Another League of Extraordinary Gentlemen thread

El_Elvis_Rojo · July 21, 2003, 2:37pm

This one’s about the comic, though. I finished reading it last night, and noticed a lot of little references to other classical literature of the time (the first mate’s “Call me Ishmael” comment; the crate marked Pequad; the bust of Baron von Munchaussen). I was curious if any of you more literate chaps out there happen to know ALL of the other literary references in the book (or at least, could offer up as many as you know). Here are some of the one’s I was able to pick out:

There’s the main characters, that’s no biggy.
I believe the weather balloon “The Victoria” was from Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, but I could be wrong.
I haven’t read it yet, but wasn’t the anti-gravity device from H.G. Well’s First Men on the Moon?

Crap, I can’t think of anymore. But I do remember a few I don’t know the stories of:
Who’s the French detective that helps them catch Hyde?
What’s the deal with the school for girls where they find the Invisible Man?
At one point, Mina and Bond are talking, and she gets distracted by a store with a rather familiar name…what’s so special about the store?
At the end, when they’re in the museum, there’s a robotic man sitting in the corner. At first I was thinking the tin man, but it looks like he’s made of brass.
In the same little museum, there’s a big metal ball with a hatch in the side, so I’m guessing it’s some sort of space capsule.

Well, that’s all for now, I’m sure others can find more and hopefulyl, some answers to their origin.

Exoskeleton · July 21, 2003, 4:04pm

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo *
**This one’s about the comic, though. I finished reading it last night, and noticed a lot of little references to other classical literature of the time (the first mate’s “Call me Ishmael” comment; the crate marked Pequad; the bust of Baron von Munchaussen). I was curious if any of you more literate chaps out there happen to know ALL of the other literary references in the book (or at least, could offer up as many as you know). **

What you want are the on-line annotations pages compiled by the seemingly inexhaustible Jess Nevins, an expert in comic books, pulp literatute, and all things Victoriana. I will provide a link to the first issue of the first volume (you should know that the book you have in your hands is a compendium of six issues; the annotations are on six separate webpages, all linked at the bottom of the webpage). Most of what you cited is in those pages. Including:

“I haven’t read it yet, but wasn’t the anti-gravity device from H.G. Well’s First Men on the Moon?” – Yes, also the professor, Selwyn Cavor.

“Who’s the French detective that helps them catch Hyde?”

Edgar Allen Poe’s August Dupin, and the orangutang story he recalls is the “Murders in the Rue Morgue”

“What’s the deal with the school for girls where they find the Invisible Man?”

It is based on some Victorian erotica from the pages of a publication called * the Pearl *.

“At one point, Mina and Bond are talking, and she gets distracted by a store with a rather familiar name…what’s so special about the store?”

It’s a pub, actually, named Whitby, this is also the name of the location in England where much of the action of Dracula goes down.

(Some of this is fresh from memory because I was perusing through the hardcover side-by-side with the annotations yesterday).

You may also be interested to know that all the annotations have been updated and compiled and recently published as a book, called * Heroes and Mosters: The Unofficial Guide to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* by Jess Nevins. In addition to the annotations there are interviews with Alan Moore and Kevin O’Niell, an introduction by Moore, brief ‘bios’ of the main characters, and essays on crossovers in fiction.

Here’s the link for the annotations for the first issue:

http://www.geocities.com/ratmmjess/league1.html

You are no doubt aware that there is a second volume that is still ongoing (the last issue should be out next month), that deals with the Martian invasion that teasingly ends the first volume.
While you are in Mr. Nevin’s pages you may want to wander into is Fantastic Victoriana site and Pulp Heroes site, which are fascinating.

Mr_Tambo · July 21, 2003, 4:04pm

The French detective who helps them catch Hyde is Dupin, from a couple of stories by Edgar Allan Poe (including ‘The Murders of the Rue Morgue’, which is referred to quite a few times). Dupin was a Parisian detective who was in many ways the forerunner of Sherlock Holmes.

The schools’ girl, and many of the characters there, were from Victorian erotica. The girl who Griffin is raping when they catch him is Pollyanna, of Pollyanna of Green Gables, which is not Victorian erotica. IMO, a somewhat tasteless scene, but that’s Alan Moore for you.

I believe it’s a pub, not a store, and it’s ‘The Whitby Arms’, presumably bringing back not-so-fond memories of Whitby (the town where Dracula landed in the novel) for Mina.

Don’t know and don’t know. Sounds like it might be H.G Wells.

As for references in general… Good Lord, man, I couldn’t possibly list them all. The League is packed with them. I’d suggest looking up an annotation to the comic-book, there are quite a few good ones online. However, here are some of my favorites:

The Chinese ‘Doctor’ is, of course, Fu Manchu. His name is never actually given for copyright reasons.

We briefly see the Artful Dodger, now an old master thief himself, during the scene where Moriarty is bombing London. Two of his apprentices are actually characters from Eastenders. Time is a bit funky there, but it’s still a fun reference.

Campion Bond would seem to be some kind of ancestor to… you know, James.

Hmm… I thought I could remember a lot more, but now I’m running out of non-obvious ones. Maybe it’s time I reread the book.

Exoskeleton · July 21, 2003, 4:06pm