League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2009 – Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neil
League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2009 – Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neil (Top Shelf)
About a year ago I read an interview with Alan Moore saying he was retiring from comic books, I was hugely disappointed to say the least, I mean, let’s face it, the man has written some of the best work out there…..So Imagine my surprise, and joy, when the latest instalment of ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ turned up on my desk.
For those not familiar with ‘The League’ it combines well known literary characters such as The Invisible Man, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll etc along with mythology in order to develop a more interesting take on Victorian history, especially on how the fire of London started… When last we left the League, they were disbanded, disenfranchised and some were dead, and there were hints that this ‘League’ were not the first…
The latest instalment brings us into the 20th century and war in the Middle East, which the familiar name of Nemo seems to be at the heart of. The story starts with the familiar character of Orlando, a newer addition to the league he/she has a tendency to switch between sexes and has lived for centuries, he/she has been tasked to find the Antichrist along with Alan Quatermain and Mina Harker.
The antichrist that they end up facing could almost be any moody teenager but with supernatural powers. Even better, the ‘help’ that turns up, is a little stroke of genius!
Alan Moore once again writes an amusing tale blending his clearly enviable knowledge of, well everything, into his own mythology, by moving the narrative to present day he clears the way for more new and interesting stories, and even though this is supposed to be the conclusion to the story it still feels like there could be far more and I can only wonder which popular characters might join their ranks now that the league is somewhat depleted.
All in all it’s another great offering from a master writer. Welcome back Alan Moore, we missed you… Carrie
