The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1969
Authors: Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill
For the second out of three issues of LOEG Century; we are transported to 1969 and the full on dirt, sleaze, fashions, decor and swing of the drug fuelled hippie nation.
Last time we left our assorted bunch was back in 1910 where they had gotten word of what seemed like was the coming of the end of the world and a moonchild (This child is supposed to be the new antichrist). But all didn’t quite come to pass, and the sadist society of that time erupted in violence thanks to the daughter of one Captain Nemo.
59 years later and the gang are back. Mina Murray, Allan Quartermain, and Orlando find themselves in a new set of digs under new rule as Mina had severed contact with MI5 in the war era. A whole new group of characters get involved as the Moonchild plot continues, including one Michael Caine looking character whose initials seem to be JC. He’s often referred to as Jackie, and we know his last name starts with the letters C and A. Oh and he’s about to go take care of a bit of family business.
Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill have been having far too much fun with history as well as a wealth of historical characters from the world of fiction. 1969 stands out from the series thanks largely to the era it is set in. Colours become very vibrate and candy-like. Some pages are often like looking at a row of colourful sweet wrappers in a store. Yes we do get a bit trippy in places and it makes the issue all the more enthralling as a result.
But don’t let the glitz and light let you think that there is anything going on here that isn’t of the sordid sort. Mina has become a victim of fashion and change and has ended up a bit of an emotional antagonist as a result. Orlando is forever going through changes, and Allan seems like the old man trapped in a young mans body that he is. He may have gained his youth, but his nerve still isn’t what it used to be. The world is very much as twisted and perverted as it always has been in their books, and it seems like the hunt for the anti-Christ is the only next step for the LOEG to take!
We are left dangling however for another year when the series will be brought to its conclusion in modern day. We will see you there!
Steven Hurst