Nemo: Heart of Ice

Nemo: Heart of Ice front cover

Nemo: Heart of Ice is an original spin-off graphic novel set in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen universe, and the first volume of the Nemo trilogy by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Rather than focusing on Mina Murray and her League, Heart of Ice is set in 1925, and revolves around Janni Dakkar, the daughter of Captain Nemo, and revolves around H. P. Lovecraft's The Mountains of Madness.

Plot

In 1925, Janni and the crew of the Nautilus steal the treasure of Ayesha from Charles Foster Kane in New York City.

Janni then sets off for the South Pole - Her mission is to recreate her father's fateful voyage to the Mountains of Madness, detailed in his journals. Janni and her crew are pursued by Reade, Wright and Swyfte, three top American scientists employed by Kane. 

On their journey south, they pass through Megapatagonia - an archipelago which mirrors France and is the Antarctic counterpart of the Blazing World. Upon reaching Antarctica they leave the Nautilus and travel by Snowmobile. 

Passing by the underground empire of theAlondsons, allied with Antarctic France, the snowmobile is attacked and disabled by Swyfte, Reade and Wright. Two of the Nautilus' crew are killed, and the rest continue onward with sledges.

The crew pass by the monument of the survivors of the ship 'Mercury', and discover the large entrance to subterranean Pluto. Weakened by old age and the extreme cold, Ishmael opts to stay behind with Tom, and lie in wait for their pursuers.

Wright leads the Charge in an Ice-Car, followed by Reade and Swyfte. Failing to react in time, Wright plummets to his death into subterranean Pluto. Ishmael is run down by Wright's Ice-Car and is killed. Tom is shot and stunned by Swyfte's electric rifle. Because he is a mute, Tom fails to provide Swyfte with information and is tortured to death.

Passing through the Iron Mountains, where the flow of time is distorted, the crew encounter giant penguins, the natives of Present Land and their terrifying ghostly shrouded deity; which they worship with cries of "Te-ke-li-li!". Mistress Kidd and the Sepoy are lost in the confusion, leaving only Janni, Jack and Augustus Van Dusen.

Finally, they reach the Mountains of Madness. Reade and Swyfte catch up to the crew. Professor Van Dusen, The Thinking Machine, tricks them allowing the others to escape, although it costs him his life - Swyfte shoots him in the head. A catastrophic encounter with a Shoggoth kills Reade, and Swyfte manages to escape in an Ice-Car. Janni and Broad Arrow Jack emerge from hiding, with Janni emotionally traumatised by her experience. Jack manages to escort her back to the Nautilus, and they become lovers.

Swyfte is sent insane by his experience, and Ayesha's treasure is never returned to Kane.

Additional Materials

• "Kôr (poster)" - A commercial poster about the ship tycoon.
• "A Perfect Match.. And A Perfect Fuse!" - A interview by Hildy Johnson during the wedding of Hira Dakkar.

Appearances

Characters

Archetypal Mother • Ayesha • Janni Dakkar • Dogtanian • Augustus Van Dusen • Ishmael • Ishmael's wife • Tobias Ishmael • Broad Arrow Jack • Jake Junior • Charles Foster Kane • Mistress Kidd • Jedediah Leland • Popeye • Frank Reade Jr. • The Sepoy • Tom Swyfte • Old Tom • Leo Vincey • Jack Wright

Mentioned characters

Selwyn Cavor • Don Q • Durg • Mary Kane • Captain Mors • Nemo I • Frank Reade • Jean Robur • Moritz Rotwang • Nevada Smith

Locations

• Antarctica
  • Antarctic France (mentioned)
  • Empire of the Alsondons
  • Iron Mountains
  • Mawson
  • Megapatagonia
  • Mountains of Madness
  • Present Land
    • Ice Sphinx
  • Subterranean Pluto
  • Tsalal (mentioned)
  • Weddel Sea
• Blazing World (mentioned)
• Berlin Metropolis (mentioned)
• London (mentioned)
  • British Museum (mentioned)
• Riallaro Archipelago
  • Lincoln Island
• Somme (mentioned)
• United States
  • California (mentioned)
    • Chisholm Prison (mentioned)
  • Florida
    • Xanadu (Florida)
  • New England (mentioned)
  • New York City
    • Pier 13
  • North Carolina
    • Wrightstown
  • Readestown (mentioned)

Items

• Harpoon-pistol
• Nautilus
• Steam Man of the Prairies
• Maltese Falcon
• Rosebud
• Electric rifle (mentioned)
• Tripod (mentioned)
• Ice-schooner
• Mercury (mentioned)
• Ice-car
• Necronomic (mentioned)

Species

• Humans
• Pterosaur
• Green Martians (drawing)
• Séroni (statue)
• Elder Thing
• Albino penguin
• Shoggoth
• Alabaster People
• Things (mentioned)

Miscellanea

• Swyfte Industries
• The Daily Chronicle