By Moore and O'Neill
Publisher: Top Shelf/Knockabout
ISBN: 9780861662302
He makes you work hard, does Alan Moore. So infused are the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen books with literary and movie references that you have to run to keep up, and although you might feel smug at spotting one or two, chances are there’s as many again – a name casually mentioned, or a place referenced – that you end up reaching for Google to plug the gap. That is, after all, all part of the fun, and why the books are so rich in the spectacular and the fantastic.
It’s 1941. Nemo’s daughter, Janni, is now approaching fifty years of age and has captained the Nautilus for most of her life. She and the crew still live a life of piracy, but now much of it is aimed at the German ships. When she learns that Robur’s Terror has been shot down and her daughter with it, she and Broad Arrow Jack set off to rescue them from the heart of Berlin. Although they think their quick actions will gain them the element of surprise, instead they walk straight into a trap and an African Queen after vengeance.
Rather than use Hitler and the Nazis, Moore has plumbed for Charlie Chaplin’s Great Dictator. There’s also a smattering of Metropolis, Dr Caligari, Dr Mabuse and a little more of She, so plenty to keep you on your toes. There is, however, a hell of a lot of German text, which I certainly struggled with – pages in fact – but fortunately Kev O’Neill’s artwork and Moore’s thoughtful scripting don’t leave you trailing too far behind.
I still haven’t enjoyed a League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen book quite as much as the Martian Invasion, but that doesn’t mean they’re a disappointment, just that for me that one remains the high point, and I’m certainly on-board for the next instalment.
And if you enjoyed that: You’ll just have to wait for book 3.
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