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#1: Empire Dreams
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Plot Summary:
The story begins in May 1898 at Dover, England. Mrs Mina Murray is meeting Mr Campion Bond who delivers an order from mysterious Mr M: in order to recruit new agents for her majesty's secret service, M wants her to go to Cairo, Egypt, where former adventurer Allan Quatermain is living.
In Cairo, Mina meets Quatermain - an old, weak and opium-addicted man. Together they flee from a bunch of villains and end up in the harbor, where Captain Nemo picks them up with his submarine, the Nautilus.
Then the trio is heading for Paris, France, where they meet Auguste Dupin. He tells them about a mysterious ripper who murders prostitutes and looks like a giant ape. To find him, Mina has to be the lure: she dresses up as a hooker and ends up in a chamber with a stranger called Henry. Quatermain and Nemo keep their track - they find Mina, hurt by a big aggressive monster which calls itself Henry.
Comments:
The book has a very unique, fascinating and quite dark tone, mainly due to its pencils and colors, but also due to the language and Kevin O'Neill's detailed settings and costumes.
The story is rather mysterious in the beginning. It takes some time to figure out who is who and what's the aim of their actions.
But after all, this is a great start for the series. And if you look at this monstrous cliffhanger, you can't help being hooked.
As a supplement, we have the first chapter of a 6-part prose story called "Allan and the Sundered Veil". It's written by Alan Moore in the style of a pulp novel and tells a story of Allan Quatermain and his experiences with a drug called Taduki.
© 2003 LeGuy.
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