THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, VOLUME 2 #1
"1: Phases of Deimos"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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DC Comics/America's Best Comics
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Kevin O'Neill
Colors: Ben Dimagmaliw
Letters: Bill Oakley
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill return to the late 19th century and their creation, sculpted from noted characters from old fiction. Unfortunately, this visit to a world where figures from literature come together for new adventures isn't nearly as captivating as the first... at least not so far in this inaugural issue. Still, I remain interested, as the remainder of the series promises to present us with much more of the title characters, unlike this opening chapter.
On Mars, two Earth men lead armies of aliens against an oppressive and sadistic race they refer to as the Molluscs, and thanks to some backup, they manage to turn the tide of an overwhelming battle. But they soon discover that though they may be out of danger, they've simply redirected the alien evil toward new victims. Meanwhile, on Earth, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen investigate an unusual crash site. And in the latter part of the book, we're presented with a written exploration of England's more unusual locales.
O'Neil's art is stunning, which comes as no surprise given his performance on the first Gentlemen series. He brings an alien landscape to life, and the eye is captivated by his angular style and meticulous character designs. And his black-and-white illustrations in the prose backup really look like photographs and illustrations one would find in a turn-of-the-century almanac. In the main story, O'Neill's efforts to create and alien and foreboding atmosphere are reinforced nicely by Dimagmaliw's dark but muted colors.
Moore also grants the odd, remote and tense nature of life on Mars a strong sense of reality. In fact, one could argue he goes too far to bring the culture to life. A special font is at play here to represent the Martian language, and it's used through at least half of the story, leaving the reader out of the loop. In essence, this isn't so much the first chapter of the story, but a prologue. I suppose what's realy irksome about it, though, is that the Martian-ese robs us of one of Moore's greatest strengths. Sure, he's known for his unusual, clever ideas and executions, but his flair for dialogue, for sculpting words, is a big part of the appeal of his work. Here, we don't get as much of it.
Well, we don't get as much of it in the main story. The backup feature isn't like the Allan Quatermain serial in the first series, though. This isn't a story at all, but travel guide. But instead of pointing the reader to Piccadilly Circus or advising on the best hotels for the best rates, one is guided to the most unusual places in England. Moore approaches classic fantasy literature from a scientific perspective, making for a slow but nevertheless rich, entertaining read.
Of course, the real draw of this book is how Moore uses classic characters from familiar literature and takes them further than their creators did. He integrates the diverse array of figures and their circumstances surprisingly well. The almanac essay is particularly interesting. Literary references are plentiful -- ranging from Arthurian legend to Lewis Carroll's writings -- and it's fun to sift through the prose and try to pick out those that stem from familiar sources.
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