More than a Decade Later, TOP 10 is still in my Top 10
My favorite comics are the ones where someone takes a genre - the superhero genre in particular - and stands it on it's head. Finds a completely fresh and original take on it. And no one has done that more times than Alan Moore. Top 10 has a special place in my heart, because I have neighborhood discovery rights on this one - at a time when all my friends were picking up flashy Spawn retreads, I was looking at the actual names on the book - and Alan Moore had an impressive track record by the end of the 90s.
And the first issue of Top 10 does not disappoint. Set in Neopolis, a city of the near future populated entirely by superbeings, the police of Precinct 10, A.K.A. 'Top 10' are charged with maintaining order. And that's the second twist here - Top 10 is more than just a superhero comic, it's also a police procedural, cast in the mold of TV cop dramas like Law and Order and NYPD Blue.
Moore, Ha, Cannon and Klein's attention to detail is amazing - from a phantom powered female cop whose word balloons feature halftone lettering, to a police station that is the spitting image of the art deco Hall of Justice around which Neopolis is built like a cross between New York and Mega City 1. From the Kirby homage art on the walls of the police station to the comic book in-joke graffiti on the walls of the city; this is a well thought out, vibrant, living world, and the heroes, villains and citizens that populate it both evoke classic comics, as well as put tongue-in-cheek while exploring the - what if these people really did have to live together aspect.
The main protagonist, Toy Box is a rookie cop on her first day on the job. From superpowered domestic disturbances to high-tech drug raids... is she ready for the experience?
Are you?
If you've never experienced Top 10, it's going to be one helluva unforgettable ride!