League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Publication history
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a series of graphic novels by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. It spans two six part limited series' and a graphic novel published by American publishers America's Best Comics (an imprint of Wildstorm/DC Comics) and a third miniseries and a graphic novel published simultaneously in the US by Top Shelf Productions and in the UK by Knockabout Comics. Alan Moore described the original concept as being a Victorian version of the Justice League of America, in England, though the narratibve has since advanced beyond that premise.

The plot
The story begins in 1898, with Mina Murray (heroine of Bram Stoker's Dracula) recruited by British Intelligence to form a team of unusual individuals to protect the Empire; initial recruits include Allan Quatermain of King Solomon's mines fame, Hawley Griffin the Invisible Man, Edward Hyde and his alter ego Henry Jekyll, and Captain Nemo. The team stop a gang war between Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty, then become involved in the War of the Worlds, losing members along the way (the duplicitous Griffin is raped to death by Mr Hyde, who is himself later killed in an act of heroic self sacrifice). Murray and Quatermain eventually become immortal and are next seen in 1958 (in a story which follows the fall of the Big Brother government from 1984), and later in an adventure which spans the years 1910-2009, and which involves an evil magician's attempts to unleash the Antichrist on the world. There are also a number of spin-off stories featuring Captain Nemo's daughter.

Characters
The series' main characters and most of the minor characters are derived from classic works of fiction, mostly Victorian, though later stories include numerous cameos by characters from later works of fiction, including The Doctor from Doctor Who, Dan Dare and various characters from The Avengers including Emma Peel, Tara King, Cathy Gale and Purdey.

The first story was very loosely adapted into a Hollywood movie starring Sean Connery, which Alan Moore has quite justifiably been less than complimentary about.