I was taken aback by the fact that I wasn't nearly as taken with the first issue of this limited series as I was with its predecessor, but as I expected, Moore and O'Neill turned the book around into yet another riveting and logical blend of popular gothic fiction and the beginnings of sci-fi. But what makes this book such a fascinating read isn't the novelty of the convergence of classic characters, but the strong and extreme characterization to be found this time around.
The Martian tripod machines continue to wreak havoc throughout London. As people try to flee the city, the death toll mounts. The only thing standing between those in the English capital and annihilation are the powerful weapons aboard Capt. Nemo's submarine. Meanwhile, Mina Murray and Allan Quatermain venture into the English countryside, seeking out a man whose location, expertise, abilities and name they do not know.
O'Neill's style is a sharp, angular one, yet it captures the creepy, organic look of the Martians and their technology with seeming ease. The shocking image that really drew me into the story with its emphasis on the danger and crisis at hand, though, was of the orphaned boy's parents flayed and desecrated bodies floating in the Thames. It's a gruesome sight, but it effectively turns the reader's ire toward the alien antagonists. It gives one a vested interest in seeing the story through to its conclusion. I also enjoyed the contrast in the colors, as the scene shifted from the wartorn cityscape to a life-rich field untouched by the chaos miles away.
The cold ferocity of the alien attack was paralleled in the supposedly cold, detached facade of the English people in the previous issue, and I pleased to see that odd comparison to arise in this chapter as well. The story gains its heart, though, through Timmy Grey, the aforementioned orphan. I'm sure I'm missing a reference in that character (and probably a couple of others as well), but I'm not worried about it. Moore wisely makes this story an engaging one regardless of the fullness of one's appreciation for the literary references.
The most compelling aspect of this series is the emotion. In this followup title, Moore explores the title characters more deeply. Hyde's loneliness and the pain of unrequited love is quietly touching and humanizes the inhuman figure. And Mina and Allan's attempt to cast aside civility and pretenses for the simple sake of an indulgence they both crave -- only to have it sullied by their fears and scars -- made for an unsettling and powerful scene.
