Post by codystarbuck on Sept 5, 2024 15:47:36 GMT -5
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #5
A bit of "coitus interruptus", Alan Moore style.
Creative Team: the usual bunch
Synopsis: Hyde is disturbed by men running up a corridor, on the Nautillus, as they slimb up a ladder to a deck hatch and disperse, with axes, to chop up the red weed, which has infested the Thames. It is a Martian weapon and the river is choked with it. Hyde tells Nemo he isn't going to sit around there and is returning to the British Museum. nemo questions that, as they feared Griffin might infiltrate it. Hyde says to join him there, later, for dinner and leaves.
In the South Downs, Allan chases after Mina, trying to explain his reaction to the scars on her neck. He explains that they reminded him of his wife's burn scars, around her neck, from a childhood incident. He was amazed, not repulsed. She apologizes and he asks to see them again. The next thing you know, they are giving new meaning to the term, "necking." Allen then tells Mina that he wants to press on, in more vulgar language and she says something about forbidding making love in the wild, like animals, then starts hiking her skirt. They get down to business, up against a tree, when they get interrupted by a curious bear.....
....named Rupert. Who speaks to them. Allen tries to defend and gets swatted aside, but tries to hold it off, telling Mina to run. Another voice says, no, to come with them and it is a tiger, in a jacket and short pants (Tiger Tim, who first appeared in 1904, in The Daily Mirror). With Tim the Tiger are an elephant (Edward Trunk) and a badger (Bill the Badger), both wearing clothes, with the badger using a cane to walk upright.
Hyde crosses London, in Mr Sampson's cab, seeing scenes of chaos, looting and debauchery, including Alley Sloper swilling booze. They arrive and Hyde enters the museum and smiles....
He locks the door to the chamber and sits down to read a paper. he then says aloud that he knows someone is there and then reveals he can see Griffin....
Hyde then grabs his leg and breaks it. he carries Griffin and makes him look out over the city and see the destruction, bellowing that he sold them out to a bunch of slugs. he then tells Griffin that it is not the reason he is cross....it is how he treated Mina. he then forces Griffin onto the floor to extract revenge.
Rupert and his friends take Allan and Mina to meet their master. Along the way, he chastises Tim for drinking from a pool, like an animal, on all fours, like a beast. They come across a toad, in a suit, sitting in a motor car, who points the way. Mr Toad leads the way and they finally meet the master of these strange creatures......
...Alphonse Moreau...Dr Moreau, actually.
He refers to the creatures as H and then a number. The H stands for "hybrid," and the number corresponds with the sequence of the experiment. he shows them his work and they are stunned. Mina says they are there to take H-142 to London. Allan explains about the Martians.
At the British Museum, Hyde prepares for dinner, as we hear garbled sounds "n-n-n". He joins Nemo and Sampson and Nemo notes that Hyde eats with gusto, while Jeckyll would only pick at his food. He notes that they haven't seen Jeckyll in some time. Hyde responds that he is too weak and might be killed by the Martians. They talk of Jeckyll and Hyde tells of how he separated them, to purge himself of sin and evil, but his sins were merely forgetting to return a book and having thoughts of other men. They ask about his size and he says he started smaller than Jeckyll, but has grown, unrestrained. they then notice red stains starting to appear on his white shirt. Nemo says, astonished, that Hyde is wounded.
It is Griffin's blood and Hyde remarks that he must have passed away, in the study. Nemo runs to the study, while Hyde tells Sampson that the Khurds and Pathans that Sampson said were uglier than him were not even close. Nemo returns, raging, swinging his sword, but Sampson stops him from killing Hyde.
The last see we see is a horde of tripods, moving towardds the weed-choked Thames, about to cross it into the city proper.
Chapter 5 of the New Traveler's Almanac covers Asia and Australia, with references to Laputa, ER Burroughs Caspak and Oo-Oh (Land That Time Forgot), Erewhon, New Switzerland (Swiss Family Robinson's island), and lands in India and Asia, from various literary sources.
Thoughts: if you know the story of The War of the Worlds, then you know what H-142 is. It is a stroke of genius to make it the creation of Dr Moreau. So, in this world, the Martians are brought down deliberately, by a bio-weapon, rather than by pure chance. Moreau's creations are all anthropomorphic characters from children's books and comics, with representatives from Beatrix Potter, The Wind in the Willows and there is reference to Moreau's laws, from the novel, about walking on two legs.
Hyde, meanwhile, exacts "justice" for Griffin's attack on Mina. In The Invisible Man, the character is corrupted by the power that invisibility brings him and Griffin exudes that. If you recall, when he first appears, in Vol 1, it is at Rosa Coote's school for girls, where he is raping the young girls, and is revealed by Mina, when she throws a bucket of paint on him. He battered Mina when she discovered his treachery, only just stopping short of rape (or did he....it can be interpreted either way, if you wanted to). Hyde shows griffin that his power is an illusion, then uses Griffin's own methods on him. It was signalled, earlier on, that Hyde was aware of Griffin, in his invisible form. Here, we see that he can smell his scent and see on the infrared level, as the art shows Griffin's hotpoints.
The Internet has made much of Moore's stories including rape, in the plot. Rape is a crime of power, not sex and it has horrific connotations, in keeping with the horror stories he writes. One of the worst horrors, for many, is the loss of control over their own body, of which rape and mental domination are key forms of being overpowered. Maybe he uses it too much; but, within the context of his stories, it is usually something within the character of the perpetrator. I can't justify every story in which he used it; but, here, it is within the nature of Hyde, to exact revenge inthis method, and there is a certain poetic justice, albeit darkly so, to Griffin's fate. Horror is about confronting you with fears and unsettling ideas and that is what Moore does. O'Neill stages it in such a way as to let your mind do most of the work, even if it takes you to the darker recesses of your mind.
Moore doesn't shy away from sex, both in the previous issue, between Allan and Mina, and their trist in the woods, before Rupert comes along. it is a natural part of the story, though Victorian writers, due to conventions, usually left it out or referred to it via metaphor and allusion. Moore goes right to it. At the same time, I wouldn't consider it gratuitous, though the scenes from Vol1, at Rosa Coote's academy are debatable. Moore presents Victorian attitudes , especially those of the writers of the era, as they were and Rosa Coote was part of Victorian erotica, with allusions to discipline and impure thoughts. Hyde remarks about Jeckyll expunging his "sins," chief being sexual thoughts of other men. To Victorian society, homosexuality was an abomination treated more harshly than even murder, at times, as judged by the harsh sentence handed down to Oscar Wilde and others, for homosexual acts. The fact that the acts were consensual, with no one being harmed didn't enter into it. Meanwhile, Dr Moreau represents many of Wells' views on eugenics and "nature vs nurture" and he shared some of the prejudices of his time, while being more progressive in others.
It was a long gap between issues 4 and 5 (5 months) and DC put out "bumper compendiums" that collected two issues in a larger volume, to catch readers up and prepare for the new issue. It will be another 4 months before we get the climax of the series. Given the density of the work and how much work Kevin O'Neill was putting in, it is understandable; which means DC should have waited to solicit it until they at least had half to 2/3 in-house, in my opinion. We know it will be worth the wait and all the better for having the series in a timely fashion. Given that the Direct Market was dominant, it was probably better to publish it in a single form, rather than serialized. If they were going to serialize, then have the bulk of it ready to go, with the final work completed as the early chapters appear. Why DC and Marvel can't seem to awaken to the fact that there traditional publishing model leads to diminishing returns, is unfathomable, except for inertia. The usual response is the series pays for the trade, but just bite the bullet and pay for the trade and release it that way. That's how prose publishers do it and they are still able to sell their wares....to a vastly larger audience.
Next time, more Terrific Tales, then a new series, revisiting the Nedor heroes, on Terra Obscura, as they deal with the aftermath of being frozen in time and a world that was being turned into a giant spaceship, by an alien entity, as they try to restore their world.
A bit of "coitus interruptus", Alan Moore style.
Creative Team: the usual bunch
Synopsis: Hyde is disturbed by men running up a corridor, on the Nautillus, as they slimb up a ladder to a deck hatch and disperse, with axes, to chop up the red weed, which has infested the Thames. It is a Martian weapon and the river is choked with it. Hyde tells Nemo he isn't going to sit around there and is returning to the British Museum. nemo questions that, as they feared Griffin might infiltrate it. Hyde says to join him there, later, for dinner and leaves.
In the South Downs, Allan chases after Mina, trying to explain his reaction to the scars on her neck. He explains that they reminded him of his wife's burn scars, around her neck, from a childhood incident. He was amazed, not repulsed. She apologizes and he asks to see them again. The next thing you know, they are giving new meaning to the term, "necking." Allen then tells Mina that he wants to press on, in more vulgar language and she says something about forbidding making love in the wild, like animals, then starts hiking her skirt. They get down to business, up against a tree, when they get interrupted by a curious bear.....
....named Rupert. Who speaks to them. Allen tries to defend and gets swatted aside, but tries to hold it off, telling Mina to run. Another voice says, no, to come with them and it is a tiger, in a jacket and short pants (Tiger Tim, who first appeared in 1904, in The Daily Mirror). With Tim the Tiger are an elephant (Edward Trunk) and a badger (Bill the Badger), both wearing clothes, with the badger using a cane to walk upright.
Hyde crosses London, in Mr Sampson's cab, seeing scenes of chaos, looting and debauchery, including Alley Sloper swilling booze. They arrive and Hyde enters the museum and smiles....
He locks the door to the chamber and sits down to read a paper. he then says aloud that he knows someone is there and then reveals he can see Griffin....
Hyde then grabs his leg and breaks it. he carries Griffin and makes him look out over the city and see the destruction, bellowing that he sold them out to a bunch of slugs. he then tells Griffin that it is not the reason he is cross....it is how he treated Mina. he then forces Griffin onto the floor to extract revenge.
Rupert and his friends take Allan and Mina to meet their master. Along the way, he chastises Tim for drinking from a pool, like an animal, on all fours, like a beast. They come across a toad, in a suit, sitting in a motor car, who points the way. Mr Toad leads the way and they finally meet the master of these strange creatures......
...Alphonse Moreau...Dr Moreau, actually.
He refers to the creatures as H and then a number. The H stands for "hybrid," and the number corresponds with the sequence of the experiment. he shows them his work and they are stunned. Mina says they are there to take H-142 to London. Allan explains about the Martians.
At the British Museum, Hyde prepares for dinner, as we hear garbled sounds "n-n-n". He joins Nemo and Sampson and Nemo notes that Hyde eats with gusto, while Jeckyll would only pick at his food. He notes that they haven't seen Jeckyll in some time. Hyde responds that he is too weak and might be killed by the Martians. They talk of Jeckyll and Hyde tells of how he separated them, to purge himself of sin and evil, but his sins were merely forgetting to return a book and having thoughts of other men. They ask about his size and he says he started smaller than Jeckyll, but has grown, unrestrained. they then notice red stains starting to appear on his white shirt. Nemo says, astonished, that Hyde is wounded.
It is Griffin's blood and Hyde remarks that he must have passed away, in the study. Nemo runs to the study, while Hyde tells Sampson that the Khurds and Pathans that Sampson said were uglier than him were not even close. Nemo returns, raging, swinging his sword, but Sampson stops him from killing Hyde.
The last see we see is a horde of tripods, moving towardds the weed-choked Thames, about to cross it into the city proper.
Chapter 5 of the New Traveler's Almanac covers Asia and Australia, with references to Laputa, ER Burroughs Caspak and Oo-Oh (Land That Time Forgot), Erewhon, New Switzerland (Swiss Family Robinson's island), and lands in India and Asia, from various literary sources.
Thoughts: if you know the story of The War of the Worlds, then you know what H-142 is. It is a stroke of genius to make it the creation of Dr Moreau. So, in this world, the Martians are brought down deliberately, by a bio-weapon, rather than by pure chance. Moreau's creations are all anthropomorphic characters from children's books and comics, with representatives from Beatrix Potter, The Wind in the Willows and there is reference to Moreau's laws, from the novel, about walking on two legs.
Hyde, meanwhile, exacts "justice" for Griffin's attack on Mina. In The Invisible Man, the character is corrupted by the power that invisibility brings him and Griffin exudes that. If you recall, when he first appears, in Vol 1, it is at Rosa Coote's school for girls, where he is raping the young girls, and is revealed by Mina, when she throws a bucket of paint on him. He battered Mina when she discovered his treachery, only just stopping short of rape (or did he....it can be interpreted either way, if you wanted to). Hyde shows griffin that his power is an illusion, then uses Griffin's own methods on him. It was signalled, earlier on, that Hyde was aware of Griffin, in his invisible form. Here, we see that he can smell his scent and see on the infrared level, as the art shows Griffin's hotpoints.
The Internet has made much of Moore's stories including rape, in the plot. Rape is a crime of power, not sex and it has horrific connotations, in keeping with the horror stories he writes. One of the worst horrors, for many, is the loss of control over their own body, of which rape and mental domination are key forms of being overpowered. Maybe he uses it too much; but, within the context of his stories, it is usually something within the character of the perpetrator. I can't justify every story in which he used it; but, here, it is within the nature of Hyde, to exact revenge inthis method, and there is a certain poetic justice, albeit darkly so, to Griffin's fate. Horror is about confronting you with fears and unsettling ideas and that is what Moore does. O'Neill stages it in such a way as to let your mind do most of the work, even if it takes you to the darker recesses of your mind.
Moore doesn't shy away from sex, both in the previous issue, between Allan and Mina, and their trist in the woods, before Rupert comes along. it is a natural part of the story, though Victorian writers, due to conventions, usually left it out or referred to it via metaphor and allusion. Moore goes right to it. At the same time, I wouldn't consider it gratuitous, though the scenes from Vol1, at Rosa Coote's academy are debatable. Moore presents Victorian attitudes , especially those of the writers of the era, as they were and Rosa Coote was part of Victorian erotica, with allusions to discipline and impure thoughts. Hyde remarks about Jeckyll expunging his "sins," chief being sexual thoughts of other men. To Victorian society, homosexuality was an abomination treated more harshly than even murder, at times, as judged by the harsh sentence handed down to Oscar Wilde and others, for homosexual acts. The fact that the acts were consensual, with no one being harmed didn't enter into it. Meanwhile, Dr Moreau represents many of Wells' views on eugenics and "nature vs nurture" and he shared some of the prejudices of his time, while being more progressive in others.
It was a long gap between issues 4 and 5 (5 months) and DC put out "bumper compendiums" that collected two issues in a larger volume, to catch readers up and prepare for the new issue. It will be another 4 months before we get the climax of the series. Given the density of the work and how much work Kevin O'Neill was putting in, it is understandable; which means DC should have waited to solicit it until they at least had half to 2/3 in-house, in my opinion. We know it will be worth the wait and all the better for having the series in a timely fashion. Given that the Direct Market was dominant, it was probably better to publish it in a single form, rather than serialized. If they were going to serialize, then have the bulk of it ready to go, with the final work completed as the early chapters appear. Why DC and Marvel can't seem to awaken to the fact that there traditional publishing model leads to diminishing returns, is unfathomable, except for inertia. The usual response is the series pays for the trade, but just bite the bullet and pay for the trade and release it that way. That's how prose publishers do it and they are still able to sell their wares....to a vastly larger audience.
Next time, more Terrific Tales, then a new series, revisiting the Nedor heroes, on Terra Obscura, as they deal with the aftermath of being frozen in time and a world that was being turned into a giant spaceship, by an alien entity, as they try to restore their world.
