The Dark Compendium

by Moris Saltiel

The following excerpt is a small part of a larger novel, categorized as encyclopedic fiction and based upon the seminal work of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and its sequels. Each character, location, event or otherwise refers to a specific fictitious creation that has been chosen carefully in order to build upon the known timeline in the world of the League without changing or contradicting any of the previously known details, whilst also mirroring real life events. All due credit is given to Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil for the use of their story elements.

The following text is told in the form of a report concerning the activities of a special kind of covert unit, and is only one of many contained within the pages of the Dark Compendium:

This warns you…

-M

Introduction

The following entry is but one of the many that were gathered from a great number of classified documents from the archives of various organizations and serve as supplements to Miniluv’s former director, Gerald O'Brien's work: “The Black Dossier” (of which portions have been mysteriously leaked and published on the underground site DarkNet.tom after the complex events of 2010), specifically in the section titled “The Sincerest Form of Flattery” , which listed attempts aside from the main British versions (under Prospero in 1610, Lumuel Gulliver in 1750, Wilhelmina Murray in 1898 and 1909, and Joan Warralson in 1946, and perhaps the ill-fated Victory Vanguard in 1964) to create a so-called “League Extraordinary Gentlemen” . The results vary. The Fourth American League - 1956 After the conclusion of World War II, the United States entered a supposed 'golden age' of prosperity, optimism and national cohesion, ushered in by the arrival of the post-war 'baby boom' and the resulting birth of the suburban ideal throughout the nation. Aside from the presidency of communist Mike Thingmaker from 1945 to 1953, the immediate post-war life in the USA was also one of high consumerist extravagance, with the growth and success of the television, fast-food chains like McDowell’s, and the cultural and technological milestone of Charles Dingo's 'Dingoland' and Roy Brisby’s ‘Brisbyland’ amusement parks. Just as strongly in the US, the post-war period included a gigantic push into outer space, with the American space program building on the footsteps of pioneers like Sewlyn Cavor and Dick Seaton to explore and conquer the stars in ways man had once merely dreamed of. Back on Earth, however, the US President and former military chief Merkin Muffley, along with the head of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover, began to feel a growing relevance in their plans for American domestic and foreign strategy for a League, following the Third US League's retirement. To best construct this new team, Hoover acquired the help of his star G-man and perhaps America's most trusted lawman: Detective Richard 'Plainclothes' Tracy, a Chicago police officer. Tracy was perpetually occupied with policing matters,

and his persistently busy schedule made it impractical for him to lead the new League himself, but his expertise in handpicking his own allies on the force allowed him to be of great assistance in tracking down and securing the partnerships of its members. The group, devised by Detective Tracy and approved by Hoover and Muffley in March 1956,included:

- Richard ‘Rick’ Blaine. A cynical, world-weary American traveler who had given great assistance to the Allied war effort, especially the French Resistance, once while acting as a Bar owner in Morocco during the Vichy French occupation, and countless other times while serving with the Free French in Brazzaville in French Equatorial Africa. Blaine had returned to the United States shortly after the conclusion of the War, and after being decorated for his service by then General Muffley, found work as an advisor in Red Cross repatriation camps across America and Europe. Detective Tracy theorized that the war-battered meanderer Blaine could make an excellent addition to the League with his deep sense of righteousness, and skills in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat which the agent had picked up during his service with the Free French. Blaine accepted the League position, but appeared somewhat dismayed at the prospect of fighting again. - Anthony ‘Tony’ Rivers. A juvenile delinquent who had suffered an apparent Edward Hyde-like transformation into a bestial creature following a hypnotherapeutic experiment by the Washington employed Dr. Alfred Brandon. Despite his widely reported death during the incident along with Dr. Brandon's (which was subsequently featured in a film adaptation in 1957, in which the event was treated as fiction due to governmental attempts to cover up the issue), Rivers had actually survived, and was being held by the FBI at a secret facility in the Nevada desert when Detective Tracy had him recruited for the new League. Rivers' lycanthropic powers gave him enhanced strength and agility, but when his 'Werewolf' form was utilized, the young high school student would inevitably enter a stage of nearly uncontrollable rage, which made him incredibly dangerous to be near, but ultimately, greatly effective as a government agent. - Thomas Ripley. A dashing Bostonian con man, who had been in hiding in Greece after a particularly notorious, but also partially failed scheme involving Ripley's impersonation of a shipbuilding magnate in Italy in 1955. Despite his vast newfound fortune gained from this ruse, Ripley was cursed with a debilitating paranoia, fearing for his continued freedom should the authorities or one of the countless American intelligence organizations track him down. Ironically, the law, in the form of Detective Tracy's CIA colleague Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (117), did locate Ripley, not however to enforce any justice upon the con artist, but to recruit him for the new American League. Ripley's skills in forgery, impersonation and all other forms of deception were identified by Hoover as traits that could be quite helpful to his new group. This was much to the irritation of Tracy, however, who was not thrilled at the prospect of procuring a criminal due to his staunch sense of justice. - Rita Farrar. During the 1941 – 1945 hostilities, this actress had served two highly effective roles in the American war effort, both as a Hollywood starlet, in which she found her image draped across the walls of servicemen across the world, and as the gun-toting, masked vigilante 'Señorita Rio' (alternatively 'Rio Rita'), in which she battled the same types of spies and infiltrators most of her costumed contemporaries were feuding with throughout that period. After the end of the war, Farrar found herself employed against Soviets, the Chinese, and a plethora of terrorist organizations by the Americans, again not unlike most other agents of Washington at the time. Although Farrar's

experiences hadn’t been exactly unique, or anything particularly extraordinary by the standards of her line of work, the progressive Muffley picked Farrar out of a dozen or so other nominees presented by Detective Tracy to Hoover and himself due to her background. - G-8. A prolific fighter pilot ace who had fought in both World Wars and led a distinguished interwar career as well, having been a member of the Helldiver squadron that took down the New York Ape creature in 1933. However, unlike his open and very public British equivalent James Bigglesworth, the mysterious G-8 kept his true identity hidden under an alias, keeping his birth name unrecorded for his entire career. To this day it remains unknown to history. G-8 was possibly the easiest for Tracy, Hoover and Muffley to recruit for their League, seeing as the secretive pilot had a long history behind him of Government employment lacking in the majority of the League's other compatriots (except for Farrar). Despite his close ties to the Government, however, it would appear based on the testimonies of those who worked with G-8 that he was perhaps the strangest and most remote of all the League members, with his often-bizarre decision-making and dark personality. Legendary British League member Orlando described him, and his adventures, at one point, as being “Frankly, bonkers” .

The Fourth American League began operations in early 1956, occupied in their work by the variety of Government perceived threats plaguing the seemingly tranquil post-war America, under its desired peaceful façade. Naturally, the new US League went overseas in many of their assignments, where the conflicting ideals of Communism and Americanized Capitalism divided the recovering world, along with the volatile elements wrought by humanity’s expanding entry into nuclear science and space exploration. Such missions partaken by the Fourth American incarnation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen include: - Tackling the explosion of hostile extraterrestrial and radioactively mutated entities attempting to invade Earth , such as the collectivist spore infestation that spread from Santa Mira, California in 1956; the almost comical 'SaucerMen' invasion of 1957; the Protoplasmic 'Blob' creature which attacked Anchorage, Alaska in 1958 (Having similarly threatened Phoenixville, Pennsylvania the previous year); and many others. - Participating in all manner of espionage against the 'Red Menaces' of Russia and China. G-8 led flights of Lockheed U-2 spy planes, for instance, over Soviet territory with his protégé Francis Gary Powers, until the May 1st U2 incident of 1960 involving Powers made it impractical to continue. Meanwhile, Ripley used his charm and skills in extortion to successfully extort enemy agents and power brokers out of money and information, and Farrar similarly used her looks and appeal. The entire team fought together as well in covert battles against communist operatives like Albania's Alexandr Slanovicz (an Albanian born Soviet mercenary) and China's Wo Fat (a Red Army spy). - Engaging in non-violent exploits for Muffley and Hoover similar to past incarnations of the American League that featured primarily exploration, with the group visiting and gathering intelligence on a variety of 'pocket dimensions' accessible throughout the United States, such as 'Toon Town' in Los Angeles and 'Sesame Street' along with ‘Flatland’ in New York City. These cosmic realms investigated by the American League were unique in their existence in that they were both present and accessible within our world on a smaller scale while also existing on a larger scale within their own universes. Both the League’s exploration, and the FBI’s supernatural consultant, the

warlock lawyer Gomez Addams, determined these rules at the time. - Combating the rising organized terrorist cells growing to take advantage of the fragile Cold War environment that were operating around the world by the time this League was founded. These organizations included the enigmatic European group S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (founded in 1947), the similarly ruthless THRUSH (founded in 1892, supposedly by Colonel Sebastian Moran), and to a lesser extent, the formerly anarchist, but since overridden into NeoNazism association of KAOS (Founded in 1905). As to be expected, the Fourth American League also jousted with less ambitious, though certainly equally dangerous criminal networks of the era, like the Unione Corse, and the Triads, who, as will be described in more detail later in this Dossier, were incredibly still supported by the unnaturally old, and surprisingly powerful Devil Doctor. The Fourth American League had a very successful and productive run between 1956 and 1961, accomplishing more assignments in the space of only 6 years than most of these teams did over decades. This run was slightly disturbed however after young Democrat James Trelawney Cassidy succeeded President Muffley, one of the main founders of this League, in January 1961. Although Cassidy was still actively supportive of the League as his predecessor had been, the administration of the League began to enter a difficult period after the new President's allocation. Firstly, Hoover and Cassidy frequently found themselves at odds, each holding conflicting views over subjects like the Civil Rights movement and the presence of the Mafia in the United States. Secondly, Richard Tracy also began feuding with Hoover over the Mafia issue, which the FBI chief chose to suppress and ignore, despite the growing power of a new generation of gangsters in America such as Michael Corleone and Wilson Fisk. This turbulence in the background of the League's operation severely limited the group's ability to be deployed over the 1961 – 1962 period. InSeptember of 1962, however, the three administrative figures behind the League, as well as the rest of the US Government and the FBI, were able to come to an unanimous agreement over an area requiring the deployment of the American League. This was the concerning build-up of Soviet armaments that, unbeknownst to the League, would soon lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis. After weighing all possible responses to this issue, fully aware that increased tensions in the region could lead to World War III, Cassidy, Hoover, Tracy and CIA Director James 'Jimmy' Christopher chose to deploy the League into Cuba to subtly gather intelligence. The group arrived on the picturesque island via a fishing boat, and once on Cuban soil, made a base in a small, unoccupied farmhouse before splitting up to utilize their respective skills to gather information on the Soviet weapon movements.

Blaine took the most obvious route, using espionage skills learned during his days in the French Resistance to furtively photograph and record as many of the hidden missiles, guns and other weapons in Cuba as he could locate, as well as their origins and purposes. Rivers assisted Blaine in his human form as best he could, seeing as his lycanthropic persona was hardly the most effective for stealth work. Ripley and Farrar chose to infiltrate the Cuban high society, with Thomas posing as a Russian war-hero to gain access to the restaurants, bistros and clubs frequented by Ramos Clemente’s elite, and Farrar as a nightclub singer. Despite being one of the greatest pilots in the history of aviation, G-8 stayed

behind at the team's headquarters, as he was too well-known to the Russians from the Wars and the recent spy-plane incident to work as an undercover agent, so he guarded the team's equipment instead. This scheme worked well until October 4th, the day when the Soviet Union installed the first Nuclear Warhead in Cuba, when Blaine and Rivers were captured by Cuban and Russian forces whilst attempting to infiltrate the proceedings. Rivers escaped by assuming his so-called 'Werewolf' form, and fled into the tropical jungles, while a self-honest Blaine quietly surrendered. The Cubans and Russians then applied hypnotic techniques modeled from those mastered by Sâr Dubnotal, Dr. Helmut Caligari and Leon 'The Magician' Mandrake (unaware that prolonged usage of such techniques may result in the user developing arthritis) on the incarcerated Blaine, causing him to leak the locations of the rest of the American League against his will. Riley and Farrar were then promptly captured in their Havana Hotel, whilst G-8 was cornered at the group's coastal base. The team (save for Rivers, who was still a jungle-borne fugitive) was then brought before their old enemy Alexandr Slanovicz at the Russian Embassy. Rather than torturing the League, or whatever else the Communist spymasters may have been willing to do to their prisoners, Blaine, Ripley, Farrar and G-8 were ransomed back to the White House. In Washington, President Cassidy was sent an ultimatum regarding the League: either the group's presence was to be publicized and damage America’s reputation even further than it had recently been already after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, or release American held Russian prisoners Illya Kuryakin and Andre Rostov back to them, and cease ground-level espionage in Cuba. After a great deal of contemplation, Cassidy, Hoover and Tracy, with assistance from James Christopher and Alexander Waverly, chose to accept the relatively fair Russian-Cuban deal, and the American League, save for Rivers, were returned home via a chartered Fishing Trawler to Miami, Florida. As the embarrassing incident in Cuba had made the faces and identities of their top secret agents known far too well to the Soviet Union, compromising the League's ability to operate undercover, a serious dilemma then faced the League's administration. Hoover, Cassidy and Detective Tracy eventually came to the unfortunate conclusion that, due to the Cuba debacle, their group was no longer fit to serve as covert operatives. At this point, Farrar chose to resign from the League, seeing as her civilian identity had nearly been made public, which could have ended her acting career. The starlet had decided that potential risk of losing said career to another botched undercover mission was far too great. She then later returned to Hollywood and her onscreen career full-time, successfully launching a comeback as a dramatic actress, before choosing to retire into marriage and motherhood in 1971. Following this, only Blaine, Ripley and G-8 remained as vestiges of the formerly powerful League, which prompted Cassidy, Hoover and Tracy to end their consideration of what to do with the remaining group by, perhaps reluctantly, disbanding the team. Blaine and Ripley then left the Government service, convincing the everrighteous Tracy to take it upon himself to attempt an arrest on the latter for the ex-con's past criminal activity. Tracy was given a warrant by Hoover for this purpose on the night of the

League's disbanding, hoping to catch the extortionist on his return to his Washington apartment, only for the famous detective to find the home vacant. The talented Mr. Ripley had escaped to France under an assumed identity, where he remained in hiding for the rest of his life (save for a number of notable involvements in a series of criminal schemes).

Blaine returned to his home of New York City, where he opened a new cafébar inspired by the one he owned in Morocco. After opening this establishment, Blaine crossed paths yet again with his old flame Ilsa Lazlo (née Lund), who was living in the city with her ex-French Resistance fighter husband Victor Lazlo, who was working for the United Nations. Blaine and Lazlo reconnected as close friends, with Ilsa suggesting Blaine's establishment's name: Central Perk.

The only member of the League who remained in FBI employment was G-8, who continued his service under Hoover, although primarily on the home front following the Cuban incident, battling against airborne 'super-criminals' of the era such as Adrian Toomes and Robert Kirkland Langstrom until his retirement in 1973. Despite the fact that the fast G-8's true identity was never revealed, many have theorized, including one of the pilot's biographers Philip Farmer, that the American hero may have been yet another alias of the exLeaguer Lamont Cranston, or possibly his contemporary Richard Wentworth (AKA 'The Spider’), but that theory has been disregarded as “frankly, bonkers” . As for the AWOL Rivers, the unfortunate 23 year old vanished into the dense jungles of Cuba, and was never seen again, despite the attempts of hunters like Sergei Kravinoff to track him. Some intelligence officials have inconclusively attributed reports of a strange cryptid known as the 'Chupacabra' , which has been sighted in various locations in the Caribbean and occasionally elsewhere since the mid-1990s, to Rivers, but nothing concrete has been presented as of yet regarding the operative's fate. In the aftermath of the League's disbanding, President Cassidy, FBI Director Hoover and Detective Tracy immediately set to work compiling a new League in replacement. Initially, this was to include similar personality types to the last group, but Washington's supernatural advisor Gomez Addams suggested an alternative avenue of employment, specifically figures capable of 'magical' powers. The desperate Cassidy, Hoover and Tracy, who needed a new group promptly to counter the Soviets, accepted Addams' idea, and this evolved into The First 'Magic' League in 1963. Despite the abrupt ending to its service, The Fourth American League may have been one of the most prolific League's to date, partaking in an enormous number and variety of assignments within their seven year period of operation.

Growing Up, Growing Old

By Andromachi Stefanou