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Top 10 #1-2
Top 10
The massive, multilayered city of Neopolis, built shortly after World War II, was designed as a home for the expanding population of science-heroes, heroines and villains that had ballooned into existance in the previous decade. Bringing these powered beings together solved some problems but created others - turning Neopolis into a pressure cooker that normal policing methods could never contain.
Join rookie cop Robyn Singer, alter ego "Toybox," as she hits the streets for the first time along with a colorful crew of fellow officers, each having the required training to deal with science-villains and super-crimes. You'll never look at powers, or police work, the same way again!
Written by Alan Moore (WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA) and drawn by the team of Gene Ha and Zander Cannon, TOP 10 combines superheroics and cop drama like no series before or after it. Collects issues #1-12.
Join rookie cop Robyn Singer, alter ego "Toybox," as she hits the streets for the first time along with a colorful crew of fellow officers, each having the required training to deal with science-villains and super-crimes. You'll never look at powers, or police work, the same way again!
Written by Alan Moore (WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA) and drawn by the team of Gene Ha and Zander Cannon, TOP 10 combines superheroics and cop drama like no series before or after it. Collects issues #1-12.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
108 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,578 books21.6k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
October 31, 2015
At the end it kinda took me by surprise how much I like Top 10!
At first I wasn't all that into it, because it didn't seem to be going anywhere, and the characters weren't all that...I don't know...interesting?
And I was already a little leery, because I'm not exactly the target audience for anything written by Alan Moore.
Now, the art didn't exactly make me jump up and down for joy, but considering this is an olderish comic (1999), I'm pretty much giving it a pass.
*shrugs*
So, basically, this is a world where almost everyone has superpowers, and a lot of the supers are also cops.
Yeah. Cop stories aren't really my thing, to be honest.
And this is a slow-burn of a story, with no real (to me) BIG FINALE, if you know what I mean.
Which makes it absolutely shocking that I ended up really enjoying this. Seriously. SHOCKING.
Anyway, I don't know that I'll be going out of my way to recommend this, but I certainly didn't think it was a big old stinker. And when I first opened it up & started reading, I was pretty darn sure I'd end up hating this sucker.
At first I wasn't all that into it, because it didn't seem to be going anywhere, and the characters weren't all that...I don't know...interesting?
And I was already a little leery, because I'm not exactly the target audience for anything written by Alan Moore.
Now, the art didn't exactly make me jump up and down for joy, but considering this is an olderish comic (1999), I'm pretty much giving it a pass.
*shrugs*
So, basically, this is a world where almost everyone has superpowers, and a lot of the supers are also cops.
Yeah. Cop stories aren't really my thing, to be honest.
And this is a slow-burn of a story, with no real (to me) BIG FINALE, if you know what I mean.
Which makes it absolutely shocking that I ended up really enjoying this. Seriously. SHOCKING.
Anyway, I don't know that I'll be going out of my way to recommend this, but I certainly didn't think it was a big old stinker. And when I first opened it up & started reading, I was pretty darn sure I'd end up hating this sucker.
June 16, 2021
This is a world building book. Top 10 wouldn't be half as interesting in a different setting, because Neopolis has unprecedented and extraordinary design and detail. Because I'm so ill informed on design and art history, I can't tell you exactly what informs the design except that it's a pure and amazing amalgam: bright and clean and futuristic, dark and ancient, and contemporary all at the same time. If you read this book for one thing, read it for Neopolis.
While the main plot is police procedural, usually not favorite, it's as much horror, sci-fi, mystery, and comedy in this wacky context. It's more of a slow burn even with its action, but there's so much going on you're never bored. It ebbs and flows, crests and crashes with oddity. The main plot, much like Watchmen, threads and spans the entire book right until the very last issue. And while the reveals aren't spectacular, they're plenty interesting, with an almost 80s movie ending of nostalgia, camaraderie, and love that leaves you satisfied and craving for more.
I won't go into the many subplots, but the greatest one is that which satirizes mainstream superhero comics. You can tell Moore is pretty jaded when it comes to DC, and it's amazing and hilarious. For example, at the Trans-World Station the marquee reads "Vacation on Infinite Earths," with directions to Earths 1-30, A-Z, + to infinity. A few pages later, Dust Devil Duane Bodine is discussing the ultramice problem in his mother's apartment with the Ex-Verminator, and they go into more satire:
"Get enough science animals together, it's a big event. Next thing, it escalates. You get a whole secret crisis-war crossover thing going... Inevitably, cosmic powers get involved. You know how it is."
And the characters. I love these characters! Toybox. Jeff Smax. King Peacock. Jetman/ Captain Traynor. Jack Phantom. Girl One. Shock-Headed Peter. Dust Devil/Duane Bodine. Kemlo Caesar. Irma Geddon. Peregrine. Wolf Spider. Other characters like the shark lawyer Carl Fischman. They're all "science" heroes. But they're real people with real problems. They pray, love, mourn, screw, curse, think, regret, hate, bend the laws. And I appreciate how much this world represents the real world, with its sexism, racism, bigotry, prejudice, gender and sexual identities. I wonder how many readers were put off by these social issues back in 1999. I wonder how many are still put off by them.
And yes, the artwork. It reminds me of the vintage feel Watchmen is going for, but Gene Ha and Zander Cannon tower over Dave Gibbons in their ability to create this space-opera panorama, like everything is birds eye when it needs to be (and I love Dave Gibbons, so that's saying something). It's cinematic and theatrical, detailed and extraneous, especially in Neopolis with its prolific advertising.
I laughed, squirmed, gawked, and smiled while reading this. I can't praise this highly enough, because my review is shit compared to the depths in which others have delved, and the complexity with which this book was written, designed and illustrated. Top 10 is one those once in a lifetime achievements and rare books which illustrate the limitless potential of literature and comic art. One of those rare books I couldn't put down and loathed to finish.
May 18, 2021
Say what you will, but this might be my favorite thing Alan Moore's done. It may not be as earth shattering as Watchmen or Swamp Thing, but this is the series I always find myself revisiting. Moore has created this fantastic police procedural set in a city of superheroes. He walks this fine line of playing the series straight while in the background throwing little in-jokes about the comic industry. I love when Dust Devil's mom's house is invaded by Ultramice and they have their own Crisis. Then there's fantastic issues like the traffic accident involving teleporters.
Gene Ha and Zander Cannon's art is fantastic. It's packed with so much detail and little easter eggs to other characters, live Wendy and Marv from the Super Friends of a car load of characters with stretching powers like Plastic Man and Mr. Fantastic. I get a kick out of the Green Apple Green Grocer (Green Arrow Green Lantern) every time. Every time I read this I find some new details I missed in previous reads. This time it was Sipowicz and Sorenson from NYPD Blue as superheroes.
Gene Ha and Zander Cannon's art is fantastic. It's packed with so much detail and little easter eggs to other characters, live Wendy and Marv from the Super Friends of a car load of characters with stretching powers like Plastic Man and Mr. Fantastic. I get a kick out of the Green Apple Green Grocer (Green Arrow Green Lantern) every time. Every time I read this I find some new details I missed in previous reads. This time it was Sipowicz and Sorenson from NYPD Blue as superheroes.
June 5, 2025
Superhero stories all have the same problem: it really is hard to take it all seriously when most of the main characters conceal their identities under garish masked outfits. When a story realizes this and doesn't even bother, the potential for bathos is enormous. And as expected with Alan Moore in the helm, Top 10 gets full marks for this.
It's a gritty, mostly serious cop drama with complex characters and some quite dark undertones (especially towards the end)... all the while literally everyone in the world is some type of a superhero, an alien, a robot, a god, or whatever else you might have. The setting doesn't even try to make any sense of itself, but everything is played completely straight and seriously. It's exciting, tense, gripping, sad, colorful, and rarely goes for straight laughs - even though the whole thing feels like a bit of a laugh that never truly comes. The art is good too.
Might turn up well if you read it right after Watchmen.
It's a gritty, mostly serious cop drama with complex characters and some quite dark undertones (especially towards the end)... all the while literally everyone in the world is some type of a superhero, an alien, a robot, a god, or whatever else you might have. The setting doesn't even try to make any sense of itself, but everything is played completely straight and seriously. It's exciting, tense, gripping, sad, colorful, and rarely goes for straight laughs - even though the whole thing feels like a bit of a laugh that never truly comes. The art is good too.
Might turn up well if you read it right after Watchmen.
March 16, 2017
I've read most of Alan Moore's books and I've never found his books light hearted. However, this, THIS is fantastic. It's got everything I could ask for from a comic.
It's set in 1999 and since world war 2 there was a city created for super powered beings and scientists. I'd compare the city to the film Fifth Element.
It's a bustling city and the story follows the Police station of the tenth dimension called the Top Ten. It follows the Police officers and how they go about making arrests, their personal life and looking after the city.
Moore manages to create some good character relationships and tonnes of sub plots and several main plots throughout; all of which are brilliant.
I think what makes this comic, along with the great story and the fantastic artwork, is the humour. I really didn't expect this; as I said its light-hearted for an Alan Moore book, but it means business. I think this is his best book. Saying that a lot of the humour is in the artwork as well, from Gene Ha. He pencils in countless cameos and hilarious advertisements such as bat mobiles and gamma non-tear pants.
Cameos I spotted were, the blue Beatle (s), two characters from the film Stargate, ghost rider (on a unicycle), deadman, the grave of Elektra, prof X and Scott summers. Popeye, the fantastic four as mice, Galactus (as a giant cat), infinity (as a giant mouse), Astroboy, Thor, Zeus, Atlas, Balder, Odin, Loki, plastic man and his family and many many more! It's like playing where's wally! Maybe he's even in there somewhere!
The only downside to this comic is that it's only 12 issues long. I really wish this was a longer ongoing series. It's so bloody good!!
It's set in 1999 and since world war 2 there was a city created for super powered beings and scientists. I'd compare the city to the film Fifth Element.
It's a bustling city and the story follows the Police station of the tenth dimension called the Top Ten. It follows the Police officers and how they go about making arrests, their personal life and looking after the city.
Moore manages to create some good character relationships and tonnes of sub plots and several main plots throughout; all of which are brilliant.
I think what makes this comic, along with the great story and the fantastic artwork, is the humour. I really didn't expect this; as I said its light-hearted for an Alan Moore book, but it means business. I think this is his best book. Saying that a lot of the humour is in the artwork as well, from Gene Ha. He pencils in countless cameos and hilarious advertisements such as bat mobiles and gamma non-tear pants.
Cameos I spotted were, the blue Beatle (s), two characters from the film Stargate, ghost rider (on a unicycle), deadman, the grave of Elektra, prof X and Scott summers. Popeye, the fantastic four as mice, Galactus (as a giant cat), infinity (as a giant mouse), Astroboy, Thor, Zeus, Atlas, Balder, Odin, Loki, plastic man and his family and many many more! It's like playing where's wally! Maybe he's even in there somewhere!
The only downside to this comic is that it's only 12 issues long. I really wish this was a longer ongoing series. It's so bloody good!!
February 22, 2022
Alan Moore’s 1999 series first published by America’s Best Comics (a DC imprint) and then collected into this GN published in 2015 has a great concept: it’s a world where everyone is a superhero / villain.
This is set up like a police procedural / mystery where our protagonists are out solving crime (sort of like Hillstreet Blues) and going through the motions working with partners, tracking down leads, etc.
I’m a big Alan Moore fan and I thought I would like this more. His writing and the art, by Gene Ha, were both excellent, but I just never really bought in. There was a lot of myth, legend, and pop culture references that was good. The detail in the art was exceptional and finding the ubiquitous easter eggs in the background of the frames was half the fun.
Also, big shoutout for a great character name: Smax.
This is set up like a police procedural / mystery where our protagonists are out solving crime (sort of like Hillstreet Blues) and going through the motions working with partners, tracking down leads, etc.
I’m a big Alan Moore fan and I thought I would like this more. His writing and the art, by Gene Ha, were both excellent, but I just never really bought in. There was a lot of myth, legend, and pop culture references that was good. The detail in the art was exceptional and finding the ubiquitous easter eggs in the background of the frames was half the fun.
Also, big shoutout for a great character name: Smax.
August 18, 2015
Now one of my Top 10 graphic novels :)
So how about a bunch ofsuperscience heroes punching the clock as workaday cops in a city full of powered up beings? Bitching about the bad coffee, the traffic, getting on each other's nerves but also backing each other up when push comes to shove.
A real masterpiece, full of sly humour and commentary on the genre of comics in general. And the art! so packed with detail, I honestly thought I was reading a "Where's Waldo" on a few pages. Well worth slowing down to drink it all in.
I mean, just look at these pencils.
Also, the graffiti in the "Godz" restroom is classic, be sure to read beyond the word bubbles...
And lastly
So how about a bunch of
A real masterpiece, full of sly humour and commentary on the genre of comics in general. And the art! so packed with detail, I honestly thought I was reading a "Where's Waldo" on a few pages. Well worth slowing down to drink it all in.
I mean, just look at these pencils.
Also, the graffiti in the "Godz" restroom is classic, be sure to read beyond the word bubbles...
And lastly
May 1, 2020
The great Alan Moore's version of a superhero state from the viewpoint of a police precinct. I read the original America's Best Comics (Wildstorm Production) comic books Top Ten #1-12, Smax #1-5 and Top Ten: The Forty Niners. 6 out of 12.
September 20, 2016
So...
I've never sat through a single episode of any police procedural. It's a genre that, although it's produced many critically-acclaimed works, generally fails to light so much as a spark of interest or curiosity in me, and when a show does it just lights a spark of maybe, someday, I'll watch an episode, when I got nothing better to do. And make no mistake, Precinct Ten isn’t the Justice League, or the Avengers, or the X-Men. They’re law enforcement first, super-powered individuals and/or people/animals/robots with their own odd gimmicks second.
So, as weird as it may sound, the first comparison that came to mind when I finished reading Top Ten was the sitcom Scrubs. Medical shows are another genre that generally fails to appeal to me, and Scrubs is the only one I’ve sat through an entire single episode of, let alone numerous episodes (not an entire season, though). Yet the tone of Scrubs – witty, whimsical, slice of life sprinkled with dramatic and touching moments - is the closest comparison I can think of regarding Alan Moore, Gene Ha. and Zander Cannon's 12 issue miniseries.
What do you get when you mix the wacky absurdity inherent in the superhero genre with the often bizarre nature of crimes committed and 911 calls made in, say, Florida? If you're Precinct Ten's newest officer (so new she's fresh out of the police academy) Robyn Slinger you get a unforgettable first few days on the force alongside some truly interesting coworkers. While Slinger serves as the audience surrogate this is an ensemble piece through and through.
If there is a protagonist it's Neopolis itself that has the best claim as it's one of the most fascinating locations I've encountered in comics. Moore, Ha, and Cannon's Neopolis is what happens when you gather the gigantic weird variety of life in the Marvel and DC universe would function together in one city. It's hard to deny the major inspiration Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's wonderful Astro City had to have on Neopolis's conception, but Gene Ha's super detailed artwork allows for a staggering level of architectural beauty, wide variety of inhabitants, and easter eggs and sight gags I haven't encountered since stumbling through the streets of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's cyberpunk vision of a dystopic future New York City in Transmetropolitan. I'm a comic book reader who likes to take a moment or two to just look at the art after reading the narration and the speech bubbles, to examine it and try to take it all in if it makes me think or say, "Wow." That's why it took me longer than it probably should have to finish Top Ten and even then I have no doubt there were references, easter eggs, and cameos that I missed.
But, like Scrubs, due to my general lack of interest in it's entire genre I can recognize that great work has been done here by Moore, Ha, Cannon, Todd Klein, and Wildstorm FX... but other than the setting and two specific issues (#7, a hysterical riff on closed room murder mysteries and Norse mythology, and #8 where a fatal teleportation traffic accident involving a giant horse-headed alien leads to one of the most heartfelt and touching passages Moore has ever written) I just wasn't enamored with Top Ten. At least it serves as a strong counterpoint to shove into anyone's face who thinks Alan Moore is a humorless stick in the mud.
4 stars
I've never sat through a single episode of any police procedural. It's a genre that, although it's produced many critically-acclaimed works, generally fails to light so much as a spark of interest or curiosity in me, and when a show does it just lights a spark of maybe, someday, I'll watch an episode, when I got nothing better to do. And make no mistake, Precinct Ten isn’t the Justice League, or the Avengers, or the X-Men. They’re law enforcement first, super-powered individuals and/or people/animals/robots with their own odd gimmicks second.
So, as weird as it may sound, the first comparison that came to mind when I finished reading Top Ten was the sitcom Scrubs. Medical shows are another genre that generally fails to appeal to me, and Scrubs is the only one I’ve sat through an entire single episode of, let alone numerous episodes (not an entire season, though). Yet the tone of Scrubs – witty, whimsical, slice of life sprinkled with dramatic and touching moments - is the closest comparison I can think of regarding Alan Moore, Gene Ha. and Zander Cannon's 12 issue miniseries.
What do you get when you mix the wacky absurdity inherent in the superhero genre with the often bizarre nature of crimes committed and 911 calls made in, say, Florida? If you're Precinct Ten's newest officer (so new she's fresh out of the police academy) Robyn Slinger you get a unforgettable first few days on the force alongside some truly interesting coworkers. While Slinger serves as the audience surrogate this is an ensemble piece through and through.
If there is a protagonist it's Neopolis itself that has the best claim as it's one of the most fascinating locations I've encountered in comics. Moore, Ha, and Cannon's Neopolis is what happens when you gather the gigantic weird variety of life in the Marvel and DC universe would function together in one city. It's hard to deny the major inspiration Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's wonderful Astro City had to have on Neopolis's conception, but Gene Ha's super detailed artwork allows for a staggering level of architectural beauty, wide variety of inhabitants, and easter eggs and sight gags I haven't encountered since stumbling through the streets of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's cyberpunk vision of a dystopic future New York City in Transmetropolitan. I'm a comic book reader who likes to take a moment or two to just look at the art after reading the narration and the speech bubbles, to examine it and try to take it all in if it makes me think or say, "Wow." That's why it took me longer than it probably should have to finish Top Ten and even then I have no doubt there were references, easter eggs, and cameos that I missed.
But, like Scrubs, due to my general lack of interest in it's entire genre I can recognize that great work has been done here by Moore, Ha, Cannon, Todd Klein, and Wildstorm FX... but other than the setting and two specific issues (#7, a hysterical riff on closed room murder mysteries and Norse mythology, and #8 where a fatal teleportation traffic accident involving a giant horse-headed alien leads to one of the most heartfelt and touching passages Moore has ever written) I just wasn't enamored with Top Ten. At least it serves as a strong counterpoint to shove into anyone's face who thinks Alan Moore is a humorless stick in the mud.
4 stars
July 2, 2016
Who knew Alan Moore could be funny?
This book was full of good surprises for me: it is full of unique and endearing characters; the interwoven storylines are well thought-out; the dialogue is witty; there are liberal doses of humour; there are innumerable Easter Egg nods to popular comic culture, some more obscure than others, but if you know what to look for, it's right there; the panels are full of detail; the world created for this book is very imaginative and crazy - think 'The Fifth Element', as a comic book.
Wait - hold on - let me check the book's cover. Alan Moore wrote this? The same writer who brought us Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and so much more? What? Incredible, but true! This is yet another good surprise.
None of the stories are less than four stars, but considering the unforgettable characters, the intelligent stories, and the overall package, what the hell - let's bump this one up to five stars.
Neither pretentious nor high-brow, completely 'out there' yet accessible, this collection is a must-read for comic book fans, and a must-have for your bookshelf.
This book was full of good surprises for me: it is full of unique and endearing characters; the interwoven storylines are well thought-out; the dialogue is witty; there are liberal doses of humour; there are innumerable Easter Egg nods to popular comic culture, some more obscure than others, but if you know what to look for, it's right there; the panels are full of detail; the world created for this book is very imaginative and crazy - think 'The Fifth Element', as a comic book.
Wait - hold on - let me check the book's cover. Alan Moore wrote this? The same writer who brought us Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and so much more? What? Incredible, but true! This is yet another good surprise.
None of the stories are less than four stars, but considering the unforgettable characters, the intelligent stories, and the overall package, what the hell - let's bump this one up to five stars.
Neither pretentious nor high-brow, completely 'out there' yet accessible, this collection is a must-read for comic book fans, and a must-have for your bookshelf.
May 23, 2016
I read this YEARS ago when I was getting all up into Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line, but I wanted to read it again. I remember liking it a lot, and I wonder how the ABC stuff would hold up. Because, honestly, Tom Strong was one of my favorite comics ever, and I want to re-read it, but I'm nervous it's not as good as I remember, and when I read it I might hate it.
So, Top 10.
Really good.
There were three things I really liked about this.
One, it's a police procedural comic book where everyone's a superhero, but it's not like they're preventing the end of the world or it's all building to one huge event. It really feels like a slice of life.
Two, it's very creative. The situations often happen before the main characters arrive, so what we see is more often putting something together as opposed to a fistfight. I don't think that's easy to pull off, and I also appreciated that the book was so interesting situationally that you didn't miss the action when it wasn't present.
Three, this is a great example of a book that has likable characters who don't always act in a likable way. Some of them are shown as being mostly good people, but racist against robots, for example. The sort of big hero cop is also kind of an asshole. I think these are character types that are often missing from modern, more mainstream comics. Not anti-heroes, just people who maybe feel like...well, real people. VERY imperfect people, and very real.
Anyway, if this is on your reading list, I'd say bump it up to the upper region of your to-read, perhaps above 90% of what's on there.
Feels like I missed an opportunity there in that last line. Some easier way to have said that...oh well.
So, Top 10.
Really good.
There were three things I really liked about this.
One, it's a police procedural comic book where everyone's a superhero, but it's not like they're preventing the end of the world or it's all building to one huge event. It really feels like a slice of life.
Two, it's very creative. The situations often happen before the main characters arrive, so what we see is more often putting something together as opposed to a fistfight. I don't think that's easy to pull off, and I also appreciated that the book was so interesting situationally that you didn't miss the action when it wasn't present.
Three, this is a great example of a book that has likable characters who don't always act in a likable way. Some of them are shown as being mostly good people, but racist against robots, for example. The sort of big hero cop is also kind of an asshole. I think these are character types that are often missing from modern, more mainstream comics. Not anti-heroes, just people who maybe feel like...well, real people. VERY imperfect people, and very real.
Anyway, if this is on your reading list, I'd say bump it up to the upper region of your to-read, perhaps above 90% of what's on there.
Feels like I missed an opportunity there in that last line. Some easier way to have said that...oh well.
March 9, 2016
Lovely! This is one of my favorite Alan Moore titles. I've heard it described as "Hill Street Blues with superheroes," and that seems to be an accurate summary. In a city populated by heroes, robots, aliens, ghosts, gods, etc., Top 10 is merely one of many precinct houses. The officers have their daily briefing before hitting the streets, doing their part to keep the city safe. The series focuses on the daily grind. Yes, they have their share of high profile cases, but there are mundane moments too. Moore's cast is varied and interesting. There's a sense of all of them as just ordinary people who happen to have powers. They have an emotional reality and you care what happens to them. The artwork is lovely, bursting with all sorts of background details, references to comics and movies and science fiction and more. Some Alan Moore titles seem calculated to impress, push the envelope and so on. This title seems more relaxed. Moore's not phoning it in, or anything bad like that, just having fun.
January 23, 2020
Run of the day police procedural in a world populated by out of this world superheros. This is a pretty dense book and that may be a turn off for some. There's not one clean storyline, as it's more a day to day look at a police precinct in a city populated by superheros. If you are an old school comicbook fan, there're so many jokes, references, parodies and biting satirizations that you will be smiling the whole time as many tropes are turned on their heads. The art, those insanely detailed, didn't always do it for me, but in the end a highly recommended read.
April 18, 2022
Fantastic! Moore clearly knew what he was doing when he called this series Top Ten because it ranks high up among the best comics I've ever read, and Gene Ha's art is so intricate and jam-packed with easter eggs that annotating them would probably take a whole book on its own. Just amazing - definitely lived up to all the great things I'd heard before reading it.
September 23, 2021
It takes some getting used to, but after a few issues of Top 10, you long for there to be hundreds rather than just twelve. I could amble along with the superhero police at precinct 10 forever. Top 10, much like the police procedurals it imitates, is a supremely pleasant read. The characters are all quirky and kind to each other - each scene seems to begin with a round of "Hello, how are you!" There's murder and mystery and even some mayhem, but for the most part, it's pretty low-key.
I suppose I would have enjoyed a stronger throughline, some grand mystery that needed to be solved. Top 10 offers a few big mysteries that are chased over several issues, but the book is far more interested in the day-to-day of a superhero police force in a futuristic city populated with science-heroes from the 40s. Top 10 is character first, art second, plot third. That art is superbly detailed, almost a Where's Waldo of comic book in-jokes. The dialogue is dense (very 90s), though it's generally enjoyable. Again, so many greetings.
Top 10 feels like a hidden gem. Alan Moore's a huge name in comics, of course, but you don't hear as much about Top 10. I'm glad some of the folks I follow on Goodreads had rave reviews about it, forcing me to seek it out. This is a book that's worth savoring.
I suppose I would have enjoyed a stronger throughline, some grand mystery that needed to be solved. Top 10 offers a few big mysteries that are chased over several issues, but the book is far more interested in the day-to-day of a superhero police force in a futuristic city populated with science-heroes from the 40s. Top 10 is character first, art second, plot third. That art is superbly detailed, almost a Where's Waldo of comic book in-jokes. The dialogue is dense (very 90s), though it's generally enjoyable. Again, so many greetings.
Top 10 feels like a hidden gem. Alan Moore's a huge name in comics, of course, but you don't hear as much about Top 10. I'm glad some of the folks I follow on Goodreads had rave reviews about it, forcing me to seek it out. This is a book that's worth savoring.
April 1, 2020
Well that's just damned delightful. Top Ten is essentially a TV police drama set in a city peopled entirely with the superpowered. Cops, politicians, drug dealers, homemakers, winos, lawyers, waitstaff, everyone can fly or read minds or shoot eye lasers or walk through walls. They're mutants, or aliens, or sentient robots, or genetically engineered, or genius inventors.
Moore's (and his illustration team's) world building is superb. Eye-catching costumes and colors everywhere. Comic book technology rendered mundane, with flying car fender benders and precog citizens unemployed due to mindless bureaucratic rules. Robots are systemically discriminated against and make up a lot of Neopolis's street gangs. Billboards, ads, and graffiti set the stage in the background: see a billboard touting the new Ford Vigilante ("Do Yourself Justice!"), flashing signs enticing pedestrians to XXX SEE LIVE NUDE INVISIBLE GIRLS XXX, a delivery truck marked "Temporal Express! Previous day delivery guaranteed".
The cast of cops is large and varied, full of rich characters and complex relationships.
--Toybox, a rookie who controls a small army of homunculi
--Jeff Smax, an indestructible blue giant and kind of a meathead
--Jackie Phantom, jovial lesbian sergeant who can make herself insubstantial
--Girl One, a possibly nude acrobat whose skin pigmentation changes constantly in dazzling ways
--Caesar, a competent, reliable talking Doberman in a humanoid exoskeleton
--Duane Bodine, cheerful techno-cowboy with a pair of gold 12-shooters
--Cheney, Duane's trusty electricity-powered partner who also happens to be a ferocious bigot
...and the list goes on.
There are multiple overlapping cases running at any given time, all plausible within the parameters of the world Moore has constructed. This core of realism running beneath the ubiquitous superhero tropes is a marvel. Cases include:
--a mystery murder that leads to the breakup of a drug ring and discovery of a new radioactive narcotic
--a festering gang situation that appears headed toward a riot (and you can see the seed of Kaijumax beginning to sprout in artist Zander Cannon's mind here)
--a serial killer called Libra who steals the heads of his victims
--a teleporter crash--that is, the occupants of two teleportation vehicles accidentally entering the same space at the same time--with some awesomely bleak illustration.
--a telekinetic mental hospital escapee who believes he's Santa Claus
--the recurring murder of the Norse god Baldur
--a Top 10 detective forced to fight to the death in a gladiator tournament due to a paperwork snafu
--a superhero/sidekick pedophile ring
Moore uses these stories to comment on government corruption, various forms of bigotry, interracial marriage, religion, cultural idiosyncracies, and in one particularly sensitive issue, death.
This book should be absurd. I don't know that anyone but Alan Moore could have pulled it off.
Moore's (and his illustration team's) world building is superb. Eye-catching costumes and colors everywhere. Comic book technology rendered mundane, with flying car fender benders and precog citizens unemployed due to mindless bureaucratic rules. Robots are systemically discriminated against and make up a lot of Neopolis's street gangs. Billboards, ads, and graffiti set the stage in the background: see a billboard touting the new Ford Vigilante ("Do Yourself Justice!"), flashing signs enticing pedestrians to XXX SEE LIVE NUDE INVISIBLE GIRLS XXX, a delivery truck marked "Temporal Express! Previous day delivery guaranteed".
The cast of cops is large and varied, full of rich characters and complex relationships.
--Toybox, a rookie who controls a small army of homunculi
--Jeff Smax, an indestructible blue giant and kind of a meathead
--Jackie Phantom, jovial lesbian sergeant who can make herself insubstantial
--Girl One, a possibly nude acrobat whose skin pigmentation changes constantly in dazzling ways
--Caesar, a competent, reliable talking Doberman in a humanoid exoskeleton
--Duane Bodine, cheerful techno-cowboy with a pair of gold 12-shooters
--Cheney, Duane's trusty electricity-powered partner who also happens to be a ferocious bigot
...and the list goes on.
There are multiple overlapping cases running at any given time, all plausible within the parameters of the world Moore has constructed. This core of realism running beneath the ubiquitous superhero tropes is a marvel. Cases include:
--a mystery murder that leads to the breakup of a drug ring and discovery of a new radioactive narcotic
--a festering gang situation that appears headed toward a riot (and you can see the seed of Kaijumax beginning to sprout in artist Zander Cannon's mind here)
--a serial killer called Libra who steals the heads of his victims
--a teleporter crash--that is, the occupants of two teleportation vehicles accidentally entering the same space at the same time--with some awesomely bleak illustration.
--a telekinetic mental hospital escapee who believes he's Santa Claus
--the recurring murder of the Norse god Baldur
--a Top 10 detective forced to fight to the death in a gladiator tournament due to a paperwork snafu
--a superhero/sidekick pedophile ring
Moore uses these stories to comment on government corruption, various forms of bigotry, interracial marriage, religion, cultural idiosyncracies, and in one particularly sensitive issue, death.
This book should be absurd. I don't know that anyone but Alan Moore could have pulled it off.
November 23, 2017
En una obra tan magnífica como la de Alan Moore, el genio del cómic de nuestro tiempo, se hace difícil elegir cuáles son las cumbres. Es una decisión complicada, pues hay que discernir entre las obras maestras y lo "solamente" extraordinario. Todo el mundo cita Watchmen, pero los desacuerdos aparecen con las siguientes obras, las que deben acompañarla en el podio de la gloria. Personalmente, tengo pocas dudas: Miracleman y Top 10. Esta última, a pesar de contar con un dibujo que, en mi opinión, no acompaña al guión en altura, me vuelve a convencer en la relectura. Porque la mano maestra de Moore vuelve a atraparme con la historia y las subtramas, a fascinarme con el escenario, a conquistarme con la autenticidad y cercanía de los personajes. Y porque una obra que homenajea a la par a la serie que comenzó la revolución televisiva y a todo el cómic de superhéroes en cada una de sus viñetas, guiños incluidos, tiene mi corazón desde el principio.
May 18, 2021
UPDATE: Me regalaron esta edición preciosa y mucho más linda que la vieja, así que espero poder agarrármelo de nuevo de corrido <3
Creo haber leído estos comics en inglés, después varios en castellano, después haber releído un par de capítulos salteados, y así.
La reseña en serio la dejaré para cuando haga una relectura íntegra, consiga los numeritos sueltos que me faltan y/o consiga esta edición (difícil, todos los comics de Wildstorm de Norma ya están descatalogados).
Creo haber leído estos comics en inglés, después varios en castellano, después haber releído un par de capítulos salteados, y así.
La reseña en serio la dejaré para cuando haga una relectura íntegra, consiga los numeritos sueltos que me faltan y/o consiga esta edición (difícil, todos los comics de Wildstorm de Norma ya están descatalogados).
September 20, 2019
A really fun and inventive look at cops, superheroes, multiverses, gods -- lots of the familiar tropes which occur in comic books. The Top 10 of the title is a group of superhero cops, set in a world full of "Science Heroes", a term Alan Moore uses in more than one of his worlds. They have many and varied abilities but what they're doing is responding to calls like regular cops. It might be: a drug bust; a call to investigate Santa sightings, complete with sleigh and reindeer; an apparent god slaying. They're all interesting an funny, and a few overarching storylines are woven through the issues.
Of particular delight is the artwork of Gene Ha. There are so many sly visual references to heroes and pop culture icons it's hard to keep up! I did save some pictures but I can't get them to show up.
Anyways, great fun and highly recommended.
Of particular delight is the artwork of Gene Ha. There are so many sly visual references to heroes and pop culture icons it's hard to keep up! I did save some pictures but I can't get them to show up.
Anyways, great fun and highly recommended.
August 29, 2016
Creo que esta historia va a pasar a ser una de mis favoritas escritas por Alan Moore.
Acá Moore parece estar más relajado, con ganas de escribir una historia que pueda ser disfrutada por todo el mundo, incluso por aquellos que no suelen leer comics de superhéroes. Cuando digo que está más relajado, me refiero que hay cierto ambiente optimista que impregna a esta obra de una voz muy particular, contrariamente a las obras más famosas de Moore, que son más sombrías y mucho más viscerales.
No me malinterpreten, esta obra tiene todos los ingredientes que hicieron famoso a este autor. Hay momentos oscuros, no voy a negarlo, hay planteamientos muy adultos, pero también hay un humor excelente, referencias al mundo comiquero escondidas en los dibujos zarpados de un Gene Ha en estado de gracia. Y si bien la historia trata sobre una ciudad poblada integramente por personas con superpoderes que vuelan, tiran rayitos por los ojos, leen cabezas, etc, la historia es también un policial de procedimiento escrito de manera espectacular, que nunca aburre y va atando los cabos sueltos de a poco. Moore se toma su tiempo, construye a sus personajes y, increíblemente, la mayoría se hace querer (y mucho) y unos pocos, los villanos de turno, nos dan verdadero asco. Hay buenos definidos y malos definidos, dentro de una ciudad que tiene también su voz propia.
Tengo que rescatar esa secuencia en la que los protagonistas asisten al asesinato de un dios en un bar, teniendo de testigos a otros dioses (la mayoría nórdicos) que tratan de encontrar justicia. En esta secuencia Moore hace tremenda explicación de los mitos y las leyendas. Es verdaderamente sublime.
En fin, una obra maestra que merece ser leída y ser disfrutada. Los comics dan para mucho y esta obra es prueba suficiente de esa afirmación.
Acá Moore parece estar más relajado, con ganas de escribir una historia que pueda ser disfrutada por todo el mundo, incluso por aquellos que no suelen leer comics de superhéroes. Cuando digo que está más relajado, me refiero que hay cierto ambiente optimista que impregna a esta obra de una voz muy particular, contrariamente a las obras más famosas de Moore, que son más sombrías y mucho más viscerales.
No me malinterpreten, esta obra tiene todos los ingredientes que hicieron famoso a este autor. Hay momentos oscuros, no voy a negarlo, hay planteamientos muy adultos, pero también hay un humor excelente, referencias al mundo comiquero escondidas en los dibujos zarpados de un Gene Ha en estado de gracia. Y si bien la historia trata sobre una ciudad poblada integramente por personas con superpoderes que vuelan, tiran rayitos por los ojos, leen cabezas, etc, la historia es también un policial de procedimiento escrito de manera espectacular, que nunca aburre y va atando los cabos sueltos de a poco. Moore se toma su tiempo, construye a sus personajes y, increíblemente, la mayoría se hace querer (y mucho) y unos pocos, los villanos de turno, nos dan verdadero asco. Hay buenos definidos y malos definidos, dentro de una ciudad que tiene también su voz propia.
Tengo que rescatar esa secuencia en la que los protagonistas asisten al asesinato de un dios en un bar, teniendo de testigos a otros dioses (la mayoría nórdicos) que tratan de encontrar justicia. En esta secuencia Moore hace tremenda explicación de los mitos y las leyendas. Es verdaderamente sublime.
En fin, una obra maestra que merece ser leída y ser disfrutada. Los comics dan para mucho y esta obra es prueba suficiente de esa afirmación.
June 23, 2025
my rating went from 2.5 to 4.5 stars over the course of reading it the first time. I’m not exactly sure what flipped the switch for me—honestly, I was so confused by the turnaround that I reread it during the same library checkout window. But I think the initial low rating was probably just a result of not paying enough attention.
Moore’s a notoriously dense writer—his Watchmen scripts are legendary in their persnickety specificity. And when the work is dark, noir-ish, and has a violent hook, you can skim the surface and still get something out of it. Later rereads reward the detail work, but you don’t need it to enjoy the whole. That’s not so true with Top Ten. A surface skim here just feels like a weird missymash of disparate elements, without the striking visuals or clean lines to reward a casual read. At first glance, everything feels chintzy and cheap. The analogues are obvious but kind of ugly and uninspired (his Superman stand-in might be one of the weakest from any top-shelf creator). So yeah, I think my casual first pass just bounced me right off it.
But about halfway through, I started paying attention to the details. Moore’s clearly experimenting here—trying to cram more action into the panels, even into the spaces between them. This isn’t a storyboard. Storyboards aim for peak moments; Top Ten often asks the reader to imagine those moments for themselves—to act as co-director with Moore, Ha, and Cannon. Once I soaked in those details, it clicked. I reread it just to confirm they’d been there all along, unnoticed the first time.
It’s Law & Order crossed with Batman ‘66. Enjoyable for the references, yes, but even more compelling for watching Moore flip the whole genre on its head and somehow keep it all perfectly balanced.
There’s still that typical lurid Moore cynicism I could do without—the Justice League as a literal child trafficking ring being the clearest example—but his disgust with corporate superhero leagues has always been there. It’s not exactly surprising when it shows up again.
Quite good. Highly recommended.
Moore’s a notoriously dense writer—his Watchmen scripts are legendary in their persnickety specificity. And when the work is dark, noir-ish, and has a violent hook, you can skim the surface and still get something out of it. Later rereads reward the detail work, but you don’t need it to enjoy the whole. That’s not so true with Top Ten. A surface skim here just feels like a weird missymash of disparate elements, without the striking visuals or clean lines to reward a casual read. At first glance, everything feels chintzy and cheap. The analogues are obvious but kind of ugly and uninspired (his Superman stand-in might be one of the weakest from any top-shelf creator). So yeah, I think my casual first pass just bounced me right off it.
But about halfway through, I started paying attention to the details. Moore’s clearly experimenting here—trying to cram more action into the panels, even into the spaces between them. This isn’t a storyboard. Storyboards aim for peak moments; Top Ten often asks the reader to imagine those moments for themselves—to act as co-director with Moore, Ha, and Cannon. Once I soaked in those details, it clicked. I reread it just to confirm they’d been there all along, unnoticed the first time.
It’s Law & Order crossed with Batman ‘66. Enjoyable for the references, yes, but even more compelling for watching Moore flip the whole genre on its head and somehow keep it all perfectly balanced.
There’s still that typical lurid Moore cynicism I could do without—the Justice League as a literal child trafficking ring being the clearest example—but his disgust with corporate superhero leagues has always been there. It’s not exactly surprising when it shows up again.
Quite good. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2022
Normalmente cuando leía cómics en plan masivo (como si ahora no lo estuviera haciendo con la relectura, yo también...) me limitaba a Marvel y DC. Sí, también leí algunas cosas como Darkness, Witchblade o The Authority, claro, pero no salía mucho más allá de mi zona de confort, que como he dicho, estaba en el entorno de los Vengadores, los X-Men, Batman y la Liga de la Justicia. Pero bueno, supongo que la distancia de las dos grandes (especialmente de una de ellas) me ha hecho leer otras cosas que he ido dejando por aquí, como The Fade Out o The Wicked + The Divine, entre otras. Y a raíz de una recomendación en un podcast, decidí echarle un ojo a esta obra de Alan Moore, de la que no había oído hablar jamás hasta ese momento, y que quizá incluso aunque lo hubiera hecho, no habría leído precisamente porque es de Moore. Mi intención está muy lejos de hacer de menos al autor de cómics del nivel de Watchmen, American Gothic o muchos otros, pero la sensación que me transmite Moore desde hace muchísimos años es que vive en un estado de enfado continuo y desaprobación por todo lo que tiene que ver con el mundo del cómic, él vive en su mundo con su magia, y en fin, me da un poco de pereza.
Pero el caso es que después de oír hablar de esta obra, que me recordó muchísimo al argumento del juego de rol Mutant City Blues, y me entró curiosidad, así que me decidí a leerlo, y la verdad es que lo he disfrutado mucho. Top 10 nos lleva a vivir el día a día de una comisaría de policía (la del Distrito 10) en un mundo en el que todo el mundo tiene poderes de todo tipo. Hay mutantes, dioses, magia, extraterrestres, ciborgs, justicieros... Todo es válido en Top 10, y dentro de ese mundo, nos vamos a encontrar con los trabajadores de la comisaría del Distrito 10, en el más puro estilo de una serie procedimental, un CSI o algo por el estilo, con personajes recurrentes y diferentes tramas: un asesino en serie que corta cabezas de prostitutas, un acosador invisible, tráfico de drogas de diseño, un monstruo borracho tipo Godzilla... son solo algunas de las tramas que se van cruzando, junto a problemas de tráfico o de violencia doméstica en un mundo que además está lleno de homenajes y burlas al mundo de los superhéroes de las dos grandes.
Así que nada, una historia muy buena, contenida en un solo tomo (doce cómics), que no afloja en ningún momento, y que tiene a los lápices a Zander Cannon y a Gene Ha... y creo que precisamente los lápices es lo que menos me ha convencido, por lo que no le pongo la quinta estrella. Me ha parecido muy correcta en ese aspecto, pero no me ha volado la cabeza. Pero muy muy entretenida, de verdad.
Pero el caso es que después de oír hablar de esta obra, que me recordó muchísimo al argumento del juego de rol Mutant City Blues, y me entró curiosidad, así que me decidí a leerlo, y la verdad es que lo he disfrutado mucho. Top 10 nos lleva a vivir el día a día de una comisaría de policía (la del Distrito 10) en un mundo en el que todo el mundo tiene poderes de todo tipo. Hay mutantes, dioses, magia, extraterrestres, ciborgs, justicieros... Todo es válido en Top 10, y dentro de ese mundo, nos vamos a encontrar con los trabajadores de la comisaría del Distrito 10, en el más puro estilo de una serie procedimental, un CSI o algo por el estilo, con personajes recurrentes y diferentes tramas: un asesino en serie que corta cabezas de prostitutas, un acosador invisible, tráfico de drogas de diseño, un monstruo borracho tipo Godzilla... son solo algunas de las tramas que se van cruzando, junto a problemas de tráfico o de violencia doméstica en un mundo que además está lleno de homenajes y burlas al mundo de los superhéroes de las dos grandes.
Así que nada, una historia muy buena, contenida en un solo tomo (doce cómics), que no afloja en ningún momento, y que tiene a los lápices a Zander Cannon y a Gene Ha... y creo que precisamente los lápices es lo que menos me ha convencido, por lo que no le pongo la quinta estrella. Me ha parecido muy correcta en ese aspecto, pero no me ha volado la cabeza. Pero muy muy entretenida, de verdad.
January 9, 2023
It’s criminal that this series isn’t universally revered. It’s so good. There are so many background Easter eggs that I’m going to want to keep track somehow.
July 24, 2022
For pure entertainment - humour, plot, great characters, an Easter egg in every panel - this is my favourite Alan Moore.
March 2, 2014
Reseña de Roberto Pastor para Fancueva:
http://www.fancueva.com/comic/el-deca...
El Decálogo de Alan Moore (IV): Top 10
Que el título del post no os lleve a pensar que voy a incrustar aquí mismo un Top 10 de obras de Alan Moore. Ese es el cometido de este lento recorrido por las diez obras que, siempre desde mi punto de vista, todo los que quieran conocer más en profundidad a Alan Moore deberían leer. El destino ha querido que una de las obras que quería comentar fuera precisamente una con nombre de lista de éxitos, Top 10.
La mejor definición que podría encajar a la perfección con Top 10, creo que sería la de un cruce entre el multiverso y Canción triste de Hill Street. De hecho, el propio Moore quería con esta obra contar historias similares a las de la mítica serie de TV de los 80. Para quien no haya conocido dicha serie, sólo decir que era un drama serial sobre el día a día en una comisaria de policía, más centrada en las vidas personales de los agentes que en los crímenes y accidentes que investigaban, aunque sin descuidar estos últimos.
Este equilibrio entre historias personales y trama principal alcanza su perfección en las páginas de Top 10, y lo hace porque a momentos se hace prácticamente imposible distinguir entre una u otra. Las transiciones entre crímenes y problemas personales de los personajes son realmente increibles. Al momento estamos viendo como intentan capturar a un peligroso criminal cuando de repente, y con buena mano, se introduce en el contexto la llamada telefónica de la madre de uno de los super-policias quejándose de que su hijo no la visita con la suficiente frecuencia.
Porque no sé si lo he mencionado, pero en el universo (o mejor multiverso) de Top 10, prácticamente todos sus habitantes son metahumanos con algún tipo de poder, extraterrestres o androides. Es como ver una caravana de personajes sacados de la imaginación de Michael Ende paseando por una deprimente megalópolis a la cual han sido todos confinados por el bien de la humanidad, Neópolis, un “hogar” construido por y para todos los metahumanos, extraterrestres y androides que pueblan nuestro vasto mundo.
Todos y cada uno de los personajes principales de Top 10 es un motor que mueve la historia. De hecho, tal como ocurria en Canción triste de Hill Street, es mayor el interés y la emoción que despiertan las vidas personales y sus problemas cotidianos, que los atroces crimenes que caen en sus manos, decayendo la relevancia de estos últimos a la de los típicos problemas de una jornada laboral en una comisaría de policía. Pero el que no sean problemas relevantes para nosotros no quiere decir que lo sean para los agentes de Top 10. ¿Suena raro? Intentaré matizar mis palabras con un pequeño spoiler.
Top 10
SPOILER En cierto momento de la trama un personaje secundario se suicida robándole el arma a uno de los agentes de Top 10. En ese preciso momento, que el pobre desgraciado se haya volado la tapa de los sesos nos es bastante indiferente, pero no así la reacción del agente, quien se siente completamente culpable por no haber estado más atento ante el robo de su arma. Esta culpabilidad es la que quiere Moore que sintamos, lo cual consigue magistralmente. FIN DE SPOILER.
Habiendo dejado claro (o eso espero) que tono argumental tiene Top 10, me gustaría destacar el genial trabajo del compañero de Alan Moore y co-creador de esta maravilla, Gene Ha. Podría decir que Gene Ha es el compañero perfecto para Moore y sus ansias de detallismo en las viñetas. Sólo hay que echar un pequeño vistazo a los fondos que decoran Neópolis y a sus habitantes, de seguro que más de uno encontrará referencias a muchísimas obras tanto de DC como de Marvel. Gene Ha, de nuevo repitió colaboración con Moore en la precuela de Top 10, The Forty Niners, que nos muestra los primeros años de Neópolis y sus primeros conflictos sociales. También aquí se puede observar el amor de Ha por los detalles, y la capacidad de su dibujo para aceptar tanto colores planos como los de Top 10 y tonos más graduales como los de The Forty Niners.
Top 10En definitiva, Top 10 es una auténtica joya del cómic, la perfecta unión entre el mundo de los superhéores y los problemas sociales que llevan afectando al mundo desde hace años, aquellos que no se pueden combatir con superpoderes porque nacen del interior de los individuos, sean humanos o no. Una obra muy recomendada para todo aquel que busca algo más que las típicas historias de choque de superpoderes.
http://www.fancueva.com/comic/el-deca...
El Decálogo de Alan Moore (IV): Top 10
Que el título del post no os lleve a pensar que voy a incrustar aquí mismo un Top 10 de obras de Alan Moore. Ese es el cometido de este lento recorrido por las diez obras que, siempre desde mi punto de vista, todo los que quieran conocer más en profundidad a Alan Moore deberían leer. El destino ha querido que una de las obras que quería comentar fuera precisamente una con nombre de lista de éxitos, Top 10.
La mejor definición que podría encajar a la perfección con Top 10, creo que sería la de un cruce entre el multiverso y Canción triste de Hill Street. De hecho, el propio Moore quería con esta obra contar historias similares a las de la mítica serie de TV de los 80. Para quien no haya conocido dicha serie, sólo decir que era un drama serial sobre el día a día en una comisaria de policía, más centrada en las vidas personales de los agentes que en los crímenes y accidentes que investigaban, aunque sin descuidar estos últimos.
Este equilibrio entre historias personales y trama principal alcanza su perfección en las páginas de Top 10, y lo hace porque a momentos se hace prácticamente imposible distinguir entre una u otra. Las transiciones entre crímenes y problemas personales de los personajes son realmente increibles. Al momento estamos viendo como intentan capturar a un peligroso criminal cuando de repente, y con buena mano, se introduce en el contexto la llamada telefónica de la madre de uno de los super-policias quejándose de que su hijo no la visita con la suficiente frecuencia.
Porque no sé si lo he mencionado, pero en el universo (o mejor multiverso) de Top 10, prácticamente todos sus habitantes son metahumanos con algún tipo de poder, extraterrestres o androides. Es como ver una caravana de personajes sacados de la imaginación de Michael Ende paseando por una deprimente megalópolis a la cual han sido todos confinados por el bien de la humanidad, Neópolis, un “hogar” construido por y para todos los metahumanos, extraterrestres y androides que pueblan nuestro vasto mundo.
Todos y cada uno de los personajes principales de Top 10 es un motor que mueve la historia. De hecho, tal como ocurria en Canción triste de Hill Street, es mayor el interés y la emoción que despiertan las vidas personales y sus problemas cotidianos, que los atroces crimenes que caen en sus manos, decayendo la relevancia de estos últimos a la de los típicos problemas de una jornada laboral en una comisaría de policía. Pero el que no sean problemas relevantes para nosotros no quiere decir que lo sean para los agentes de Top 10. ¿Suena raro? Intentaré matizar mis palabras con un pequeño spoiler.
Top 10
SPOILER En cierto momento de la trama un personaje secundario se suicida robándole el arma a uno de los agentes de Top 10. En ese preciso momento, que el pobre desgraciado se haya volado la tapa de los sesos nos es bastante indiferente, pero no así la reacción del agente, quien se siente completamente culpable por no haber estado más atento ante el robo de su arma. Esta culpabilidad es la que quiere Moore que sintamos, lo cual consigue magistralmente. FIN DE SPOILER.
Habiendo dejado claro (o eso espero) que tono argumental tiene Top 10, me gustaría destacar el genial trabajo del compañero de Alan Moore y co-creador de esta maravilla, Gene Ha. Podría decir que Gene Ha es el compañero perfecto para Moore y sus ansias de detallismo en las viñetas. Sólo hay que echar un pequeño vistazo a los fondos que decoran Neópolis y a sus habitantes, de seguro que más de uno encontrará referencias a muchísimas obras tanto de DC como de Marvel. Gene Ha, de nuevo repitió colaboración con Moore en la precuela de Top 10, The Forty Niners, que nos muestra los primeros años de Neópolis y sus primeros conflictos sociales. También aquí se puede observar el amor de Ha por los detalles, y la capacidad de su dibujo para aceptar tanto colores planos como los de Top 10 y tonos más graduales como los de The Forty Niners.
Top 10En definitiva, Top 10 es una auténtica joya del cómic, la perfecta unión entre el mundo de los superhéores y los problemas sociales que llevan afectando al mundo desde hace años, aquellos que no se pueden combatir con superpoderes porque nacen del interior de los individuos, sean humanos o no. Una obra muy recomendada para todo aquel que busca algo más que las típicas historias de choque de superpoderes.
October 18, 2019
Moore jest mistrzem. Nie w każdej odsłonie mi podchodzi, ale są komiksy, w których udowadnia, że jest on, a potem długo nic. "Top 10" to kryminał w odcinkach ubrany w futurystyczne łachy. Punktem startowym jest komisariat, w którym poznajemy kolejnych bohaterów i ich przygody związane z przywracaniem porządku w Neopolis. "Top 10" jest po części bardzo zabawnym komiksem, po części kolejną kapitalną (obok "Strażników") rozprawą ze współczesnym mitem superbohaterów (choć tym razem głównie za pomocą satyry), jest również refleksją na temat odmienności, uprzedzeń i tolerancji. To jednocześnie uczta dla tych wszystkich, którzy siedzą w komiksach o podobnej tematyce i rozpoznają grę konwencją, odniesienia do innych dzieł czy popkulturowe tropy. Ale przede wszystkim są to świetnie zazębiające się wątki fabularne, bardzo logiczne i przemyślane. Perfekcyjna robota.
October 30, 2016
This was good. Alan Moore story telling can be uneven at times. But that works in this story of a world of Super Heroes. The story is all world building in a very complex world with a lot going on. It is also somewhat of a police procedural story if everyday beat officers all had some kind of power. There is a lot of parody of mainstream comics which is rather amusing and catching all the guest "appearances" in the background are cool (look quick or you might miss them).
This was a very well done story I enjoyed it a lot.
This was a very well done story I enjoyed it a lot.
February 17, 2018
Fantástico dibujo, algo sucio pero en el buen sentido y acorde a la trama. Cómic costumbrista del día a día de una comisaría de policía especial en una ciudad especial de una de tantas dimensiones especiales. Empieza tranquilamente y mejora a cada capítulo.
Muy buenos los detalles que vas descubriendo en casi cada página... un Dalek, los 4F, el barón rojo, comando Stargate, referencia al vibranium, el cuarto doctor who, Bender-Leela-Fry... hasta Goku! ... y todo lo que no habré reconocido, o visto.
Muy buenos los detalles que vas descubriendo en casi cada página... un Dalek, los 4F, el barón rojo, comando Stargate, referencia al vibranium, el cuarto doctor who, Bender-Leela-Fry... hasta Goku! ... y todo lo que no habré reconocido, o visto.
July 19, 2017
Hysterical, clever and action packed. Awesome characters and really cool story.
August 8, 2018
This book would not be in my top 10....
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