League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a series of comic book initially centered on Victorian era characters from early science fiction/horror/adventure literature. It is written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Niel. Moore’s initial concept was that of a Justice League of the Victorian era, using characters that have lapsed into public domain. Subsequent editions expanded in an attempt to include almost all of fiction.

The first two volumes were 6 issue mini-series. The latest edition is being released as three separate graphic novels. The first one was released in 2009.

Volume One, originally puin 1999, featured the team of Mina Murray (From the Dracula Novel), Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, and Captain Nemo battling Sherlock Holmes villian Moriarty.

Volume Two had the same team, with the aid of Dr. Moreau, fight off the Martian invasion from War of the worlds.

 

The first part of Volume III has a turn of the century league investigates an occult menace.

Between volume’s 2 and 3 was The Black Dossier, a sort of guidebook to the world of the League,revealing it’s long history and inclusion of many characters.

Other characters/works appearing, or at least referenced in the League include; Conan, Chtulu, James Bond, Fu Manchu, Popeye, Time Traveler, Frankenstein, Lupin, Lost World, Characters from Beatnik Literature, Shakespearean Characters, 1984, Dan Dare, Beowulf, Robin Hood, Gulliver, Batman, Fantomas, Phantom of the Opera, Metropolis, and countless others.

It should also be noted that there was a League movie in 2003, starring Sean Connery as Allan Quatermain. Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray were part of the fictional cast. It was mostly unpopular with fans, hence planned sequels were never made.

 

In a sense The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is the Ultimate Crossover or sorts. In it’s own way it is that which I have always dreamed, one fictional world containing huge quantities of popular fictional characters.

Here are some League Links

Jess Nevins Annotations to The League and other comics.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Very thorough site on the League. Details the various incarnations/memberships of the League as well as their missions of the centuries. Also has news on upcoming tales.

Wold Newton Universe

Science Fiction author Phillip J. Farmer developed the concept of the Wold Newton family, of which other authors have expanded upon into the Wold Newton Universe. The central conceit is that several early pulp fiction of novel characters are all related.

What ties together the Wold Newton world is the real life meteor that landed on 12/13/1795, at Wold Newton, Yorkshire England. Farmer created the conceit that several fictional characters were present at the meteor strike. Radiation from the meteorite affected the genetics of all present, and they, or their descendants, are the great heroes and villains of early adventure literature.

Farmer wrote two books chronicling his theories, Tarzan Alive, and Doc Savage, his apocalyptic life. Both are pseudo “real” biographies which link both characters to other works of fiction. Another conceit is that these characters exist in the real world, and the books, comics, etc we read about them are simply the accounts of real life exploits.

In 1997, Win Scott Eckert coined the actual phrase Wold Newton Universe on his website in 1997, and expanded upon the concept, including, by association of crossovers, Star Trek, Conan, Cthulu, and a large number of other fictional characters.

The following is taken from the Wold Newton webpage.

“Popular characters that Philip José Farmer concluded were members of the Wold Newton mutant family include: Solomon Kane; Captain Blood; The Scarlet Pimpernel; Harry Flashman; Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty (aka Captain Nemo); Phileas Fogg; The Time Traveler; Allan Quatermain; Tarzan and his son Korak; A.J. Raffles; Professor Challenger; Richard Hannay; Bulldog Drummond; the evil Fu Manchu and his adversary, Sir Denis Nayland Smith; G-8; The Shadow; Sam Spade; Doc Savage, his cousin Pat Savage, and one of his five assistants, Monk Mayfair; The Spider; Nero Wolfe; Mr. Moto; The Avenger; Philip Marlowe; James Bond; Lew Archer; and Travis McGee.”

Click here for the Wold Newton page,

Super Robot Wars

Super Robot Wars is a video game series from Banpesto, a division of Namco Bandai. The first game was on the Game Boy in 1991. This series mixes characters and story lines from an enormous number of anime, manga, and video games. This series is one gigantic crossover.

A list of the franchises involved is below.

Animated Series

Acrobunch (Compact 3)
Aim for the Top! Gunbuster (F Final)
Aura Battler Dunbine
Beast King Golion
Betterman (Compact 3)
The Big-O
Blue Comet SPT Layzner (Shin)
Brain Powerd (Alpha 2)
Brave Raideen
Combat Mecha Xabungle (Alpha Gaiden)
Dangaioh (Compact 2 Part 1)
Demon Dragon of the Heavens Gaiking
Demon God of War Goshogun
Detonator Orgun
Eldran series:
Eureka Seven
Fafner of the Azure
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
Future Robo Daltanius
Gear Fighter Dendoh
Genesis of Aquarion
Getter Robo Series
Gravion
GunXSword
Hades Project Zeorymer
Hao Taikei Ryu Knight (NEO)
Heavy Metal L-Gaim (4th)
Invincible Robo Trider G7 (Shin)
Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (3rd)
Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 (4th)
J9 Trilogy:
Jushin Liger
King of Braves GaoGaiGar (Alpha 2)
Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos (Compact 2 Part 2)
Martian Successor Nadesico
Mazinger
Megazone 23
Metal Armor Dragonar
Mobile Suit Gundam Series
Neon Genesis Evangelion
NG Knight Lamune & 40 (NEO)
Ninja Senshi Tobikage (Compact 2 Part 1)
Overman King Gainer
RahXephon
Saikyo Robo Daioja
Shinkon Gattai Godanna!! (Scramble Commander the 2nd)
Shippu! Iron Leaguer (NEO)
Six God Combination Godmars (64)
Space Emperor God Sigma
Space Runaway Ideon (F Final)
Space Knight Tekkaman Blade
Space Warrior Baldios
Steel Jeeg (Alpha 2)
Super Beast Machine God Dancouga (4th)
* Super Dimension series
Macross Series
Romantic Trilogy
The Vision of Escaflowne (Compact 3)
Zoids: Genesis (K)

Manga/Novel Series

Eldran Series
Shin Getter Robo (manga version) (4th) [7]

Video Game Series

Virtual On
Sunrise Eiyuutan
Xenosaga (Endless Frontier)
Namco x Capcom (Endless Frontier)

 

Project Superpowers.

Project Superpowers

Project superpowers is a shared super-hero universe published by Dynamite. It consists of comic book characters from the 1930s and 1940s that have since fallen into Public Domain. The characters and their original publishers are as follows.

The Arrow (Centaur Publications)
The Black Terror (Nedor Comics)
The Claw (Les Gleason Publications)
The Crusaders
Who in this story were soldiers with the same powers as the American Crusader, from Better Publications
Daredevil (Better Publications)
Dynamic Man (Dynamic Publications)
The Face (Columbia Comics)
Fighting Yank (Nedor Comics)
The Flame (Fox Features Syndicate)
Green Lama (Prize Comics, originally a pulp character)
Hydroman (Eastern Color Printing)
Miss Masque (Nedor Comics)
The Owl (Dell Comics)
Pyroman (Nedor Comics)
Samson (Fox Features Syndicate)
The Supremacy Target and the Targeteers (Novelty Press)
V-Man (Fox Features Syndicate)
Dynamic Boy
Dynamic Woman
The Supremacy

Original characters created for the series are The American Spirit
The F-Troop, loosely based on Frankenstein.
The Scarab, who is loosely based on a Nedor character of the same name.