Review: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2 by Alan Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
First of all let’s get it out of the way; the second Volume of Alan Moore’s League of extraordinary gentlemen is not a sequel which supplants the first. It is adequate in its own right, but lacks a certain flair from the first.
The engaging worldbuilding and characters demonstrated in the first volume, appear to be almost diluted in this installation. Part of the reason might be how, while the predecessor was a globetrotting Indiana Jones style fantasy steampunk adventure, this iteration feels much more linear and doesn’t have the same sense of wonderment about it.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
Review:
First of all let’s get it out of the way; the second Volume of Alan Moore’s League of extraordinary gentlemen is not a sequel which supplants the first. It is adequate in its own right, but lacks a certain flair from the first.
The engaging worldbuilding and characters demonstrated in the first volume, appear to be almost diluted in this installation. Part of the reason might be how, while the predecessor was a globetrotting Indiana Jones style fantasy steampunk adventure, this iteration feels much more linear and doesn’t have the same sense of wonderment about it.
It might also be that this edition lacks a suitable Machiavellian antagonist for the league to go up against. Threatening and world ending while they might be, the Martians (taken from ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H. G. Wells) are monolith, and much like the Tyrranids in Warhammer 40k, and unlike the zerg in StarCraft, lack a personal touch to make us connect with them, or see them as anything but a faceless mass.
Which is not to say all the story is bad. The opening chapters of the book, serving as a New game+ crash course into the world of ‘A Princess of Mars’, by Edward Rice Burroughs (sans the titular princess) set up the ‘Martian’ invaders. Though as we are told, they are as exotic to mars as they are to earth, likely some manner of planet jumping extra solar invaders. This prologue gives some of the best panels in the story, with the endemic Martians oddly reminiscent of the fremen from ‘Dune’.
Which is not to say all the story is bad. The opening chapters of the book, serving as a New game+ crash course into the world of ‘A Princess of Mars’, by Edward Rice Burroughs (sans the titular princess) set up the ‘Martian’ invaders. Though as we are told, they are as exotic to mars as they are to earth, likely some manner of planet jumping extra solar invaders. This prologue gives some of the best panels in the story, with the endemic Martians oddly reminiscent of the fremen from ‘Dune’.
In Volume II, the band is back together, Allan Quatermain, Wilhelmina Murray, Jekyll/ Hyde, Captain Nemo & Hawley Griffin a.k.a the invisible man, all resume their roles. The threat this time is extraterrestrial, as a large Martian armada makes landfall across England, wreaking havoc and destruction owing to their superior technology and armaments. As talented as they are, the members of the league can at best engage in delaying tactics against the invaders. Even Nemo’s genius technological prowess is stymied against the tripodal Martians.
Perhaps because the alien invaders lacked a personal touch, we are given a traitor from within, which most aptly is the man who has the natural ability to be the perfect spy. The invisible man keeps his intentions hidden as he attempts to kowtow to the Martians with superior firepower, in an attempt to be human regent to the new rulers.
This may come as not that much of a surprise, as Hawley Griffin since his first introduction was shown to be an impulsive man, who was using his newfound abilities to satisfy his more basic instincts. His betrayal in time segues into an uncomfortable interaction between him and Wilhelmina. For those of you who were incensed by the toxic interaction between Silk Spectre and the Comedian in Alan Moore’s ‘Watchmen’, this won’t be an easy pill to swallow.
Rather than the unabashed swashbuckling antics of the group in Volume 1, the current iteration takes a more internal approach, with the Martian invasion serving almost as a backdrop for the characters to reminisce.
Allan and Wilhelmina bond over their trauma, scars and share a night of solace. Nemo demonstrates his contrarian and rational principles of greater good, as he saves a young boy by blowing up a tripod, while at the same time is willing to sacrifice countless Londoners as collateral damage when they blow up the bridges in an attempt to slow down the invaders. Hawley griffin shows his opportunistic streak, abandoning ship at the first sign of trouble and backdoor dealing with invaders.
Perhaps because the alien invaders lacked a personal touch, we are given a traitor from within, which most aptly is the man who has the natural ability to be the perfect spy. The invisible man keeps his intentions hidden as he attempts to kowtow to the Martians with superior firepower, in an attempt to be human regent to the new rulers.
This may come as not that much of a surprise, as Hawley Griffin since his first introduction was shown to be an impulsive man, who was using his newfound abilities to satisfy his more basic instincts. His betrayal in time segues into an uncomfortable interaction between him and Wilhelmina. For those of you who were incensed by the toxic interaction between Silk Spectre and the Comedian in Alan Moore’s ‘Watchmen’, this won’t be an easy pill to swallow.
Rather than the unabashed swashbuckling antics of the group in Volume 1, the current iteration takes a more internal approach, with the Martian invasion serving almost as a backdrop for the characters to reminisce.
Allan and Wilhelmina bond over their trauma, scars and share a night of solace. Nemo demonstrates his contrarian and rational principles of greater good, as he saves a young boy by blowing up a tripod, while at the same time is willing to sacrifice countless Londoners as collateral damage when they blow up the bridges in an attempt to slow down the invaders. Hawley griffin shows his opportunistic streak, abandoning ship at the first sign of trouble and backdoor dealing with invaders.
But perhaps the one with the most introspection is Mr. Hyde, who follows a brief cameo from his alter ego at the beginning, completely takes over the persona and the show. He is this odd mixture of Frankenstein's monster & King Kong.
He engages in philosophical musings of his own existence and identity, which is inversely tied to that of his alter ego Doctor Jekyll. An aberration without an independent identity, he tries and seeks comfort from the only person whose presence he can tolerate Mrs. Murray. She is to him a decent thing in this screwed up world. Which is why Griffin’s transgressions towards her becomes his own death sentence, as he meets a gruesome end at Hyde’s hands for his actions. There is a curious dichotomy between Jekyll & Hyde, as Mr. Hyde notes 'at the beginning Jekyll was a strapping man, while I was but a dwarf. Now, he wastes away like a corpse while look at me'.
The plot and its conclusion have little to write home to. As the league and entirety of the royal armed forces are brought to their knees and London turns to a burning ruin, salvation comes from an unlikely McGuffin.
A mad scientist who lives in seclusion in the wilderness of Sussex, experimenting on animals and turning them into anthropomorphized hybrids, Dr. Moreau (from 'The Island of Dr. Moreau') had devised a hybrid weaponized pathogen from the Anthrax and Streptococcus bacterial strain, H-142, which under the direction of Mycroft Holmes & the British intelligence is fired upon the Martian invaders, bringing their threat to an end (along with any unfortunate humans who happened to have been caught in the crossfire). Nemo leaves the league, evidently disgusted at the use of the biological weapons, while Hyde had earlier sacrificed himself facing the tripods and blocking their way. Allan and Ms. Murray went their separate ways, wanting to put this whole affair behind them.
He engages in philosophical musings of his own existence and identity, which is inversely tied to that of his alter ego Doctor Jekyll. An aberration without an independent identity, he tries and seeks comfort from the only person whose presence he can tolerate Mrs. Murray. She is to him a decent thing in this screwed up world. Which is why Griffin’s transgressions towards her becomes his own death sentence, as he meets a gruesome end at Hyde’s hands for his actions. There is a curious dichotomy between Jekyll & Hyde, as Mr. Hyde notes 'at the beginning Jekyll was a strapping man, while I was but a dwarf. Now, he wastes away like a corpse while look at me'.
The plot and its conclusion have little to write home to. As the league and entirety of the royal armed forces are brought to their knees and London turns to a burning ruin, salvation comes from an unlikely McGuffin.
A mad scientist who lives in seclusion in the wilderness of Sussex, experimenting on animals and turning them into anthropomorphized hybrids, Dr. Moreau (from 'The Island of Dr. Moreau') had devised a hybrid weaponized pathogen from the Anthrax and Streptococcus bacterial strain, H-142, which under the direction of Mycroft Holmes & the British intelligence is fired upon the Martian invaders, bringing their threat to an end (along with any unfortunate humans who happened to have been caught in the crossfire). Nemo leaves the league, evidently disgusted at the use of the biological weapons, while Hyde had earlier sacrificed himself facing the tripods and blocking their way. Allan and Ms. Murray went their separate ways, wanting to put this whole affair behind them.
One pet peeve I had was how while reading I was not able to anticipate the nature of the mysterious hail Mary H-142, until the very end. Even after having read the source material, here I was imagining everything from an eldritch tentacle monster, to a Cyborg 001-esque overpowered psyker infant who could wreak havoc on the Martian armada.
Like the earlier iteration, Vol.2 has its haunting, rich panels, which can create a sense of awe as well as make you feel the weight of the world. There is also this callous indifference to humans or any life in the narrative. Innocent citizens and soldiers die by the hundreds, entire towns are being destroyed, yet the main characters are perfectly content to stand in the middle of all of this, while literally sipping tea and discussing mundane affairs. Their attitude is ‘there are literally tens of thousands of people to go around, so who cares if a couple thousand get vaporized’.
Like the earlier iteration, Vol.2 has its haunting, rich panels, which can create a sense of awe as well as make you feel the weight of the world. There is also this callous indifference to humans or any life in the narrative. Innocent citizens and soldiers die by the hundreds, entire towns are being destroyed, yet the main characters are perfectly content to stand in the middle of all of this, while literally sipping tea and discussing mundane affairs. Their attitude is ‘there are literally tens of thousands of people to go around, so who cares if a couple thousand get vaporized’.
All in all, an acceptable entry into the series, if not one which requires more richness and polish.
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