The inspiration behind the blockbuster movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2 once again uses classic characters from familiar literature to tell a tale of epic proportions in Victorian England. 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 Martians' cause, all appears lost. Now as one of their members dies a horrific death, the League turns to the legendary Dr. Moreau as their last desperate hope. Suggested For Mature Readers.

Reviews

Acclaimed comics author Moore (Watchmen) has combined his love of 19th-century adventure literature with an imaginative mastery of its 20th-century corollary, the superhero comic book. This delightful work features a grand collection of signature 19th-century fictional adventurers, covertly brought together to defend the empire. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comprises such characters as Minna Murray (formerly Harker), from Bram Stoker's Dracula; Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego, Mr. Hyde); and Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, restored to the dark, grim-visaged Sikh Verne originally intended. There's also Hawley Griffin, the imperceptible hero of H.G. Well's The Invisible Man, and Allan Quartermain, the daring adventurer of King Solomon's Mines and other classic yarns by H. Rider Haggard. It's 1898, and these troubled adventurers are spread around the globe, in the midst of one pickle or another. Quartermain is found near death, delirious in a Cairo opium den; the perverse Griffin is captured terrorizing an all-girls school (leaving behind a series of mysterious pregnancies); and the gruesome Mr. Hyde is rescued from the mob set to kill him at the end of Stevenson's classic novel. This collection of flawed and gloomy heroes is recruited to fight a criminal mastermind (a notorious 19th-century literary villain) intent on firebombing the East End of London. The book also includes "Allan and the Sundered Veil," a rip-snorting, prose time-travel story starring Quartermain and written in the manner of the 19th-century "penny dreadful." Moore and O'Neill have created a Victorian era Fantastic Four, a beautifully illustrated reprise of 19th-century literary derring-do packed with period detail, great humor and rousing adventure. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

In the waning days of the Victorian era, a cast of five agents is instructed to save England. Each agent had been a respected member of society, but for various reasons (divorce, drug addiction) they have all dropped out of public favor. Whom they work for is uncertain; the group's leader, Miss Murray, believes that it is the famed detective Sherlock Holmes, back from the dead. Against an atmosphere that is both exciting and repressive, Moore and O'Neill have superimposed a drama that is inventive and suspenseful. The script is full of wit and literary references at one point a seaman instructs his captain ("Nemo") to "Call me Ishmael" and the illustrations charm. Highly recommended for public libraries. Stephen Weiner, Maynard P.L., MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.