History ComicBook / TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen

*** A subversion of Moore's hatred of spies appears in the form of a rejuvenated [[spoiler:Jimmy Bond]] handing a TakeThat towards modern spies, with an acknowledgement that while TuxedoAndMartini spies of the 60s were full of UnfortunateImplications and {{Designated Hero}}es, they were at the very least ''[[RuleOfFun fun]]'' compared to [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype the gritty, "realistic" ones]] of the latter 2000s and 2010s.

* {{Feghoot}}: Some of the references are nothing but elaborate set-ups for truly awful puns. The suicide of 1950s superhero Jack Flash is probably the most cringe-inducing ([[Music/TheRollingStones he jumped off an apartment building after trying & failing to do the deed with stove gas three times]]).

** Not just to places and things but fictional representations of people even come into play as well. Most notably [[Film/TheGreatDictator Adenoid Hynkel]] taking UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's place in WWII. Also, ''Music/TheRutles'' were the biggest band of TheSixties. Instead of Mick Jagger and Music/TheRollingStones, we have Terner from ''The Purple Orchestra''[[note]]Based on the film ''Film/{{Performance}}'' which had Mick Jagger in the leading role[[/note]] complete with AlternateUniverse ''Sympathy for the Devil''. Other notable ones include Literature/HoratioHornblower taking Nelson's place in British military history, and the identity of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper being [[Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera Mack The Knife]]. Finally, the BigBad of ''Century'', Oliver Haddo, is an expy of real-life mystic Creator/AleisterCrowley.

** ''Century: 1969'' features an AlternateUniverse version of "SympathyForTheDevil" as performed by Terner, a character played by Mick Jagger in ''Film/{{Performance}}'' and his [[Music/TheRollingStones Purple Orchestra]] with replacement lyrics that scan in perfect alignment to the original.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Terner and The Purple Orchestra are quite obviously Music/MickJagger and Music/TheRollingStones.

** Moore '''hates''' spy characters due to his anarchist beliefs against shady authority. His depiction of Literature/JamesBond (at least, the literary version) isn't exactly flattering either, although it is more faithful to Fleming's original depiction in comparison to his film counterpart. Book Bond originally displayed quite a bit of misogyny but did soften as the series went on, but here Moore took it UpToEleven and kept it there.

*** Also, James Bond's grandpa was a perverted little coward. Bond himself appears in ''The Black Dossier'', and he seems to have retained his ancestor's qualities as, two pages into his appearance, he [[spoiler:tries to rape Mina. She beats him up]], and when Allan shows up, he knocks Bond's pansy ass to the ground, kicks him in the 'nads and mocks him. Further, the Bond in this version is specifically stated to be one who defeated Dr. No - the version played by Sean Connery, who also portrayed Quatermain's character in the movie. And then Moore proceeds to take this UpToEleven in the climax, in which it is revealed that [[spoiler:there never even ''was'' a Dr. No in the first place, Bond had betrayed England to the U.S, and [[MoralEventHorizon murdered one of MI5's own agents]]]]. By ''Century: 2009'', while "James Bond" has become a LegacyCharacter handed down to different agents in succession (all the Bond actors from Connery to Craig appear), the original Bond is bedridden and ravaged by syphilis and other diseases.

*** A subversion of Moore's hatred of spies appears iin the form of a rejuvenated [[spoiler:Jimmy Bond]] handing a TakeThat towards modern spies, with an acknowledgement that while TuxedoAndMartini spies of the 60s were full of UnfortunateImplications and {{Designated Hero}}es, they were at the very least ''[[RuleOfFun fun]]'' compared to [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype the gritty, "realistic" ones]] of the latter 2000s and 2010s.

Not to be confused with ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'', which is something entirely different. (Although they might [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters be in here]] ''[[LawyerFriendlyCameo somewhere]]''...) Also not to be confused with the Literature/NeroWolfe mystery novel ''Literature/TheLeagueOfFrightenedMen''. (Though, again, Wolfe might be in there somewhere too...)

* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler: The aftermath of Hyde's rape of Griffin. Nemo's horrified scream upon investigating and having to be held back to keep him from killing Hyde in rage as a result and Griffin's blood covering both Hyde's shirt and half the table him and Nero were having dinner on are what the reader is clue in on that it wasn't pretty.]]

* AsYouKnow: Less so in matters of plot or narrative, and more in terms of the many references to other works in the series. In later volumes especially, when Moore is dealing with more modern creations and so has to work around copyright, meaning he often cannot outright name the character or story being referred to without getting into potential legal trouble, he often has to resort to rather roundabout ways of making the point. This can at times lead to somewhat tortuous and strained examples of the characters essentially telling each other things they should already know or wouldn't really bother explaining out loud, just to include a reference Moore wants to make. For example, [[https://comicsalliance.com/league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-century-1969-the-story-is/ this review]] criticises ''Century 1969'' for this trope by pointing out several panels which basically just boil down to the characters discussing street names that happen to be references to Iain Sinclair and Creator/MichaelMoorcock stories.

** Orlando is pretty much every fictional character with that name ever or similar names. He's Orlando from ''Literature/OrlandoABiography'', Roland from ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland'', ''Literature/OrlandoFurioso'', O from ''Literature/TheStoryOfO'' and Orlando the Marmalade Cat (he claims to have been turned into a cat because of a curse at one point). And at the end of Tempest is revealed to also be Halo Jones from Moore's own ''ComicBook/TheBalladOfHaloJones''

** Orlando is pretty much every fictional character with that name ever, up to and including Orlando the Marmalade Cat (he claims to have been turned into a cat because of a curse at one point).

** The theme of deconstruction existed in the early volumes but was more more subdued within the main narrative. Asking more such questions about "can you distinguish the heroes from the monsters" or "how does a team of wildly different people stay together". From ''The Black Dossier'' onwards, Moore started more heavily focusing on deconstructive AuthorTracts tht if someone isn't familiar with Moore's personal thoughts, you'd never fully understand why he does what he does on the pages.
** In The New Traveler's Almanac there were a lot of references to literature in the first half of the 20th century. However when the timeline of the series actually got to those points of time, next to none of them or their fellows were utilized in the plot proper. Due to clever fan sleuthing it came to light several works referenced in the New Traveler's Almanac were never translated into English and Moore more than likely learned of them from a published encyclopedia of fictional places. More than likely explaining why they would be utilized there but bypassed as the series became more about AuthorTract and NewMediaAreEvil.

** Mina Murray is celebrated and commemorated for her part as the protagonist of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' rather than the Count, Van Helsing and other elements which have supplied the cottage industry of vampire films, who by contrast are barely referred to and alluded to. Likewise, unlike more modern neo-victorian takes like ''Series/PennyDreadful'' or the film adaptation, Moore makes it clear that Mina did not retain any powers from Dracula's bites after his death. In the original source she wasn't turned into a full vampire and was cured completly of it by Dracula's death.

** Even his take on the Antichrist[=/=]Moonchild is a lot more accurate to the books in some details than the movies. For instance, the character has green eyes which the movies removed, because the actor complained about the contacts. Like [[spoiler:where the movies made Ron Weasley into an AdaptationalWimp, his brief on-panel appearance in ''Century: 2009, shows him alongside Severus Snape, to be the only one to be brave enough to talk to Harry and reason with him where everyone else is cowering in fear or crying in anguish. Likewise Harry Potter's more angsty appearance here reflects his arc in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Book 5]] which also had sections where he was worried he would be possessed by the BigBad and felt resentment at his mentor for manipulating him, much of which was removed in the movies]].

** The theme of deconstruction existed in the early volumes but was more more subdued within the main narrative. Asking more such questions about "can you distinguish the heroes from the monsters" or "how does a team of wildly different people stay together". From the Black Dossier Moore started more heavily focusing on deconstructive AuthorTracts tht if someone isn't familiar with Moore's personal thoughts, you'd never fully understand why he does what he does on the pages.

* KarmicRape: [[spoiler:the Invisible Man]]'s rape by [[spoiler:Mr. Hyde]] is treated as a fitting punishment, given that he himself was a rapist and it was done in retaliation to harming Mina. May overlap with PayEvilUntoEvil depending on whether you consider [[spoiler:Hyde]] an AntiHero or just another villain.

** Boys Adventure Heroes from Charles Hamilton's Literature/{{Greyfriars}} School stories has the Famous Five's leader Harry Wharton becoming Big Brother with other members of the gang forming the party of Ingsoc, and Billy Bunter shown as a pathetic ManChild who also [[spoiler:rats out Mina and Allan Quatermain]]. Other adventure heroes who are shown as less than noble is Literature/TomSwift or [[WritingAroundTrademarks Tom Swyfte]] who is a racist and DirtyCoward who cares more [[ItsAllAboutMe about his own life]] than that of his team and whose inventions revolve around [[ArmsDealer developing weapons]] because he's OnlyInItForTheMoney rather than ForScience. In ''Volume III: Century'', Moore builds his climax to a prolonged TakeThat on [[spoiler:Literature/HarryPotter, showing the main character as a whiny SpoiledBrat who is also an EldritchAbomination who murdered the entire supporting cast of his series. In the same process name dropping some other magical school boy characters as having been monitored as well.]] In their own works these characters were generally the heroes and stars. In Moore's League they grew up to be just as villainous as those they fought.

** In ''Century: 2009'', his portrayal of Literature/HarryPotter is generally quite mean-spirited and satirical, making fun of its WorldBuilding and cast of characters with the single exception of [[spoiler:Severus Snape]], who gets a FacingTheBulletsOneLiner, and whose in-universe dismissal of Harry as [[spoiler:the Antichrist]]; an EntitledBastard celebrity coasting off better wizards is Moore's own view of the character and its series and influence, an opinion made particularly transparent when he has [[spoiler:God appear and destroy him - in the form of Mary Poppins, self-proclaimed guardian of the world's children and their imaginations]]. Tying into the above Moore's concept of magic also likely plays apart that Moore thinks less of authors who use magic in fiction to be whatever the plot wants it to be. The League book even calls this out as "sloppily defined magical principles".

** Franchise/HarryPotter [[spoiler: is TheAntichrist appointed by Oliver Haddo/Tom Riddle/Voldemort to bring the new aeon, whose adventures in Hogwarts was all a ruse to keep him diverted from his real path]].[[note]]He has an epic FreakOut and goes KillEmAll on Hogwarts, murdering Ron, Hermione, Draco, [=McGonagall=], Ginny, Dumbledore, Hagrid and Snape (who gives a DefiantToTheEnd speech) before settling at Grimmauld Place for ten years taking anti-depressant pills and procrastinating on self pity[[/note]]. His portrayal as a whiny SpoiledBrat is Moore's TakeThat on the milennial culture's obsession with celebrity, riffing on the implications of Harry as TheHero being famous for doing nothing, content to be an UnwittingPawn while remaining essentially mediocre in skill and knowledge and yet receive unmerited fame and praise, a CharacterExaggeration of Harry's original portrayal, the sentiments of which are voiced by [[spoiler:Severus Snape]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The series ends with Emma killing Jimmy, Mina and Jack Nemo declaring their love for each other, Captain Universe marrying Electro-Girl, and the entire crew of the new Nautilus made immortal so they never have to worry about dying. Although, they had to escape Earth because Prospero had released fantastical creatures from the Blazng World, overruning humanity and turning Earth into a dystopia, while the Moon's inhabitants had conquered Venus and Mars, setting up a tyrannical empire destined to last for at least a millenium.]]

* BolivianArmyEnding: ''Tempest'' ends with humanity [[spoiler:losing a war against fairies then a time skip has a Dalek invasion fleet heading our way]]

Not to be confused with ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'', which is something entirely different. (Although they might [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters be in here]] ''[[LawyerFriendlyCameo somewhere]]''...) Also not to be confused with the Literature/NeroWolfe mystery novel ''Literature/TheLeagueOfFrightenedMen'' (though again, Wolfe might be in there somewhere too...)

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In The New Traveler's Almanac there were a lot of references to literature in the first half of the 20th century. However when the timeline of the series actually got to those points of time, next to none of them or their fellows were utilized in the plot proper. Due to clever fan sleuthing it came to light several works referenced in the New Traveler's Almanac were never translated into English and Moore more than likely learned of them from a published encyclopedia of fictional places. More than likely explaining why they would be utilized there but bypassed as the series became more about AuthorTract and NewMediaAreEvil.

* AscendedFanon: Presents the fan theory that "James Bond" is a codename as the J-Series are all the movie Bond actors.

** Moore even sent one last bullet at Super heroes within the Tempest. With none other than Sherlock Holmes offering that maybe the world is better off without people who are more super than another.

** In the New Traveler's Almanac, this is the fate of [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderLand the girl who fell into a mirror into a world were the regular laws of physics and logic are not applied]] [[NightmareFuel and her organs were reversed as well as having the inability to eat our world's food.]]

** Literature/BulldogDrummond's racism ([[ValuesDissonance the reason]] the original stories haven't aged well) is turned up to eleven.
** As is Franchise/JamesBond's misogyny from the original Ian Fleming stories.

--> '''Alan Moore''': I would say, that if you’re talking about a line of progress, if it can be called progress, that runs from Creator/BertoltBrecht’s Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera, to Donald Cammell’s Film/{{Performance}}, to Franchise/HarryPotter, I don’t think you can really see that as anything but a decline.

** Emma Peel of ''Series/TheAvengers'' is also the Judi Dench M from the modern James Bond movies.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The [[AuthorAppeal real]] [[NewMediaAreEvil reason]] is obvious, but from a Watsonian perspective, what happened to almost every major literary character since the middle of the twentieth century? Indeed, it is worth noting that in the older volumes Moore dove deep into many literary sources in building the world of the league, from the major players to the background characters. But by the time of ''1969'' and ''2009'', the number of literary sources takes a severe nosedive, and indeed references are made to generally obscure cult films like ''Film/{{Performance}}''[[note]]Which did receive a {{Novelisation}} though.[[/note]] or ''Film/GetCarter''[[note]]Which did have a literary version but this version paid more attention to the film version[[/note]] and the main cultural symbol of TheOughties that Moore focuses on is [[Literature/HarryPotter You-Know-Who]]. As a result it can be jarring, regardless how any of us feel about the individual characters, that a lot of popular literary characters aren't referenced at all.

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Initally averted; while the consequences of Orlando's immortality are delved into, it's never a cause for {{Wangst}} and s/he certainly has fun. Likewise, [[spoiler:Mina and Allan]]'s biggest problem with immortality so far is ''keeping sex interesting''. But Mina has more difficulties in ''Century'' and Alan eventually loses his grip on his drug addiction and becomes a homeless vagrant again. Its implied that Orlando also suffers from this to some degree, since 5000 years of war and bloodshed occasionally drives him into a killing frenzy.

* WorldBuilding: Moore does this extensively as as time goes on, using elements and pieces from a good bit of all fiction to create the world the League inhabits. This is particularly evident in backup material to Volume II, ''The New Traveller's Almanack'', which details the locales of the League's world.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In The New Traveler's Almanac there were a lot of references to literature in the first half of the 20th century. However when the timeline of the series actually got to those point of time, next to none of them or their fellows were utilized in the plot proper. Due to clever fan sleuthing it came to light several works referenced in the New Traveler's Almanac were never translated into English and Moore more than likely learned of them from a published encyclopedia of fictional places. More than likely explaining why they would be utilized there but bypassed as the series became more about AuthorTract and NewMediaAreEvil.

* HereThereWereDragons: All of the magic and sorcery that populate fairy tales and folklore was real in the ''League'' world in one way or another but that magic has been pushed further and further into the background by various forces, essentially disappearing completely due to the puritanical King Jacobs purge of magical creature's after Queen Glorianas death, which caused the Fairy Realm to seal itself off from Earth. The governments of the world have taken it upon themselves to not only keep a tight lid on this fact but also relegate the amazing things that happen in their own time as fiction.

** ''Nemo: River of Ghosts'', published in March 2015, features a 80 year old Janni going on her final adventure in the Amazon River Basin, to fight the possible resurgence of Ayesha [[Literature/TheStepfordWives via android duplicates]], [[Film/TheBoysFromBrazil Hynkel clones]] and [[Film/IlsaSheWolfOfTheSS Nazi She-Wolves]].

** In a glimpse of the distant future, the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperheroes are enforcers for a dictatorial GalacticConqueror called "the Marslord". It's left unclear if they're outright pro-dictatorship or if, like the Victorian League, they're simply willing to put up with a measure of shady politics, but either way it's a bit darker than the usual Legion.

* CluelessAesop: Several reviewers and commentators (such as some members of the discussion panel [[http://mindlessones.com/2012/06/26/league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-century-2009-thoughts/#more-25723 here]]) argued that Moore's argument that twenty-first century culture in ''Century: 2009'' is decadent and inferior compared to the culture produced by the generations that came before is weakened by Moore's obvious lack of familiarity with twenty-first century fiction and culture. The issue contained fewer overall references to contemporary fiction than previous volumes had[[note]]There is an argument that for pure comparison it is better to not utilize examples from mediums that have more limitations, ie book vs film. This point however doesn't seem to ever been raised within the comic.[[/note]], and several of these references were themselves questionable, inaccurate or somewhat outdated. For these critics, this had the effect less of the intended searing indictment of modern culture and more of Moore coming across as a bit of a GrumpyOldMan complaining about things he barely understood.
** In an interview with Padraig O'Mealoid, [[http://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-with-alan-moore-part-1/ Moore acknowledged]] this criticism but defended his viewpoint:

** Mr Hyde may also be the Orangutan that murders people in ''The Murders in the Rue Morgue''. Or people are assuming he is the same killer in a subversion of a CopyCatKiller.

** As time as gone on the comic has engulfed all of fiction, not just written books or written books based on other mediums. For characters that have both a literature and other incarnation it can vary on the character. Moore defied the changing of Nemo from an Indian prince to an Englishmen staying true to the book. On the same token Jack Carter is clearly modeled more after the ''Film/GetCarter'' than his literary version. This has been met with both fandom rejoicing and major criticism on Moore's world building.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Before ''The Black Dossier'' and ''Century'' moved the LOEG world into the 20th century, there was ''Albion'' by Moore, his daughter Leah and her husband John Reppon, which was basically ''League'' for 1970s UK comics.

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Initally averted; while the consequences of Orlando's immortality are delved into, it's never a cause for {{Wangst}} and s/he certainly has fun. Likewise, [[spoiler:Mina and Allan]]'s biggest problem with immortality so far is ''keeping sex interesting''. But Mina has more difficulties in ''Century'' and Alan eventually loses his grip on his drug addiction and becomes a homeless vagrant again. Its implied that Orlando also suffers from thsi to some degree, since 5000 years of war and bloodshed occasionally drives him into a killing frenzy.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Quite a few characters who are HeroOfAnotherStory are presented in a decidedly darker light in the League books. As per Moore's quote in that section for GenreDeconstruction purposes we see elements of how these characters may be interpreted with SocietyMarchesOn and ValuesDissonance added to them.

* CrapsackWorld: Particularly by Volume II. Even moreso at the end of Volume 3 where the characters state that 21st Century Anglo-American society is NotSoDifferent from the Victorian era.