"Allan and the Sundered Veil" is a six-part horror comic story written in the style of a boy's periodical by
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...
and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, included at the back of each issue of ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill (comics), Kevin O'Neill, published under the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Co ...
'' and collected at the back of that volume. It serves as a prequel to the comic.
Plot
Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel ''Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
, following his "death", returns to his friend, Lady Ragnall, to partake of the taduki drug she has (both are from the Allan Quatermain novels of H. Rider Haggard's—referenced as an author who has written about Quatermain). Quatermain takes the drug and enters into a dream-world, encountering the equally lost John Carter (from
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...
' ''
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The first Barsoom tale was serialized as ''Under the Moons of Mars'' in 1912 and published as a novel as ''A Princess of Mars' ...
'' novels) and his grandnephew,
Randolph Carter
Randolph Carter is a recurring fictional character in H. P. Lovecraft's fiction and is, presumably, an alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The character first appears in "The Statement of Randolph Carter", a short story Lovecraft wrote in 1919 bas ...
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
).Note that both Carters are only blood-related in Alan Moore's story. Strange creatures begin to attack them but they are saved by the arrival of a pulsing electric machine piloted by a man known only as the Time Traveller (from
The Time Machine
''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively for ...
'').
They arrive at the Sphinx from ''The Time Machine'', and the Time Traveller explains that they are there because creatures from beyond the universe are invading creation through a hole in space-time. They are attacked by albino creatures known as both
Morlock
Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel,''The Time Machine'', and are the main antagonists. Since their creation by H. G. Wells, the Morlocks have appeared in many other works such as sequels, films, televisio ...
s (from ''The Time Machine'') and
Mi-go
Mi-Go are a fictional race of extraterrestrials created by H. P. Lovecraft and used by others in the Cthulhu Mythos setting. The word Mi-Go comes from "Migou", a Tibetan word for yeti. The aliens are fungus-based lifeforms which are extremely v ...
(from the Cthulhu Mythos). Quatermain beats them off as the time machine takes off, but one clings on and damages the ship. Destabilized, the time machine is drawn towards a "chrono-crystal aleph" (from
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...
's " The Aleph") and the riders all see visions from their pasts and futures.
Quatermain sees his first meeting with
Mina Murray
Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''.
In the novel
She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged ...
from the first ''League'' issue; a sojourn with
Sir Henry Curtis
Sir Henry Curtis is a fictional character in a series of adventure novels by H. Rider Haggard. His Zulu name is Incubu, which means "Elephant". He is the constant companion and fellow traveller of Allan Quatermain.Franey, Laura E. ''Victorian T ...
; the final battle against
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...
's ship from the end of the first ''League'' volume;
Mr. Hyde
Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...
's destruction of a
Martian Tripod
The fighting machine (also known as "Tripod") is one of the fictional machines used by the Martians in H.G. Wells' 1898 classic science fiction novel ''The War of the Worlds''. In the novel, it is a fast-moving, three-legged walker, reporte ...
from the end of the second ''League'' volume; and he, Randolph, and Mina's encounter with a Lovecraftian monster as related in ''
The New Traveller's Almanac
''The New Traveller's Almanac'' is a series of writings included in the back of all six issues of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II'', covering the timeline and the world of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen''.
The six is ...
''. Randolph sees a vision of
Arkham
Arkham () is a fictional city situated in Massachusetts. An integral part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham is featured in many of his stories and those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers.
Arkham House, a publis ...
. John Carter sees a vision of him fighting a Green Martian and winning
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character and princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium in Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Martian novels. She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (chieftain) of Lesser Helium, and the granddaughter of Tardos ...
as she rides a Greater Thoat mount (from the ''Barsoom'' novels). What, if anything, the Time Traveller sees is not mentioned.
Randolph and John soon disappear to their visions upon realizing that they are not bound to their realm, leaving only Quatermain to help the Time Traveller against their enemy. However, Quatermain's body becomes possessed by Ithaqua (the Cthulhu Mythos' incarnation of the
Wendigo
Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the Uni ...
) and Quatermain returns to his realm to intervene. Lady Ragnall dies of shock before her African servant, Marisa, is able to free Quatermain using her tribe's precautions against the
Great Old Ones
American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) created a number of fictional deities throughout the course of his literary career. These entities are usually depicted as immensely powerful and utterly indifferent to humans who can barely begin to c ...
. Appalled, Marisa flees the burning manor, taking the taduki with her.
Despondent at the loss of his friend and his drug, Quatermain spends the next few years drifting, eventually ending in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. The story ends with him looking up from his drugged stupor into Mina Murray's face (as occurred in the ''League'' issue 1 and as he foresaw in his vision) as he is unwillingly—but fatefully—recruited into
the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
.
Relative chronologies
Among the characters the story takes place at various points in their lives:
* Allan Quatermain: after his "death" in ''
Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel ''Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
'' but before the first ''League'' volume
* Randolph Carter: during his titular dream quest in ''
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'' is a novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, the draft was completed on January 22, 1927 and it remained unrevised and unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the ...
''
* John Carter: after his departure from Earth but before his arrival at
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
in ''
A Princess of Mars
''A Princess of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''All-Story Magazine'' from February–July, 1912. Full of swordplay and dari ...
''
* The Time Traveller: following his return to the future at the end of ''The Time Machine''