Catalyst Castle

I just saw this trailer for a video game in production called Final Fantasy Versus XIII. This game has been in production for a long time, and every time I see some new little clip from the game I get excited. It just looks so cool! Take this newest trailer, for example. I can't understand a word these characters are saying, but just the imagery makes me want to write a dark, epic, action-adventure story.

Check out this TED talk about a really cool game a public school teacher created to teach students about world politics and global community. This looks like an awesome activity for kids, and I have to admit I wouldn't mind playing it myself.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, published beginning in 1999. According to Moore, the concept behind the series was initially a "Justice League of Victorian England" but quickly grew into an opportunity to merge all works of fiction into one world. There was a very loose feature film adaptation of the same name, released in 2003 and starring Sean Connery. I’m not recommending either the comic or the movie, because I’ve never read the comic and the movie was pretty lame. But the idea of assembling a team of heroes from various works of fiction really appeals to me.

The original League presented in the comics consists of Allan Quatermain (King Solomon’s Mines), Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), Dr. Jekyll (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), The Invisible Man (The Invisible Man), and Mina Murray (Dracula). The movie added the characters of Dorian Gray (The Picture of Dorian Gray) and Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer).

So, I got to thinking about this idea and decided to assemble my own League. Here are my picks and a little information on how they would contribute to the team.


Sherlock Holmes (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
After the murder of Dr. Watson during the course of one of Holmes’ investigations, the brilliant detective falls into a deep depression and is completely overtaken by his cocaine habit. He becomes even more of a recluse, turning away all cases and calls for aid. Finally, in England’s most desperate hour, agents of Queen Victoria herself come to Holmes for aid in uncovering a conspiracy against the throne - a mystery that seems to have connections to the death of Watson. Eager to bring Watson’s killer to justice, Holmes pulls himself together and accepts membership in the League.

The unquestioned leader of the group, Holmes would use his logic and investigation skills to identify their opponents, deduce their plans and devise effective countermeasures.


The Artful Dodger (Oliver Twist)
The most notorious thief London’s ever know, there isn’t a place or a pocket Jack Dawkins can’t get into and out of without getting caught. That is, until he tries to steal the crown jewels. He is finally arrested while attempting to escape Buckingham Palace with enough loot to buy a small country. Rather than going straight to prison, the Artful Dodger gets an audience with the Queen herself, who is curious to meet the infamous young outlaw. Recognizing his good nature and considerable skills, she offers him a pardon if he’ll lend his services to the League.

The Artful Dodger is the team’s sneak, using his skills for covert missions to infiltrate enemy strongholds or misappropriate enemy resources.


Frankenstein’s Monster (Frankenstein)
Following clues from the letters of Captain Robert Walton, Sherlock Holmes tracks down the monstrous creation of Dr. Victor Frankenstein deep in the Arctic Circle. Weary of the miserable life he has led, the monster has gone there to die. Holmes finds that he sympathizes with the creature in light of his own depressive episode connected to the death of Watson. Through logic and philosophical reasoning, Holmes helps the monster to see the value of his continued existence if he turns his efforts towards accomplishing good. In the process, Holmes manages to reaffirm his own confidence and self-worth after the loss of his friend.

Frankenstein’s monster is the team’s muscle, using his brute strength to go head-to-head in combat with their toughest opponents.


Red-Handed Jill (Peter and Wendy)
On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Wendy Darling yearns to escape pressures of growing up. To her surprise and delight, Peter Pan appears again at her bedroom window and whisks her away to Neverland. While this is exactly the escape she was looking for, she quickly finds herself disenchanted with Peter’s immature bravado. She soon falls in with the pirates, who are have been lacking a firm leader since the death of Captain Hook. Before long, she takes up her pirate name, Red-Handed Jill, and leads the pirates in a war against the Lost Boys. Peter is heartbroken by the betrayal, and Neverland begins to wither under the pirate onslaught. As the pirates and the Lost Boys battle to a stalemate, Jill realizes the destruction she’s brought to Neverland and feels remorse. She offers a truce, and as penance, leaves Neverland with the rest of the pirates, never to return again. Back in England, she offers the services of herself and her crew to Queen Victoria.

Red-Handed Jill has a sharp tongue and a sharp blade. She also has a crew of loyal buccaneers at her command and a rogue fairy as her companion. Her flying galleon, the Jolly Roger, provides transportation for the League.


The Phantom (The Phantom of the Opera)
Searching for more extraordinary people to round out his team, Sherlock Holmes investigates the great fire at the Paris Opera House and rumors of the opera ghost that once haunted the place. Through an interview with a ballerina named Meg Giry, Holmes learns that the phantom was actually a deranged genius named Erik, and that he survived the fire and escaped Paris. Holmes pursues the Phantom all the way to Manhattan where the he now operates an amusement park called Phantasma. Holmes and his team are promptly captured by the Phantom after discovering that he intends to assassinate Queen Victoria. Through careful questioning, Holmes deduces that the Phantom is being manipulated by another villain who is holding the Phantom’s son Gustave hostage. Holmes convinces the Phantom to join the League and they’ll help him rescue the boy.

The Phantom’s cunning is almost a match for Holmes’, but his expertise lies in devising traps and ambushes for their opponents. He is also an inventor, a magician, and a ruthless combatant.


Those are my picks, along with some rough ideas about how each of them would end up joining this elite team of crime fighters. Just for fun, do you have any thoughts on this concept? What fictional characters would you choose for your own League of Extraordinary Folks?