Author Topic: VSF Inspiration (Read 8179 times)

Elprez · « **on:** April 11, 2009, 04:52:26 AM »

I would like to recommend the graphic novels of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill for your attention as inspiration for VSF adventures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_League_of_Extraordinary_Gentlemen

Mina Harker, Alan Quartermain, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, and references to loads of other Victorian fictional characters.

The books were used as inspiration for the film of the same name, but, other than featuring basically the same characters, bears little resemblance. The graphic novels are, in my opinion far superior (although I enjoyed the film too).

Three books are available so far. The first features Dr Fu Manchu, the second, War of the Worlds.
The third book, The Black Dossier moves the League out of the Victorian Era, but is still a great read. More adventures are planned this year.

commissarmoody · « **Reply #1 on:** April 11, 2009, 05:09:24 AM »

that is a great idea to include the other members of the league

Adam · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2009, 11:02:42 PM »

I haven't read the thrid one but the first two are well good. I'm seriously considering going VSF with the new ironclad miniatures based on the books. Especially those martians.

myincubliss · « **Reply #3 on:** April 11, 2009, 11:05:31 PM »

Century comes out soon, no?

Plus, afaik The Black Dossier is still legally unavailable in the UK...

Adam · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2009, 12:48:20 AM »

"Plus, afaik The Black Dossier is still legally unavailable in the UK..."

It is available now. I flicked through it in waterstones the other day. I think that the original comic issues were banned from sale in the UK but they brought out the compilation book version.

Elprez · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2009, 02:29:45 AM »

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier" is not officially available in the UK, but most comic shops have done the same as Waterstones appears to have done, and sourced it themselves from the US rather than going through a distributor. It has only ever been in book form, there are no individual issues.

If anybody wants a copy and is having trouble getting hold of it, PM me and I can give you details.

There are 3 new 80-page stories supposed to come out this year, the first is due before the end of April. (It is being published by Knockabout in the UK, and Top Shelf in the US). These will probably be collected in a graphic novel eventually, and will make up volume 3 apparently.
(I'm not sure why the Black Dossier doesn't qualify as volume 3, but there you go,

)

Adam · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2009, 10:59:30 AM »

Thanks for the info Elprez.

Do you know why they decided not to release it in the UK?

myincubliss · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2009, 11:31:53 AM »

Quote from: Adam on April 12, 2009, 12:48:20 AM

"Plus, afaik The Black Dossier is still legally unavailable in the UK..."

It is available now. I flicked through it in waterstones the other day. I think that the original comic issues were banned from sale in the UK but they brought out the compilation book version.

Dammit, I work in Waterstone's!

Afaik, there were character copyright issues that prevented it being sold in the uk - comic shops who got it had it from the states on the sly and sold it under the counter, in Waterstone's our importer was instructed not to supply it...

Plynkes · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2009, 11:49:20 AM »

Some of the characters in that one apparently still belonged to somebody, and it seems nobody bothered to ask permission to use them. For reasons not entirely clear to me, that didn't matter in the USA, but outside the States it did.

That's what I heard, anyway.

Svennn · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2009, 01:54:29 PM »

It was copyright on some of the characters.

The first two are great but "Black Dossier" is everything that is bad about Moore. I sold my copy the day I bought it.

Dewbakuk · « **Reply #10 on:** April 12, 2009, 02:41:11 PM »

Not to ME you didn't. Harumph!

Adam · « **Reply #11 on:** April 12, 2009, 03:17:36 PM »

Quote from: myincubliss on April 12, 2009, 11:31:53 AM

Dammit, I work in Waterstone's!

Afaik, there were character copyright issues that prevented it being sold in the uk - comic shops who got it had it from the states on the sly and sold it under the counter, in Waterstone's our importer was instructed not to supply it...

I definately saw it in there, I'm not fibbing, honest.

It was the Manchester one (the big one, not the one in the Arndale).

And thanks for clearing up why they couldn't release it here. I guess that makes more sense than them doing it just to be awkward, which was what I thought before.

Just looked on Amazon after reading about volume 3 in this thread. It's out at the end of this month and sounds pretty good: "Chapter one is set against the backdrop of London, 1910, twelve years after the failed Martian invasion and nine years since England put a man upon the moon."

myincubliss · « **Reply #12 on:** April 12, 2009, 03:19:25 PM »

Gower street? They never answer their phone, so I can't even get it from there... (I've tried to get King's 'Time Streams' from them in the past since it's OP but no dice...)

Adam · « **Reply #13 on:** April 12, 2009, 03:32:31 PM »

Quote from: myincubliss on April 12, 2009, 03:19:25 PM

Gower street? They never answer their phone, so I can't even get it from there... (I've tried to get King's 'Time Streams' from them in the past since it's OP but no dice...)

No, the big one in Manchester on Deansgate. They had a display with lots of Moore ones on there (to tie in with the Watchmen film)
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=200002

Gluteus Maximus · « **Reply #14 on:** April 12, 2009, 05:57:25 PM »

Quote from: Svennn the DH Nut on April 12, 2009, 01:54:29 PM

It was copyright on some of the characters.

The first two are great but "Black Dossier" is everything that is bad about Moore. I sold my copy the day I bought it.

Shame it's not as good as the first two, then.

Still, even bad Alan Moore is better than most other comics and I love O'Neill's artwork, so I might still have to get it, if only for completeness.

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Author Topic: VSF Inspiration (Read 8179 times)

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