norrin2's review against another edition
3.0
Alan Moore is great. Top 10, the series this book spun off from was great. Smax is not great. Part of the problem is the art. Zander Cannon was the inker on Top 10, and he made Gene Ha's art shine, but his simpler cartoony style does not fit with the characters we know from Top 10. The background jokes that were such a delight to search for in Ha's work are upfront in your face here. And worst of all, the fearsome dragon that scares Jaffs -- who isn't scared of anything else -- looks like a big pussycat.
And part of the problem is Moore's writing. I think this is supposed to be a satire on fantasy novels, but if that's so, then why all the rape and incest? I guess we're supposed to think it's happy ending when the hero slays the big pussycat and then marries his sister(?!)
And part of the problem is Moore's writing. I think this is supposed to be a satire on fantasy novels, but if that's so, then why all the rape and incest? I guess we're supposed to think it's happy ending when the hero slays the big pussycat and then marries his sister(?!)
northern_mint's review against another edition
3.0
*TRIGGER WARNING* The story and review mention sexual assault.
Now for my review and hot take: comedies stories should not include scenes of sexual assault. This would be my biggest complaint about this story. It's tonally jarring to have two back-to-back dark gritty sexual assault and domestic violence scenes in the middle of what is otherwise a very light-hearted high-fantasy adventure parody.
I have another major issue with this comic; it has a lot on sex with a major focus on incest. It doesn't serve any purpose other than to make it clear Alan Moore doesn't want children to read this children's comic.
So aside from all of that, I think the comic works quite well. The overall story is pretty simple, but fun. The villain design is great. The jokes are a bit spotty, but there are a few gems.
So my final take is this is a 4-star comic that is mired by a bunch of dumb stuff because Moore can't help but troll his audiences.
Now for my review and hot take: comedies stories should not include scenes of sexual assault. This would be my biggest complaint about this story. It's tonally jarring to have two back-to-back dark gritty sexual assault and domestic violence scenes in the middle of what is otherwise a very light-hearted high-fantasy adventure parody.
I have another major issue with this comic; it has a lot on sex with a major focus on incest. It doesn't serve any purpose other than to make it clear Alan Moore doesn't want children to read this children's comic.
So aside from all of that, I think the comic works quite well. The overall story is pretty simple, but fun. The villain design is great. The jokes are a bit spotty, but there are a few gems.
So my final take is this is a 4-star comic that is mired by a bunch of dumb stuff because Moore can't help but troll his audiences.
rebus's review
3.0
I somehow missed the rise of the 5 issue mini-series--I find it as welcome as the shorter series on TV today, finding 3 or 6 episodes so much superior to the old 10 or 12 episode--but leave it to Moore to manage to delight me with a genre piece from a genre I despise: fantasy.
It's not anywhere near his most masterful work, but it's a far cry better than almost all comics and comix from the period from 1995 and after.
It's not anywhere near his most masterful work, but it's a far cry better than almost all comics and comix from the period from 1995 and after.
neven's review
4.0
A very fun Top 10 spinoff that works well on its own. We leave the super/action-hero world of Neopolis for Smax's home world of fairy tale and fantasy, seen in the Top 10 universe as hillbilly, backwater country.
londonmabel's review
3.0
It was just alright. The world stuff was as fun as the previous Top Ten books, and the adventure that Smax and Robin go on is well done and moving. But Smax' back story didn't fit with the feel of the Top Ten stories, much darker, so it threw me out of the reading experience.
booknooknoggin's review
3.0
I liked this, and I guess it's a spinoff from another series called Top Ten, which goodreads has recommended but I have yet to read. I wasn't too sure whether I would like this book upon opening it, but once I started to read it I liked it. It contains subtle jokes and parodies of other major fantasy elements, such as a parody of Harry Potter, and some bad jokes about legendary creatures.
icfasntw's review
3.0
QUICK PITCH: Your Dungeon Master, a [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg] fan, has finally carried out her dream of setting a campaign in the Discworld.
VERDICT: Smax is something weird and strange. Toybox and Jeff Smax are familiar from [b:Top 10, Vol. 1|598638|Top 10, Vol. 1|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350404063s/598638.jpg|155658], but the switch from cop show to quest story was disorienting. The artist switch helped, but it took me a while.
After I'd adjusted to the new surroundings, the quest story crackled along nicely. Alan Moore's weirdness with women took me out of things a bit, but overall I was happy I'd read the book.
VERDICT: Smax is something weird and strange. Toybox and Jeff Smax are familiar from [b:Top 10, Vol. 1|598638|Top 10, Vol. 1|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350404063s/598638.jpg|155658], but the switch from cop show to quest story was disorienting. The artist switch helped, but it took me a while.
After I'd adjusted to the new surroundings, the quest story crackled along nicely. Alan Moore's weirdness with women took me out of things a bit, but overall I was happy I'd read the book.
More...