"The
British Empire has always encountered difficulty in distinguishing between
its heroes and its monsters.”
Recently, a movie came out that received its origins from the pages of
comics and Victorian literature. Unfortunately, even with a rather good
cast, it wasn’t able to pull itself to the level of the original
comic. It didn’t establish itself to the point that Alan Moore and
Kevin O’Neil had accomplished.
There are few comic writers as well known as Alan Moore, and there are
few in the business that can match. Alan Moore consistently puts out well-written
and interesting stories, and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”
is no different.
“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” is Moore’s hail
to Victorian literature. It contains so many odd references to Victorian
literature from the characters, dialogue, plot, down to the amazing art
by Kevin O’Neil.
In this world in which every Victorian creation coexists, it is 1898.
A mysterious “M” is gathering a group of people, a collection
of oddities of the world to protect the crown. The first two are Wilhelmina
Murray, a woman with a past, and Captain Nemo, of The Nautilus. They gather
other phenomenal people, including the now opium addict Allen Quatermain,
the gentleman and monster Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the amoral Dr.
Griffin. Their first mission is to recover the stolen cavorite, an anti-gravity
material, from a man only known as “The Doctor”(who in all
reality is Fu Manchu).
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The number of references is astounding, including Moore’s references
to Victorian smut. Each main character comes from prolific novels of the
Victorian age, and their characterization is faithful. For just an idea
of the stories referenced, here are some of them: “The Invisible
Man”, “Dracula”, “The Mysterious Island”,
“Sherlock Holmes”, and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”.
Kevin O’Neil’s art mimics that of the advertisements and book
art of the age.
This graphic novel is packed with action, amusing dialogue, and Victorian
fun. Recently, the paperback version of the first storyline has come out
retailing at 14.95 USD and the second storyline has begun in which the
aliens from H.G. Wells’s “War of the Worlds” arrive,
requiring the League’s involvement yet again.
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