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).

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.