Top 10: The Forty-Niners is the prequel to Alan Moore’s previous two Top 10 books. This book is set at the time when Neopolis is just being established, and people are just getting used to the presence of science-heroes, robots, and people endowed with mystical powers in their post-WWII society. The story centers around two characters: Steve Traynor, Jetlad, and Leni Muller, the Skywitch. They’re both relocated to Neopolis after the war, and Leni finds a job in the police force while Steve works as a mechanic at a local hangar. There’s a general feeling of discontent in Neopolis, since half of the inhabitants used to be war heroes, and now they’re waiting tables and managing apartment buildings and not getting to use the skills and abilities they developed in the war. Things come to a head when the vampires start showing a general disdain for live people just when the mayor is considering declaring martial law. Gene Ha’s art in this book is gorgeous–he somehow manages to make this book have the same atmospheric feeling as old photographs. The art, combined with Alan Moore’s fantastic storytelling, make this the best volume of Top 10 yet. This is a great book for people who read traditional superhero comics and for people who enjoy science fiction.
Top 10: The Forty-Niners
by Alan Moore
ISBN: 9781401205737
American’s Best Comics, 2005
