Watchmen/the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[FS]

I think it was discussed into great lengths on ezboard, but I just want to say: I got it in the mail yesterday and read through the whole thing today. Absolutely one of the best stories (of any kind; graphic novel, comic, book) I've ever read, and I'm thankful to the many people here that spoke highly of it.

The story was nothing like what I expected, but that's a good thing.

[Rongi]

And Rorschach is THE ultimate bad-ass

[pjalne]

This is on top of my list with Sandman and a few others.

[Rongi]

Nice sig by the way, FS. I love League

[pjalne]

Nemo

[FS]

YES.

It came with Watchmen. Great book also, but I was mainly blown away by Watchmen.

I thought I recently read somewhere that book 2 of the League was coming out soon, anyone know?

[pjalne]

December 19.

And what´s that avatar? It kinda looks like James Marsters, but I doubt there was a Buffy game for the NES.

[FS]

It's Sly, a character from the old PC race/kill game Deathtrack.

Apparently, he was born on the moon.

I wonder if Volume 2 of the League will already dive into War of the Worlds. The end of the first book seemed to suggest it, but it seems like kind of a big thing to rush into immediately.

[Protoclown]

FS, yes, the second series of The League is all about the War of the Worlds thing. It's fucking fantastic, I really can't decide which series I like better. Unfortunately, this is clearly going to be the last series involving the current League.

However, there is news about a future series being done involving the 1920s League, with Mina Murray being the only continuing character.

[Rongi]

I'm adding that to me crimmus list :O

[FS]

Ah. If the next volume is also the last, then something as big as the War of the Worlds would probably not be out of place. The short story "Allan and the Sundered Veil" in League 1 mentioned a few other events that have yet to come, like the tentacled monster in the American house. Lovecraft maybe?

Mina Murray and Nemo are probably my favorite characters so far. In the first book Mina at one point seemed to be looking at a picture of the 1787 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (L. Gulliver, Mr. and Mrs. Blakeny, Reverend Dr. Syn, Mistress Hill and N. Bumpo), but unless it's Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels, I didn't recognize any of them. Dr. Syn sounds very familiar.

[pjalne]

Hmmm... who else could be part of an 1920 gang?

[Protoclown]

I don't know WHO would be part of a 1920's gang, my knowledge of the fiction from that era is woefully slim.

FatSatan, in the Traveler's Almanac thing that accompanies the 2nd volume of the League (the prose thing in the back of the book, I read it all but it can be VERY dry in places), Alan Moore makes so many references to literature of the day it's absolutely insane. He refers to the 1780s league again, and he also reveals the fates of some of the characters in the 1890s League. As well as hinting at who may be in the 1920s League, and I believe Quatermain's son may be among them.

I don't really know any of the references in the 1780s League either except for Natty Bumpo who was in "Last of the Mohicans".

[The_Rorschach]

Natty Bumpo was actually a from a series of books written around Twain's time. Twain himself was highly critical of the series. I'll post a follow up tomorrow citing the exact reference and author. Horribly written book, but much loved at the time by those who didn't know much better -Which was anyone distanced from the frontier sadly

[Protoclown]

James Fenimore Cooper - "Last of the Mohicans". We already knew about that one, Ror.

[Buffalo Tom]

Originally Posted by Protoclown

I don't know WHO would be part of a 1920's gang, my knowledge of the fiction from that era is woefully slim.

Just as long as Daisy from 'The Great Gatsby' doesn't make a cameo, I'll be cool with anything they come up with for the next series.

[The_Rorschach]

The Last of the Mohicans was the adaptation brother. The original collection was called The Leather Stocking Series, and the books were individually The Pathfinder and The Deerslayer. There was another couple works, but their titles escape me

[ScruU2wice]

BUMP

I just finished reading Watchmen and I have to say it was so much more than I expected. Everything was so deep and well written.

I only have one kinda qualm with it

spoiler;





So adrian's master plan to stop conflict on earth is to fake an alien attack. I mean, even in one of the news report things they said that the alien accidentally breached the dimension and died. I understand how the fear of continuous invasion can unite humans but It really just seemed like there was only going to be one "drop" and everyone would hold hands and sing kumbaya. I don't think that living in fear of alien attack is any better then living in fear of a human attack. I don't know if that was the overall message of the book, but I kinda felt like it lampooned this as a really narrow ultra focused solution that really doesn't take humanity into perspective...

I think that the idea that humans would unite to defend against aliens seems pretty sound to me, but I can't see it as the long term solution that it's made out to be. I mean when would this feeling of unity wear off? I think the concession that was being made was that living in fear is better than not living. That's kinda why I think that the book is kinda poking at this soulless quantification of life.

I'm not sure. It might just be that I'm pissed about Rorschach getting shafted at the end