(2001) Alan Moore/Gene Ha/Zander Cannon, Titan Books, £12.99, trd pbk, 206pp, ISBN 1-84023-275-7
The city of Neopolis is populated by science-heroes and villains, and even the general population have weird powers and traits; there are also aliens, gods and other dimensional beings. Policing the city is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it, so the citizens accept the jurisdiction of a multi-dimensional force of peacekeepers, spread over several alternate Earths. In Neopolis Precinct 10 (Top 10) is the hub and Robyn Slinger (Toybox) is the rookie with a lot to learn... From giant saurians to weird aliens, from deicides to shark-headed lawyers, not to mention internal affairs, Robyn has her work cut out for her...
This is Moore at his playful best, with screamingly funny takes on seemingly obvious jokes (my favourite being the cop cautioning several gods, "OK, nobody move in a mysterious way!"). Moore cheerfully perverts the Hill Street Blues format, gleefully aided and abetted by Ha and Cannon's artwork (which, if not exceptional is, nonetheless, busy with detail, gags and homage). While Top 10 is probably not Moore's best work, it is still streets ahead of the vast majority of writers currently in the business. Recommended.
Tony Chester
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