The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Alan Moore (Author), Kevin O'Neill (Author)

Book Description

Series: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Publication Date: September 1, 2004

The inspiration behind the blockbuster movie, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN once again uses the classic characters from familiar literature to tell a tale of epic proportions in Victorian England.In volume two, when alien invaders from Mars mercilessly attack London, the throne quickly calls upon Allan Quatermain, Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll to protect the empire.Using their various skills and intellect, the League goes about preparing a defense against the invasion but when the Invisible Man joins the Martian's cause, all appears to be lost.Now, as one of the members dies a horrific death, the League turns to the legendary Dr. Moreau as their last desperate hope.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Moore continues his trip through pulp genres with this second volume of The League. This collection includes plenty of faux-Victorian backup material, including the comic book series' original covers, and a lengthy prose short story by Moore. Although the film version was a bust, the source material remains an enjoyable, beautifully executed adventure series. Set in an alternate, technologically advanced 1898 London, the story finds legendary literary heroes Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Hawley Griffin (the Invisible Man), Edward Hyde and Mina Murray fighting battles that the British Empire can't handle without them. Here, the eclectic team is defending Earth from a Martian invasion, partially set in motion by another pulp hero, Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter of Mars. Moore spares no opportunity to play up the team's origins. Edward Hyde, the monstrous side of Dr. Jekyll, is a nasty brute, while Nemo is an imperious egomaniac, and the once-dashing Allan Quartermain is in the twilight of his powers, yet manages to romance Mina Murray, of Dracula notoriety. Moore remains faithful to the stories' structures (e.g., the Martian invasion is a pulpy romp, complete with burning farm houses, silly-looking creatures and plenty of political intrigue). O'Neill, his artistic collaborator, continues his fine run on the series. His drawings are influenced by 19th-century woodcuts but remain loose and lively. His exquisite renderings of machines and urban landscape remain a reason to look at this series—rarely has an adventure comic been so much fun to observe.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Of the half-dozen series acclaimed writer Moore created when he returned to mainstream comics in the late 1990s, the most impressive is the high-concept League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which posits that the fictional nineteenth-century figures Allan Quartermain (of Rider Haggard's She), Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and Mina Harker (heroine of Dracula) banded together as a sort of Victorian superhero team. In the second collection of their exploits, they defend England from an invasion of Martians a la Wells' War of the Worlds. As befits a rousing adventure of their era, a traitor rears his ugly head, and a sinister figure reveals unexpected sentimentality; less traditional are some highly anachronistic violence and sex. This is Moore doing what he does best, freshly and imaginatively revitalizing moribund genres. He is aided in this case by O'Neill's angular, thin-line art, which evokes period book illustrations without copying them. Forget last summer's execrable League movie; in this case, the film wasn't just inferior to the book--it was an insult to it. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: WildStorm (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401201180
• ISBN-13: 978-1401201180
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.3 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Mystery
  • #91 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Fantasy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars H.G. Wells meets Edgar Rice Burroughs, May 6, 2005

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

I was quite fascinated with the first volume of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." I expected the second volume to be just as fascinating as the first. This time out Alan Moore begins the story on Mars with characters from Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Mars books starring John Carter. The creatures leaving Mars are doing so because John Carter and the Martians of Edgar Rice Burroughs' stories were preparing to deal with them permanently.

On Earth we meet with the beloved, though somewhat psychopathic, characters of the first book once again. Similar to Robert Heinlein's novel "The Puppet Masters," we see mysterious cylinders land and watch the reaction of the locals. Of course the initial reaction is one of curiosity, as no one suspects the danger presented by those within the cylinder. When the first people die we realize that, just as in the original H.G. Wells novel and in "The Puppet Masters," that these creatures are will not negotiate, preferring to extinguish us instead.

The five central characters, Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Mina Murray, Hawley Griffin, and Edward Hyde, set out to examine the cylinders. After realizing the danger the cylinders impose, M plots a course carefully, eventually leading to the addition of a new character, Dr. Moreau, and a group of creatures endowed by Dr. Moreau with unique attributes. Eventually Dr. Moreau proves critical to the defense of London from the Martians.

During the quest for solutions to the Martian menace we discover that one of the five members of the League has betrayed them. This same person attacks Mina, leaving her injured. We also watch as romance develops between Allan Quartermain and Mina Murray, the heroine of "Dracula." This particular volume features rather risqué images of the lustful couple. Later in the novel, another member of the League will revenge Mina in a most disturbing and brutal way, which may eventually hail the end of the league as we know it.

I think this second volume is better than the first volume. Alan Moore was able to capitalize on the character development of the first volume, and thus was able to spend more time on developing the story. Moore also focuses more deeply on the mental problems that each of the characters has, providing the book with two levels of story.

The artwork is also better than in the first book. The imagery is detailed and well matches my mental image of Victorian England. Those details relating to the Martians match my recollection of the original H.G. Wells story. The colors used are vibrant and enhance the story, much like lighting is critical in film.

I have one minor complaint about the novel. I thought the ending was just a little too quick. Perhaps it was appropriate and it was in keeping with the original story. Certainly Moore was attempting to create some surprise in an ending that most of us already know, and perhaps the speedy ending was necessary to prevent people from guessing the ending. Regardless of the motivation, the transition from the story to the ending seemed a bit abrupt. However, this complaint is minor, and the superb quality of the story outweighs such minor issues.

In addition to the principle story, there is a 46 page story about various sights to be seen around the world. Included are various castles, palaces and other interesting locales. For example, there is a detailed discussion of a certain young lady by the name of Alice, who apparently found a portal into another world. There are other descriptions of giants and leprechauns, and where these creatures might be found, and numerous others. The 46 pages are a tour of the world as the "Twilight Zone" might have done it.

The second volume of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" exceeds the first volume in the story and in the artwork. This book is a worthwhile permanent addition to my library, and fans of graphic novels are sure to agree.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully entertaining take on the Wells story, January 15, 2004

By 

Mark Klobas (Tempe, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 2 ) (Hardcover)

This book, a sequel to Alan Moore's initial series recounting the rise of the League, is a feast for both the eyes and the mind. In it, Moore pits his group of famous fictional figures (some heroic, others anything but) against H. G. Wells' Martian invaders. While the second volume lacks some of the freshness and character development of the original, it is nonetheless a great read, balancing an extraordinary faithfulness to his source material (especially Wells' book) with Moore's imaginative concepts and intriguing characterizations - and with an ending that offers a brilliant twist on the original story.

In offering this tale Moore is ably complimented by Kevin O'Neill, whose artwork offers a lush visualization of Moore's alternate Victorian Britain. Like the first volume, the panels are loaded with visual references to the fantastic literature of the previous centuries, suggesting that the extraordinariness of this world is not limited to the central characters. Deciphering the references - which has sparked much discussion on the Web - is part of the enjoyment of reading this book, and it left me amazed at the breadth of both Moore's and O'Neill's range of reading. It is only one of the many ways in which the reader is rewarded when delving into this fantastic work.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The League of Extraordinary Gentlmen vs. Invaders from Mars, December 17, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 2 ) (Hardcover)

Actually, my copy of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 2" collects the six issues put out by Mr. Alan Moore & Mr. Kevin O'Neill courtesy of America's Best Comics over the past year or so. Consequently it has nothing to do with the movie, which seems fair since the movie, just released on DVD, had relatively little to do with what now has to be referred to as Volume 1 of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." But then the movie merely copied the idea of the comics without capturing the magic.

The great conceit that Moore and O'Neill came up with was to create a late 19th-century version of a group of superheroes based on literary creations from that time period (in many ways the opposite of the legendary "Watchmen" series). Back again are the core group: Allan Quatermain from H. Rider Haggard's "She," Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," Mina Murray from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Edward Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Hawley Griffin from H.G. Wells's "The Invisible Man." The works of Wells become a major factor in Volume 2 as two more of his science fiction novels are worked into the tale. The first is "The War of the Worlds," as the League is called upon to save England from the Martian tripods. The second plays a decisive role in saving the day, but I think that deserves to be a surprise for the reader.

Things do not work as well the second time around, partly because the novelty of the idea has worn off and also because the members of the League are not particularly well suited to dealing with invaders from Mars. That might explain why the soap opera elements are a bit more prominent this time around as Miss Mina becomes romantically entangled with one of the gentlemen and Hyde kicks Jekyll out of the picture. Actually Hyde becomes the most interesting character in this story, although you will need a strong stomach to read about how he deals with the group's traitor. For that matter, you should be forewarned that this trade paperback might look like a collection of comic books, but these are not for little kids. This is not as intense as "From Hell," but Moore's readers have long known that he only provides stories that have mature content. Even when Moore is not blazing new territory or reinventing the wheel in some interesting way, he is still worth reading.

The stories are still presented as if they were being published late in the Victorian era, with ads and articles that add to the general sense of fun. I liked the final words of the penultimate issue which disparages any one who fails "to purchase our concluding number" as being "a sissy, coward, or girl." Yet Moore and O'Neil lampoon the Victorian sensibilities of their characters as much as anything, and despite some major setbacks at the end of the saga, we are told that there is now an intermission before the stories continues again. As always, it will be interesting to see what literary works serve as additional inspiration for the next endeavor, although after the less than inspiring movie I suspect Oscar Wilde might be out of the equation (or should we expect Lady Bracknell?).