Rating: 
Summary: Moore from one of the best writers in comics.
Review: (Excuse the pun.) Alan Moore, author of the excellent "Watchmen", "Miracleman", "Swamp Thing", and (arguably the best graphic novel I ever read), "V for Vendetta"; scores high marks with "Top Ten", part of his "American Best Comics Line" published by Wildstorm Productions, a division of DC Comics.In terms of plot structure, "Top Ten" has a lot in commmon with television writer/producer Steve Bocho's "ensemble" police dramas, like "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue", except that it's set in a city populated by superpowered beings, where everyone, from the Mayor on down to the lowliest street bum, has some kind of superpower, special ability, or exceptional skill. A premise that leads to dozens of fun and interesting visual ideas, gags, and subplots, that enrich the storylines while being presented in a rather offhand and humorous fashion; but what really impresses me about this series is the interplay between the characters, the cynical humor of the "cop banter" and the way Moore uses situations and incidents to reveal each character's personality, pecadillos, strengths and weaknesses. Each character is distinct and multi-layered, gradually revealed through the course of the narrative. Given what usually passes for character in most comic books, Moore's writing really is remarkable, and like the same author's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", signals a welcome change of pace from the dense, dark psychological drama one usually associates with Alan Moore. (But then, one could say the same about most of the title's the prolific Moore writes under the DC/WS/ABC imprint.) In a recent interview, Moore referred (rightly) how DC Comics Vertigo Line of Comics was built on "a mood" that infected his writing back in eighties and nineties, a set of ideas and general tone that along with Frank Miller's (Sin City, Batman: Dark Knight Returns) storytelling style and Howard Chaykin's satirical bent, has had a great impact on (read: been widely copied in) American Comics. May this newer turn, toward more light hearted by equally interesting and dramatic work, have an equal and lasting impact. Gene Ha and Zander Cannon's art is a revelation: the best work I've seen by either artist. By choosing to avoid the visual hyperbole common to the superhero genre, and playing it "straight", their work actually serves to highlight the exceptional, irrational and wonderful while humanizing the superhuman. Their contribution to the success of this enterprise shouldn't underestimated, nor go unmentioned. I can't believe I didn't pick this title up when it first came out in comic book form: what was I thinking?
Rating:
Summary: Moore from one of the best writers in comics.
Review: (Excuse the pun.) Alan Moore, author of the excellent "Watchmen", "Miracleman", "Swamp Thing", and (arguably the best graphic novel I ever read), "V for Vendetta"; scores high marks with "Top Ten", part of his "American Best Comics Line" published by Wildstorm Productions, a division of DC Comics. In terms of plot structure, "Top Ten" has a lot in commmon with television writer/producer Steve Bocho's "ensemble" police dramas, like "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue", except that it's set in a city populated by superpowered beings, where everyone, from the Mayor on down to the lowliest street bum, has some kind of superpower, special ability, or exceptional skill. A premise that leads to dozens of fun and interesting visual ideas, gags, and subplots, that enrich the storylines while being presented in a rather offhand and humorous fashion; but what really impresses me about this series is the interplay between the characters, the cynical humor of the "cop banter" and the way Moore uses situations and incidents to reveal each character's personality, pecadillos, strengths and weaknesses. Each character is distinct and multi-layered, gradually revealed through the course of the narrative. Given what usually passes for character in most comic books, Moore's writing really is remarkable, and like the same author's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", signals a welcome change of pace from the dense, dark psychological drama one usually associates with Alan Moore. (But then, one could say the same about most of the title's the prolific Moore writes under the DC/WS/ABC imprint.) In a recent interview, Moore referred (rightly) how DC Comics Vertigo Line of Comics was built on "a mood" that infected his writing back in eighties and nineties, a set of ideas and general tone that along with Frank Miller's (Sin City, Batman: Dark Knight Returns) storytelling style and Howard Chaykin's satirical bent, has had a great impact on (read: been widely copied in) American Comics. May this newer turn, toward more light hearted by equally interesting and dramatic work, have an equal and lasting impact. Gene Ha and Zander Cannon's art is a revelation: the best work I've seen by either artist. By choosing to avoid the visual hyperbole common to the superhero genre, and playing it "straight", their work actually serves to highlight the exceptional, irrational and wonderful while humanizing the superhuman. Their contribution to the success of this enterprise shouldn't underestimated, nor go unmentioned. I can't believe I didn't pick this title up when it first came out in comic book form: what was I thinking?
Rating:
Summary: Moore strays away from dark stories and still hits gold.
Review: 10. It's just like Xanth! Everybody's got a superpower!
9. It's got a talking dog, what every successful series needs (see Pratchett)
8. The good guys drive superslick tank-like police cars ...
7. Which can still get wiped out by blind taxi drivers.
6. More laughs than MiracleMan.
5. It has a cheap AIDS analogy.
4. Norse Gods! Giant fire-breathing lizards!
3. None of the cops are in uniform!
2. More marginal detail than a Groo comic! And the Number One Reason to check out TOP 10 --
1. No annoying theme music
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe nobody's done this yet ...
Review: 10. It's just like Xanth! Everybody's got a superpower!
9. It's got a talking dog, what every successful series needs (see Pratchett)
8. The good guys drive superslick tank-like police cars ...
7. Which can still get wiped out by blind taxi drivers.
6. More laughs than MiracleMan.
5. It has a cheap AIDS analogy.
4. Norse Gods! Giant fire-breathing lizards!
3. None of the cops are in uniform!
2. More marginal detail than a Groo comic! And the Number One Reason to check out TOP 10 --
1. No annoying theme music
Rating: 
Summary: Flashy but insubstantial
Review: After reading some of Alan Moore's other superb works (the incomparable _Watchmen_ for example), I was looking forward to more of the same. Sadly, it just doesn't match up. The art is much more flashy and colorful, but aside from some clever heroes and one-liners in this book (including a particularly amusing side-track about colorblindness in canines), the writing just seems flat.
Rating:
Summary: Flashy but insubstantial
Review: After reading some of Alan Moore's other superb works (the incomparable _Watchmen_ for example), I was looking forward to more of the same. Sadly, it just doesn't match up. The art is much more flashy and colorful, but aside from some clever heroes and one-liners in this book (including a particularly amusing side-track about colorblindness in canines), the writing just seems flat.
Rating: 
Summary: Superhero cops in a superhero world
Review: Alan Moore has a knack for overwriting a mediocre premise and turning it into something special. In the past, he would take someone else's comic and completely rethink it. The result was impressive, forcing you to look for the hidden potential in nearly any character or comic book series. This time, he created his own mediocre premise: a city where everyone is a superhero. He focuses on the police station, where caped crusaders have to deal with criminals of all kinds. Even the petty thieves and drunks can fly, shoot laser beams from their fingertips, and read your mind. Instead of writing a bunch of high-powered fist-fights, he has the characters interact. It's more of a soap opera than anything else. He even gets away with a woman-and-dog romance that is strangely touching. Ultimately, this book is for long-time superhero comic readers like me. It's fun to read an adult version of the old superhero genre. If you've never read superhero comics, this will both bore you and overwhelm you. You'll see a LOT of detail, but hardly any of it will make sense. But it's still worth a try, no matter who you are.
Rating: 
Summary: Come to beautiful Neopolis
Review: Alan Moore produces his first superteam story since his run on WildCATS, this time choosing to portray a police station's officers in a city of people with superpowers. He is obviously having fun, with a variety of criminals and other threats that we might not otherwise expect to see. The characters are many and varied, some of whom have powers, some have super-science weaponry, some are simply people in costumes. With a whole city of super-beings, we have normal jobs being carried out by people in costumes. For example, the book begins with fears about the return of the Libra Killer, who in previous years has killed and decapitated prostitutes. In Neopolis, the prostitutes have super powers, and these are used to play to their clients peccadilloes. Then there is the murder investigation of the death of the Norse god of beauty, Baldur. Boy, his relatives are an odd bunch - his father Woden, mother Frey, brothers Thunor and Hod, and uncle Lokk may help redefine your view of the Norse gods, especially if you read that other comic with Norse gods... More fun is had by artists Gene Ha and Zander Cannon. Look closely - you'll find possibly recognisable characters in all sorts of odd circumstances. My favourite, possibly, is someone who looks like Charlie Brown in a Doctor Doom costume! How much of this is from Alan Moore's scripts is another question... If I have a problem it is that there is so much happening, so many throw away pieces, so many characters... It's a little too much. But then, you can read it over and over again for more detail.
Rating:
Summary: A warm, wet kiss to the genre
Review: Anyone with a love for the peculiarities of comics will enjoy Top Ten. Not only does it contain allegories for almost every major superhero, but handles the idea Kurt Busiek plays with in Astro City with a sillier and yet at the same time more engaging tone. The mysteries are also tightly-plotted and a joy to follow along with, all the way to the story's horrifying revelation about heroes. Perhaps the most fun to be had in this series are the constant in-jokes. While some people may stretch one idea over a four-issue miniseries, Alan Moore drops ideas into the background of page 4, panel 5, and quickly moves on. Ex 1: A traffic accident draws 'rubberneckers': in this case, Plastic Man, Mr. Fantastic, Shape, and other stretchable heroes in comics. Ex 2: A Neopolis hospital ER has attending physicians such as Dr. Fate, Dr. Strange, and Dr. Who. Ex 3: In Neopolis, even the mice are super. In fact, their superheroes have names like the Saturnian Scraphunter, who contend with cosmic cats like Galactipuss. The scripts for this series must be beyond typical Moore enormity, as picking apart the panels for all of the in-jokes and clues can take up many an enjoyable hour. Also, the final chapter is a sadly overlooked, very human tale about two beings in a 'car crash' waiting to die. Well worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: Liked the Art, Loved the Concept - Disappointing Overall
Review: I truly admire Alan Moore for refusing to stay in a one box, no matter how well it works for him, commercially. From erotica (Lost Girls) to horror/conspiracy theory ('From Hell') to futuristic serial killers ('V for Vendetta') to superhero deconstruction ('Watchmen', 'Tom Strong', 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'), Moore continues to grow as an artist, following his muse down some very different paths while remaining in the same genre. In "Top Ten", Moore mixes "Powers" (graphic novel where everyone has superpowers), an Astro City-esque "Neopolis", and a premise right out of a "Hill Street Blues" episode into a very unique, ensemble, comic book-sitcom. I loved the concept, I liked the art, but something was missing for me that I found in varying degrees in his other works. By no means is it bad, but "Top Ten" left me feeling disappointed. Its hard to pinpoint why, or even if the elements I missed weren't intentionally left out, but for whatever reason this was certainly not one of my 'Top Ten'. Instead, I recommend "Watchmen", "League..." or "Tom Strong".
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