Written by Christopher Moeller
Art by Christopher Moeller & Bill Oakley
Cover Art by Christopher Moeller & Logo Design: Alex Jay
SUMMARY:
In 2000, DC Comics published this 108-page original Justice League of America epic. Per the Late 90’s, the League’s roster consists of: Superman; Wonder Woman; Batman; the Martian Manhunter; Wally West’s Flash; Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern; and Aquaman.
In Western Europe of 1348, the monstrous Drakul Karfang, a flying and mystical fire-breathing dragon, is seemingly killed, with its reign of terror ended. Centuries later, a vacationing Wonder Woman accompanies her nymph friends into a subterranean cave hidden beneath Themyscira. There she learns of an ancient oracle’s prophecy: the hellacious dragon will soon return, and worse yet, her beloved League is destined to fall before its scorching firepower.
Diana instinctively makes a fateful decision. Utilizing stealth, Wonder Woman must betray her unsuspecting teammates and defeat them, one by one, in order to face Drakul Karfang alone. If she succeeds, hence, the odds will then be even: one magical phenom vs. another in a showdown to the final death.
REVIEW:
Don’t be fooled by the flimsy page count; this book’s mass feels as though Christopher Moeller’s storyline is twice its actual length. If Tower of Babel brings to light Batman’s worst instincts, then A League of One is effectively Wonder Woman’s equivalent, no matter her noble cause. With each panel a lushly illustrated painting, Moeller most definitely packages A League of One as if it’s a modern-day fable with capes.
By all means, this Wonder Woman showcase is richly told. The invariable weakness is that its very premise ensures One’s conclusion is ultra-predictable. Ironically, unlike the dire risks Wonder Woman takes, Moeller’s simplistic plotting doesn’t take nearly enough to transform it into a DC Comics classic that rocks the League’s status quo. Whereas DC has exploited Tower of Babel’s dire ramifications for a quarter-century, A League of One has long since been forgotten, fairly or not, for this basic reason.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Moeller includes an insightful five-page sketchbook, along with his abbreviated biography and thank-you’s.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
