League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Century 2009 [Paperback]

First of all, I am a flag-bearer for Alan Moore and have been since Marvelman (don't sue me, please, Marvel, I meant Miracleman) and V For Vendetta were running in Warrior in the 80s. The Future Shocks (The Time Machine!), 2000AD, Swamp Thing, Watchmen ("Nothing ends, Adrian, nothing ever ends", "a successful virus on a speck of mud in infinite nothingness"), A Small Killing, From Hell (Good Lord, that was brilliant, "Hell, Netley, we're in Hell", which I quote to myself very regularly), Top Ten, Voice of the Fire, Lost Girls, etc, etc. I really dislike comics, only because anything apart from Alan Moore's stuff is, in my opinion, excruciatingly bad. Yes, Grant Morrison, Frank Miller, and all the rest. If you like it, fair enough, but, for me, Alan Moore's stuff is the only thing that I think contributes to the human condition on the same level as a great book.

Having said all that, LOXG has, I think, reached rock bottom. The first few books were superb. Brilliant artwork from Kevin O'Neill, backwards hand-writing, literary walk-ons, "I am no-one", etc. This last 2009 effort is just dull. Harry Potter, granted, is clever, but the theme is rammed down the throat. The art-work just looks rushed compared with the beauty of the earlier volumes. I've always loved Kevin O'Neill's style, back to Nemesis and Torquemada, but this stuff is lazy, accentuated by the colour. The Kevin/Alan stories for the Green Lantern stuff are just amazing.

Alan, if you're reading this (which I assume you're not), I do feel guilty about not writing glowing reviews of (all) your other work. I'm just disappointed with this one. Although compared with any other comic, it's in a different class...

After the first 2 volumes, that had really revolutionised and re-invigorated the dated concepts of Wold-Newton universe or 'Steampunk' Victoriana, this series began its descent into chaos. The well-structured world slowly became a post-modern whirlpool where literary references and in-jokes grew at the expense of the narrative tautness. Now, it seems, that the saga is finally over. We have death of an iconic character, and frustration & devastation (along-with some stuff that would really enrage Harry Potter fans) pervade every page. This is a bleak volume, and I am sorely missing Jess Nevin's indispensable annotations. Nevertheless, compared to the experimental 'Black Dossier' and some of the other pointless stuff thrown about in the previous volumes, this time the narrative was continuous and quite readable. This is NOT Alan Moore at his best, but still, that's better than many others.

Third and final volume in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century series of graphic novels.

This is a not a good jumping on point and anyone who hasn't read anything League of Extraordinary Gentlemen related before should instead start with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Be advised that graphic content only really makes it suitable for those aged eighteen and over.

For those who have come all the way with the series, read on:

This volume continues on from where Century 1969 left off. Albeit with a big jump in time between the two. Orlando is fighting in the middle east. Although names and settings are different to those in our world because this is a different one, certain things are familiar. And then returns to Britain. As with previous volumes the panels are crowded with characters from fiction and various references to it also.

Orlando is then tasked with getting back to the mission of stopping the anti-christ. But with former comrades long lost, can the team get back together? And can the day be saved?

There's also another chapter at the end in text form of the story that was running that way in parts one and two of century.

This adopts the style of previous volumes once again, and as ever there's a lot of incidental delight along the way. But the main characters are all ones we've seen before, and there are no new heroes from this era. Which may be down to copyright reasons or plot points. But that does feel a bit disappointing.

The setting is very modernday and it makes points about modern life and the recession well enough. But the whole resolution to the main plotline may divide the readership. You may either find it perfunctory and something that comes out of nowhere, or else a pretty clever comment on certain things.

There is a wrap up for the characters after that. Which states that it's the end of a volume. It doesn't feel like the end of the league story as a whole, and yet this would seem to be the last comic Alan Moore will ever write, so an ending it is. How satisfactory that feels will again be a matter of opinion.

There are probably lots of clever allusions to things about modern day Britain and the power of fiction and creativity in here. But the reader will draw their own conclusions or find their own things in that way. Which may or may not be the point.

An end to Century. And one that isn't quite as good as the two previous volumes. But if you've come all this way with it then you need to read it regardless.