I know. Another graphic novel. Every time I even think about looking at a novel my brain vehemently protests. I know it’s only temporary and I’ll be back to prose fiction soon, so to any readers who are not interested in graphic novels (and if so, why not?!) I apologize for the lack of variety lately.

Even though The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume One didn’t quite live up to my high expectations, I still sought out Volume Two of the series and I am really glad that I did. Volume One lacked significant emotional impact and the iconic characters felt underdeveloped despite an impressive storyline. Volume Two corrects these missteps and the characters evolve in such a beautifully nuanced – if at times graphically violent – way. The War of the Worlds styled invasion seems mere background to the complexities of the relationships between the League members.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen itself is made up of figures from Victorian literature – Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and Edward Hyde) and Hawley Griffin (the Invisible Man) – a crime-fighting supergroup in an alternate version of Victorian London. Volume Two sees their London invaded by aliens from Mars – which sounds ridiculous I know, I even rolled my eyes in the opening few pages – but as I mentioned, this is mere backdrop as the relationships within the League to work themselves out. Nemo and Hyde are sent to the forefront of the alien versus human battle, while Mina and Allan are sent to find a Dr. Moreau to bring back humanity’s secret weapon and Hawley Griffin defects to the aliens side.

Mina: Yes. I was just looking at the sky. It just struck me that … well, that it won’t ever be the same, after this. It can’t be. I always thought of it as something that sheltered humanity, but now it frightens me, Mr. Quatermain. It frightens me.

Hyde’s increasing fondness toward Mina because she, having dealt with a much nastier beast, refuses to fear or hate him is touching in a Beauty and the Beast kind of way. The way he expresses and acts on this affinity to her becomes frightening as he seeks retaliation against the treacherous Griffin. Her beating at the invisible hands of Griffin is difficult to read, given her history in the series as such a powerful and tough leader. The confrontation between Griffin and Hyde is violent and shocking, yet fits with Hyde’s primal instincts.

Allan Quatermain’s affections for Mina are also further revealed in this volume. Under cover as a married couple as they seek Dr. Moreau, Mina invites him into her bed. I’m not sure that I enjoyed six pages of sex scenes – there is little tantalizing about Quatermain’s bare wrinkled buttocks dominating a panel – but it seems necessary to the story. Frightened by the impending alien takeover, Mina again has her vulnerabilities explored through sex, yet without the violent implications of Volume One. When Quatermain retreats at the sight of her scarred neck, it says so much about how and what we reveal to those we love, our fear of their reactions.

Yes, there is an alien invasion, weird hybrid creatures, biological warfare and countless references to Victorian literature but the real strength of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume Two lies with its treatment of iconic characters. The final dissolution of the group is frankly devastating and the final scene between two major characters is marked by a gentle melancholy. Privileging the human aspects over the adventure narrative makes the second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen much more substantial and affecting than the first.

• Previous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen review: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume One