Friday Comics: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century 1910

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is authored by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Neill. The series’ concept is telling us what the world would be like if the characters and events in 18th/19th/20th century fiction were all involved in one reality. The books are richly layered with references and hidden gems from popular culture from a time when culture came primarily from print i.e. books [ya heathens!]. If you doubt me, please check out the fantastic annotation website by Jess Nevins. My favorite book in the series so far had the League pitted against the alien tripods from War of the Worlds in Victorian England.

The latest release is Century:1910, the first of a new three-part book. It’s seems a little pricey for a “single” issue, but in actuality, it’s more like a small trade paper back with a substantial cover and binding and 72 wonderful pages. This issue is, obviously, set in 1910 and many strange things are afoot in London. Halley’s Comet is set to pass overhead inciting great speculation among the occultists and magicians of the time. The common folk are more concerned with some violent murders near the docks which seem reminiscent of the Jack the Ripper killings, and the daughter of a previous League member is trying to find her way between society, tradition and her own identity.

A new treatment Mr. Moore uses to tell the story is the use of the songs from The Threepenny Opera. I have never seen an opera performed in a comic book. Only from Alan Moore can we allow such things because only Alan Moore can do it right. He manages to take a tangle of seemingly disparate elements and weave them together to make a brand-new story. A nice bonus is that, while this is the beginning of a series, it’s also a self-contained story which doesn’t require the reader to have read any primers. Still, a League book’s glory is in its references. You will enjoy the book more if you know where it’s coming from. It’s a lot like reading Ulysses; you’ll find it more fulfilling if you are in on all the jokes. Do yourself a favor and pick up the entire series and then begin eagerly awaiting the next installment of Century with the rest of us.