TOP 10 #12 (Best of the Week!)
"Court On The Street"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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DC Comics/America's Best Comics imprint
Writer: Alan Moore
Pencils/Inks: Gene Ha
Layouts: Zander Cannon
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Top 10 was never my favorite of the America's Best Comics line. Often, I found the Silver Age super-heroics conflicted with the mature police drama tone of the book. Somehow, though, those contrasting tones clicked for me in this final issue. Moore has instilled these characters with a lot of personality, and their voices convince me of their existence, despite the fantastic nature of their powers and the world in which they live.
The metahuman detectives at the Top 10 precinct get a major break in the Glenn Garland murder case, as it becomes clear he was about to expose a pedophile ring operating in the city. The catch: those operating the ring are well-respected heroes and adventurers, whose exploits are legendary. The entire detective squad is sent out to arrest those considered to be the best, brightest and most powerful in the city.
Ha and Cannon's detailed collaborative art makes the silliness of Silver Age costumes, transforming robots and other-dimensional barbarians seem impossibly plausible. Though some of the Top 10 cops look like the muscular, lithe and sexy super-heroes we normally see in comics, many of them are just ordinary people, further reinforcing the credibility of the characters and plotlines. It's obvious that he artists had a lot of fun on this series, designing a myriad of costumes and incorporating a multitude of Easter eggs. Sure, I would imagine it was pain-staking work as well, but the end result is worth it.
The character to shine most brightly in this story is Joe, Irma-Geddon's robot partner, who's obviously an homage to the Transformers toys. Despite his cold exterior, the way he interacts with those around him -- from kids to friends to enemies -- is thoroughly human. If only everyone were as human. I'm also pleased to see that there are those among the protagonists, like Pete, who aren't quite so likeable. Moore achieves a nice balance in characterization.
Though this is the final issue of the series, it's clear that Moore has a lot more to say with these characters. A page in the back of the book notes that a Smax the Barbarian limited series is in the work, as is a related graphic novel entitled The Forty-Niners. I suspect more will follow as well, and I hope this is the case. The greatest strength of Top 10 is its sense of diversity. The entire world of comics and more serves as inspiration, and the characters are as varied as one would find anywhere in the real world.
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