northern_mint's review against another edition
2.0
The first thing you should know is this is a prequel to Top 10 by Alan Moore and you should definitely read that comic first.
This comic takes place after World War II when all the superheroes were forcibly relocated to the city of Neopolis. It's still a police drama like Top 10 but it has a more focused theme. The theme is bigotry and acceptance. The story focuses on a group of social outcasts and how they gain acceptance from themselves and others. Each character is on their own journey and they aren't identical.
The bones of this story are strong. The themes and the art are both terrific. Why this story actually falls apart is because of its brevity. It's laughably underdeveloped. The speed at which story arcs start and end is bewildering. There's one particular case where the criminals are about to succeed at committing a crime and then decide to not bother. It's almost as if they can hear the editor from off the page telling them that their story arc is already several pages too long and they better wrap it up or they risk getting cut out completely. This comic could have benefited from being given another hundred pages or so.
It's an obvious must-read if you loved Top 10 but otherwise, I wouldn't bother. I definitely don't hate it or regret reading it.
2.5 Stars
This comic takes place after World War II when all the superheroes were forcibly relocated to the city of Neopolis. It's still a police drama like Top 10 but it has a more focused theme. The theme is bigotry and acceptance. The story focuses on a group of social outcasts and how they gain acceptance from themselves and others. Each character is on their own journey and they aren't identical.
The bones of this story are strong. The themes and the art are both terrific. Why this story actually falls apart is because of its brevity. It's laughably underdeveloped. The speed at which story arcs start and end is bewildering. There's one particular case where the criminals are about to succeed at committing a crime and then decide to not bother. It's almost as if they can hear the editor from off the page telling them that their story arc is already several pages too long and they better wrap it up or they risk getting cut out completely. This comic could have benefited from being given another hundred pages or so.
It's an obvious must-read if you loved Top 10 but otherwise, I wouldn't bother. I definitely don't hate it or regret reading it.
2.5 Stars
rebus's review
4.75
The art is way better than in the original series, one of the more spectacular depictions ever in the graphic novel format, and I actually liked this prequel better than the original series (which was still excellent). It much more subtly explores the notions of science and technology infiltrating the world after WWII, recognizing that that is what has made people 'super' in our real world since then, even if I might argue that those who use such crutches are the least super people on earth, particularly those working in bankrupt fields like computer technology, modern film, and television. Robots are also used to amplify the metaphor for the fear of technology, though this is taken even further in a revelation near the end that it's really a fear of AI. It also subtly hints at non-normative minds being 'super' in some way, when in fact it was in the PC 90s that damaged minds became lauded as exceptional, another thing to be cautious of in the modern world. Even the fear of the night life and people who inhabit it after the omnipresence of electricity is illustrated with the metaphor of vampires.
At the end, Moore uses a character to question whether there could be love--or a humane human civilization--again after such a war. While the answers seemed to be flooding in for over 40 years up to the point of this brilliant creation by Moore, the 20 years since have provided the conclusive answer: NO.
At the end, Moore uses a character to question whether there could be love--or a humane human civilization--again after such a war. While the answers seemed to be flooding in for over 40 years up to the point of this brilliant creation by Moore, the 20 years since have provided the conclusive answer: NO.
jakekilroy's review
5.0
Even the prequel is good! The retro strong-jawline madness of old school comics is here alongside Moore's always hyperaware weirdness, and it mixes so well. All about it. Nazis and vampires are second to a gay love story and a new town of superheroes? Fuck yeahs all around. Pass 'em!
vivamonty's review
4.0
Prequel to Top 10, the Forty-Niners is a wonderful return to a city where every citizen is a superhero. This is the most superhero-focused series I've read and, even though the genre is not my favorite, these books are masterfully done.
pmileham's review
3.0
This is the prequel to the "Top Ten" series. I thought the art was very atmospheric and much more realistic than "Top Ten," even though they were done by the same artist, Gene Ha. Steve Traynor's story was really the heart here. Everyone else here just felt like they weren't fleshed out enough. Retro-tastic.
ladydewinter's review
4.0
I agree with the reviewer who said that this isn't a book you read because of the story, it's a book you read because of the characters. Here you get a glimpse of how Neopolis was "born". It's very atmospheric, the art is gorgeous and the writing is stellar. My favorite part was of course Steve's story (especially how he met Wulf etc.), but it was all extremely well done. The only bad things were that it was a) too short and b) it had your typical comics German. Although it wasn't quite as bad as in "The Unwritten", I expected more of Alan Moore in that regard. But it was still readable, and overall a great book.
drtlovesbooks's review
3.0
While the story lines here are interesting, they're not quite as engaging as those presented in the main run of Top 10. What I found most engaging was the artwork, which sneaks in so many references, allusions, and shout-outs to the Golden Age of comic books and science fiction.
It was also interesting to see some glimpses of where the world of Top 10 came from - this story very directly introduces the younger versions of several characters, as well as the city of Neopolis itself. This is another Moore work that I'd be curious to see expanded and continued to see where it would go and how it would ultimately lead into the main continuity of this world.
It was also interesting to see some glimpses of where the world of Top 10 came from - this story very directly introduces the younger versions of several characters, as well as the city of Neopolis itself. This is another Moore work that I'd be curious to see expanded and continued to see where it would go and how it would ultimately lead into the main continuity of this world.
sisyphus_dreams's review
5.0
Brilliant.
Call him what you like, but there's no denying it; Alan Moore is brilliant. And in Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, he proves once again that he can grip a reader without the usual "big name" comic-book characters.
That's not to say that the characters in TT:TFN are completely original. In fact, that's a large part of the charm; finding and recognizing characters who can't be identified within the text by name for copyright/trademark reasons, but who are identifiable nonetheless. Look carefully, and you'll swear you see Kal-El, or possibly his father...as well as his earthly secret identity. You'll catch a glimpse of a certain Friendly Ghost, if you're sharp. Not to mention a well-known large-forearmed sailor man and his rather enormous nemesis.
I even spotted a rather ghoulish couple who frequently graced the pages of the New Yorker in days gone by, and were later adapted to television.
But that's just the frosting on the cake. The cake itself is a cracking good story; the story of a city after the end of World War II, a new city filled with the various super-powered and otherwise incredible characters who participated in the war (including to my amusement an analog of comic strip adviser Mary Worth).
I won't spoil the book for you. But the characters and plot are up to the usual high standards of Moore at his best. The art is also quite good, with a unique and memorable style that makes the search for familiar characters (on the second or third re-reading) a pleasure. This was a book that I didn't want to return to the library. And when I finished reading it, I wished there was more.
Call him what you like, but there's no denying it; Alan Moore is brilliant. And in Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, he proves once again that he can grip a reader without the usual "big name" comic-book characters.
That's not to say that the characters in TT:TFN are completely original. In fact, that's a large part of the charm; finding and recognizing characters who can't be identified within the text by name for copyright/trademark reasons, but who are identifiable nonetheless. Look carefully, and you'll swear you see Kal-El, or possibly his father...as well as his earthly secret identity. You'll catch a glimpse of a certain Friendly Ghost, if you're sharp. Not to mention a well-known large-forearmed sailor man and his rather enormous nemesis.
I even spotted a rather ghoulish couple who frequently graced the pages of the New Yorker in days gone by, and were later adapted to television.
But that's just the frosting on the cake. The cake itself is a cracking good story; the story of a city after the end of World War II, a new city filled with the various super-powered and otherwise incredible characters who participated in the war (including to my amusement an analog of comic strip adviser Mary Worth).
I won't spoil the book for you. But the characters and plot are up to the usual high standards of Moore at his best. The art is also quite good, with a unique and memorable style that makes the search for familiar characters (on the second or third re-reading) a pleasure. This was a book that I didn't want to return to the library. And when I finished reading it, I wished there was more.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
4.0
I love Top 10, and the prequel is absolutely the best thing about it. FanTAStic!
icfasntw's review
3.0
QUICK PITCH: During WWII, real-life superheroes fought alongside the armies of the Axis and the Allies! After the war, normal people didn't want to be neighbors with real-life superheroes! So we built 'em a city!
VERDICT: As the prequel to [b:Top 10, Vol. 1|598638|Top 10, Vol. 1|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350404063s/598638.jpg|155658], The Forty-Niners suffers a bit from Prequel Syndrome*. I don't think it'd stand well entirely on its own. As part of a set-piece, though, it's good to go back and see some characters differently.
I was a bit frustrated by the vampire gangs, mostly because they (vampires) were literally never mentioned in Top 10. Not even as a "remember back in the day when we had vampire gangs" situation.
*Prequel Syndrome: A combination of "the reader knows where this has to go, so it's easier to predict events" and "the author has to to shoehorn this new story to fit everything she's already said in the stories that came later in the timeline than this book". See: Star Wars.
VERDICT: As the prequel to [b:Top 10, Vol. 1|598638|Top 10, Vol. 1|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350404063s/598638.jpg|155658], The Forty-Niners suffers a bit from Prequel Syndrome*. I don't think it'd stand well entirely on its own. As part of a set-piece, though, it's good to go back and see some characters differently.
I was a bit frustrated by the vampire gangs, mostly because they (vampires) were literally never mentioned in Top 10. Not even as a "remember back in the day when we had vampire gangs" situation.
Spoiler
I mean, I suppose it's possible that they were eradicated when the Maid blessed the reservoir and rendered all running water in Neopolis toxic to vampires. And I guess if every vampire in Neopolis was killed by such a thing, then other vampires would choose to avoid that burg. But still! No mention. None whatsoever.*Prequel Syndrome: A combination of "the reader knows where this has to go, so it's easier to predict events" and "the author has to to shoehorn this new story to fit everything she's already said in the stories that came later in the timeline than this book". See: Star Wars.