do what she must to protect those she loves and honor her duty to the Earth. It has heart and emotion displayed in the wonderful character of Diana.

The artwork is outstanding. A true vision of painted images. Christopher Moeller is artist and writer of this Graphic Novel. the dragon is beautiful as a horrific evil being that is ruthless and cruel. The backgrounds are just amazing and the balance between both fairy tale type stuff and real world creations are expertly melded. Just a great synthesis of word and pictures.


In the tale Diana, to protect her teammates, must take them down. Her strategic mind is displayed and only Batman catches on to what is happening. One by one she dismantles each member of the Justice League while hurting from having to betray them. The pain is written without ever really saying she is right or wrong. At times we even are lead to question the actions she is taking. That is a sign of great writing.

The battle with the Dragon is what really takes the action up a notch. There are moments the reader my even question if Wonder Woman can accomplish this
feat. One might think the League will assemble and we would learn the team is strongest. The way her lasso and the Dragon's flame represent different things is an interesting way to contrast her main strength as a heroine.

A LEAGUE OF ONE is worth the price. it may be able to be found a bit cheaper
than the original $14.95 price for the Softcover. A Hardcover was produced as well. Seek it out, it is a great book for any collection.

Comic Book Ghost

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