The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Black Dossier Absolute Edition

Script by Alan Moore, art by Kevin O'Neill with Ben Dimagmaliw and William Oakley. For a complete list of  all books reviewed in this blog, please visit the index page.

This oversized slipcase (8.5 x 12.8 inches, 21.5 x 32.5 cm) designed by Todd Klein was published in August 2008 by DC through Wildstorm (ISBN: 978-1-4012-0751-9, cover price 99$) and features one faux leather hardcover book with dust jacket: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Black Dossier (200 pages). It is printed on glossy very thin paper (except for the Fanny Hill part which is printed on deluxe thick mat paper).

the inner book with its dust jacket

This edition is somehow a deception comparing to the two previous absolute edition of LOEG (and the authors wishes). It contains at least two times less material, almost no bonuses and cost 25$ more! The original hardcover has simply been oversized.

left hand side, this absolute edition, and right hand side, the original edition

As of the exclusive material, I have only spotted the slipcase cover and back cover as well as the inner second and third of cover. And that's it... Some picture below shows these differences between the original hardcover and this absolute edition. Notice that the absolute edition dust jacket is printed on mat paper instead of the original glossy paper which is really not a plus.

absolute edition exclusive second of cover

absolute edition exclusive third of cover in 3 D (the 3D glasses are attached to the dust jacket)

Below for comparison, is the second of cover of the original hardcover (and yes, my copy is signed by Kevin O'Neill).

Here are pictures of the inner book exterior, its binding (the book has been bound in the USA), also compared with the original hardcover. It has been very difficult to take pictures of interior art because the binding is glued very tightly comparing to the original hardcover.

back cover

For further insights about why this edition is what it is, I advise you to go to this link that also introduced the end of this article.

Main content is identical to the original hardcover edition, displaying the same opening/credits pages.

My negative impression of this edition is in no way a criticism of the work itself. I hope that the pictures below, shows the amount of imagination, ingenuity and dedication that Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill have put into that story. For example, in the 3D section some panels can be read differently closing one eye or the other, using the fact that the 3D glasses are based on colors filtration.

his name is Bond, James Bond

a zoom on the inserted pocket sex comic

the lost Shakespeare play!

Kevin O'Neill is a genius

we read the Black Dossier with the protagonists

Kerouac On The Road style!

the 3D section

To finish this article, I will write about the second printing of the original hardcover, that was published by Knockabout when it had finally been issued in the UK in June 2012 (regular ISBN on the back cover + extra ISBN on sticker: 9780861661763, see picture below).

The London comics library Gosh! has sold this book with the extra 2 sides 7'' vinyl previously planned for the DC absolute edition by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.

The collected LOEG absolute edition so far (further stories have not been collected in this form so far):

Link to absolute edition Vol 1
Link to absolute edition Vol 2