The League Of Gentlemen

Gentlemen of Aspen run wild against rival Vail

Rinakama and fellow back James Aldridge ran wild on the Rio Grande pitch. The duo's combination of speed and strength — a delight to the sizable home crowd but a daunting challenge for the Mountain League rival Blue and White — resulted in three tries in both the first and second halves. Aspen led by 23 at the break and never was seriously tested in a 57-25 rout.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Century 1969

And arrive in England on the heels of this event, to investigate a possible cult link.  The League isn’t the only group interested in this murder; it seems Basil had powerful friends that wish to see his death avenged.  Mina and the League suspect that a band of cultists are carrying on the work of a deceased and powerful magician named Haddo Oliver, in an attempt to bring an Antichrist and ruin to the world.  This scenario must be prevented at all costs.

The three members investigating this case set up headquarters in a Beat club previously purchased by Nina in London.  As ex M.1.5 members they need to keep a low profile.  The city is in the midst of the “flower-power” movement and has changed greatly over the extended lives of our protagonists.  Mina seems to at odds with her lengthy existence and keeping up with the ever-changing world.  This struggle is a subplot that will unfold throughout 1969 .

The very first night in the new H.Q. Mina is visited by an apparition of the believed-to-be-deceased magician, Haddo.  He issues an ominous threat about what could potentially transpire.  Was this all just a nightmare, or something more sinister?

Early the next morning, all the investigating parties are out looking for information in the dark magic underworld of London.  Following leads, the team ends up eventually meeting with a time-jumping character named, Mr. Norton.  Norton speaks cryptically, but theorizes about what could be going on: serial possession.

The investigation gets a break when a chance meet-up at a club puts Mina into contact with a woman in the know, who seems to confirm this serial possession theory.  Haddo’s powerful magic spirit seems to be jumping into new bodies through a “transference ritual.”  Such a ritual is set to take place soon, and Mina might know where to look. This information is revealed thanks to a “special skill set” [ahem] that Mina seems to have mastered.

This all leads to a hallucinogen-fueled, astral-plane showdown at a Basil Thomas memorial concert in Hyde Park.  This finale is portrayed in warped panels that finally break from the mostly rigid and contained 7 and 9 panel format used throughout this book.  Anyone familiar with Kevin O’Neill’s art knows that he is a wild-man that has butted heads with censorship in the past.  I can imagine his anticipation at getting to illustrate the crazy, acid-laced conclusion to this book.  The ending is wild and I will not spoil it for you here, just as I have left out many details and plot-twists in the summary above (I know that seems hard to believe given the lengthy nature of this piece, but it is true nonetheless).