This is one of those instances in which the rating scale I use for my reviews just isn't sufficient. And referring to Christopher Guest's This Is Spinal Tap quote about speakers going up to 11 won't help to bridge the gap either. When the Top 10 series debuted a few years ago, I wasn't taken with it. I felt the lighter, traditional super-hero elements combined with the grittiness of a modern police drama made for a bad fit, that the contrast didn't work. Either I came around or Moore settled into a more convincing tone, but by the end of the series, I was a convert. That's why I picked up this pricey hardcover prequel. As good as top 10 was at times, the strength of this graphic novel eclipses it completely. The plotting is mature and complex, but the book remains accessible and down to earth.
It's 1949, and America has established a special new city called, appropriately enough, Neopolis. Every man, woman, child and... other that's unusual, dynamic or extraordinary in some way is relocated to Neopolis, including young ace fighter pilot Jetlad and German super-heroine Skywitch. While Jetlad, AKA Steve Traynor, befriends the legendary flying squad known as the Skysharks, Skywitch, AKA Leni Mueller, signs up for a job with the burgeoning Neopolis Police Department. As they settle into new lives, dangers lurk around them, such as a growing organized crime endeavor headed by vampires and secret experiments being conducted by former Nazi scientists.
Of course, that's not what the book is really about. It's about these two people -- Steve and Leni -- trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. Steve's story stands out as the most powerful. This teenaged boy has lived like a man for years, and now he's alone and confused in a new place. He manages to connect deeply with another person, but that person shines a spotlight on his true nature, on who he is, and it's a reality he's not ready to accept. This subplot unfolds slowly and subtly, and Moore takes a less-is-more approach when it comes to what's said about Steve's journey.
Ha's art is stunning in the level of detail he brings to bear, but I think what is more impressive is the atmosphere he fosters throughout. While the characters are fantastic, there's still a grounded quality to them, but there's also a dream-like haze that looms over the entire book. The world of the impossible is portrayed as mundane, but Ha ensures that the wonder and magic of it all is ever-present, even if it's subtly so. Thanks to the little pop-culture references the artist includes in the backgrounds, this book really cries out for two initial readings -- one for the story and characters, and another for recognition of homages and jokes beyond them.
Moore goes to great lengths to capture the period, and it's an important element, given the futuristic and wondrous qualities of the characters and parts of the setting. One of the tools the writer employs is racism and prejudice. Homophobia, anti-semitism and bigotry toward robots weave in and out of conversation throughout the book, and while it's an unfortunate thing to read, it does capture the culture nicely. Furthermore, it provides something for a couple of the characters to overcome over the course of the story.
There's probably a lot of readers out there waiting for a more affordable softcover edition of this graphic novel, but believe me when I say that you'll never find another copmics story more worthy of the higher-end, hardcover format than this one. Alan Moore isn't the perfect comics writer; he's written some things that were only middling at best. But this project shows why he's earned a reputation as the very best talent the industry has to offer. 10/10
