Writer: Christopher MoellerPlot: After learning that the JLA will die, if they tackle the last of the dragon queens united, Diana elects to betray her companions, and face the behemoth alone.
When I originally heard the premise of this JLA hardcover, I decided not to pick it up. A couple of weeks later, I discovered that Chris Moeller was handling the whole pinata. Moeller painted several memorable covers for the now cancelled monthly, Shadow Of The Bat, and with those in mind, I could not let this story go by.
Do not be confused by the title, though, because it speaks the truth. While the story does involve the Justice League, it is primarily a tale about Wonder Woman. It resurrects a recent issue that has been hotly contested, that of Batman's unwitting betrayal of the League in the Tower Of Babel arc, JLA #43-46.
At the conclusion of A League Of One, the JLA meet up with Diana, and they're not really all that disappointed that earlier, she forcibly took them down, one by one. Heck, Green Lantern's even raising his fist in the air, overjoyed that she's alright. But as in JLA #46, the same Leaguer who's most affected by the betrayal is Superman.
So what makes Diana get off easy, while Batman gets kicked out? Was Diana's excuse any better than Batman's? Okay, Batman isn't exactly a forthcoming fellow, but of all the Leaguers, he sure got under Diana's clay. In order to prove to her that the JLA should work together, and that the prophecy has been broken, Batman - normally, the loner - uses that deductive reasoning of his, but it can't match a good sock to the jaw. Later, he employs reverse psychology to get Diana to go after Kal. And yes, folks, Batman smiles. At his success, and hers.
If you're considering the fact that this is a hardcover, and it's kind of expensive for 96 pages - and if betrayal and a happy Batman aren't enough - you get more paint for your money. A League Of One includes 102 pages of full colour story and a six page sketchbook at the end. Moeller states that he was going more for the look of a horse, with respect to how he drew the dragon, Drakul Karfang, but I can't look at the thing's head and not think T-Rex.
It's a tale heavily immersed in fantasy and mythology. Wonder Woman finds aid from water and forest nymphs and short elven creatures, who live underground.
Throughout the story, Diana grapples with the fact that she's betraying her friends, and is willing to give up her own life for theirs. If anything in the words doesn't comes across as a noble princess struggling with her emotions, it's definitely portrayed in the way Moeller paints her facial expressions and body movement.
We know that Batman and the Martian Manhunter have been in some ways responsible for defeating their fellow Justice Leaguers in the past. Read this story to determine how Wonder Woman plays the card of deceit, all in the name of sacrifice.
