Review of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century 1910," by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

 Review of

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century 1910, by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill ISBN 9781603090001

Four out of five stars

 Very complex context that is not well established

 I had to read this graphic novel twice before I felt that I had a basic understanding of the talents of the characters and how they interact. At times there is mention of powers and sorcery, yet other times expressions of disbelief that such things exist. Many of the characters or their descendants that have appeared in literary works appear at some point.

 Which is the reason why it is hard to understand. For example, you need to know the Jules Verne story, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” in order to follow the reference to Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. Some of the other names that appear are Prince Zaleski created by M. P. Shiel, Dr. Taverner created by Dion Fortune, Oliver Haddo created by W. Somerset Maugham and Simon Iff created by Aleister Crowley. All are characters that appear in science and occult fiction and it is very difficult to thoroughly understand the references without knowledge of what kind of characters they are.

 There are also hints of a pending major apocalypse, which is a clear reference to the upcoming Great War, although there is the suggestion that it is something else. The setting is London in 1910, it is a dirty, grimy place with mean and dangerous streets. There were many homeless people that survive any way they could.

 This is one of the most complex graphic novels that I have ever read. Due to the number of characters and their literary backgrounds, it has many deep qualities. It is easy to see where a college English instructor could use it as the foundation for an entire course in literature.