When I remember Top 10, I remember the great cast of characters, the flow of ideas and in-jokes in script and art and the fact that it was one of those comics that could make me laugh out loud. I still miss Top 10, but while Smax can't completely replace it, with this issue it gets pretty darn close. Just as he gently prodded cop show and super-hero cliches in Top 10, Moore is poking fun at the fantasy genre with this issue's take on the bureaucracy of quests and the continuing complex relationship between Robyn, Jeff and Rexa. Cannon also turns in his strongest performance yet, littering his likable and very fantasy-appropriate style with a variety of "easter eggs" and in-jokes in the panels. Smax is a laugh riot, with a foundation of strong character-based story underlying it.
From the first appearance in Top 10, Jeff a.k.a. Smax has come across as grumpy, and Moore has done a good job of maintaining that gruff personality while still making the character likable and sympathetic. You almost feel bad for Jeff, because he's clearly developed this personality in no small part due to self-loathing over a failure he never recovered from, but it's just as clear that he's bottling up emotions and denying himself happiness as much as he is protecting himself. There's a constant sense of misery coming off of him, as he tries to be a persona that he's crafted for himself, but he's not quite smart enough or cruel enough to keep up the charade.
Though Smax is undoubtedly the lead character of this mini-series, it is his reactions to others, and their reactions to him, that really drive the book. Robyn's mixture of annoyance and friendly needling is not only hilarious for the reader, but goes a long way towards showing the partnership that has developed between the two. And Rexa, who is as dense as her brother in some ways but still has the earnest heroic nature that Smax has lost, makes an interesting romantic foil, especially given the revelation in this issue that Jeff still has the same feelings, but that he's holding back thanks to his newfound extradimensional culture.
Top 10 was an enormous ensemble cast, and while Smax can't approach that size, Moore does add a few more characters into the mix this issue. Lionel, one of the Deaths, is a terrific everyman character given his unusual job, and I love Moore's take on elves as the rogues of fantasy, as depicted by Aldric and his interaction with Robyn. The real treat, though, is Moore's treatment of the fantasy world with some modern trappings, including the bureaucracy that is required to set up a quest.
This aspect of the book is also where Cannon really shines. Though there have been background gags and touches in previous issue, the number of in-jokes and cameos in this issue approaches the average issue of Top 10. These background gags are part of the fun, but they're not required to enjoy the book, and Cannon also has good comedic timing in general. The quick-to-anger nature of Jeff is reminiscent of a classic sitcom character, and I love the way that Cannon plays the fantasy elements, straight enough so that the book doesn't become a complete parody of itself, but with a quirky approach that makes it clear that the tone is at least somewhat light.
