Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Zander Cannon
Pubisher: DC ABC/Titan Books
Stephen: Some days I like this, some days I don't. Alan Moore uses two of his troops in TOP TEN to remind us all that fairy tales weren't all sweetness and light, but come from a rather darker tradition. Today I like it, because I've just slipped back in for a bit of the dialogue, and seen more wit than I remembered, as Smax tries to tell Robyn that he's been intimate with his sister for years, and that's fairly standard in the dimension he's from. Co-stars a singing, sentient sword, and recommended to Tolkein fans - amongst others.
Craig: The story is – strangely for Moore – somewhat forgettable. Pretty much your bog standard fantasy romp in the end, the reluctant hero bit done more notably by Shrek. Jeff Smax – police officer from Top Ten – returns to his fantasy homeworld roots for his uncle’s funeral, and get embroiled back in the unfinished business he originally ran away from. The funny bits aren’t as funny as Moore probably felt they would be, and it just comes across plot-wise as a bit of a misfire. The saving grace for me is the art….Zander Cannon’s cartoony style is perfect for the fantasy setting, and the backgrounds are packed full of incidental detail and funnies that … for once in a Moore book … means the backgrounds are more interesting than the foregrounds!
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!