History ComicBook / TopTen

There was a twelve issue series published in 1999-2000, plus a SpinOff involving the character Smax published in 2003, and a prequel published in 2005, all written by Creator/AlanMoore. Also in 2005, another five-issue series set five years later was published - written by Paul Di Filippo and drawn by Jerry Ordway- which pretty much nobody liked, as well as "Season Two," ''another'' five-issue series written by Zander Cannon with Gene Ha returning on art in 2008, which most people did. While 2005's ''Beyond the Furthest Precinct'' was an {{Anvilicious}} TakeThat towards the Bush administration, ''Season Two'' was much more faithful to the original series and avoided the pitfalls of ''Beyond...'' by [[{{Retcon}} completely ignoring it]].

* GenreShift: The main series is a humorous but still pretty straightforward hybrid of a PoliceProcedural and a [[SuperHero superhero comic]]. The ''Smax'' miniseries that follows it, however, is pretty much a parody of generic {{fantasy}} literature.

* SurvivorGuilt: Smax left his home, and went as far away as Precinct 10, because he couldn't save a little girl from a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]]. Her handprint was permanently burned onto his chest, which didn't exactly help matters.

A PoliceProcedural ComicBook with a twist, written by Creator/AlanMoore, drawn by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha, and published by Creator/AmericasBestComics. ''Top 10'' follows the lives of the officers of precinct 10, Top Ten, as they patrol the streets of [[CityOfAdventure Neopolis]]. The twist is that every single man, woman, and child in Neopolis is a costumed "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Science Hero]]" complete with CodeName. Despite the [[FantasyKitchenSink fantastic]] setting, the PoliceProcedural premise is played [[MundaneFantastic completely straight]]. Transportation accidents, a SerialKiller targeting [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold prostitutes]], and a pervert groping woman are all things they deal with. The twist is that instead of car accidents there are [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation]] accidents, the SerialKiller is a [[EldritchAbomination grotesque]] space alien [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]] [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe ex-porn star]] and the prostitutes include Immune Girl whose power is that she can't get AIDS or [[TheCorruption S.T.O.R.M.S.]] (a [[BodyHorror mutagenic]] form of VD), while the pervert groping women is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] who just shifts into the form of a chair.

* FunTShirt: Sgt Caesar's dress sense goes in for dog-inflected versions of fashionable or humorous t-shirts, such as the one with the slogan ''What part of "ARF" don't you understand?''.

* HeelFaceTurn: In ''The Forty-Niners'', Skywitch/Leni was originally a German science hero, but defected to the Allies in 1943, apparently because she disapproved of the policies of the Nazis.

* RocketRide: Sky Witch

* CaptainErsatz and {{Expy}}: Listing the sheer number of these in Top 10 might cause the wiki to crash... Funnily enough, none of the main characters are obvious Ersatzen besides Jetman, who is based on WWII boy aviators Airboy and Hop Harrigan.

* [[CodeName Code Names]]: Absolutely everyone. Their drivers' licences even have a space for one's A.E. (alter ego). Consequently, nobody really has a SecretIdentity.
* CompellingVoice: Lovelace.

** Precognitives have very stringent restrictions on where they can work, so Ron spends most of his appearances job-hunting.

* HappilyMarried: Irma Geddon and her [[PsychicPowers psychic]] husband Ron. Peregrine and her hubby, too. Also [[spoiler:Captain Jetman and Wulf]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Skywitch/Leni was originally a German science hero, but defected to the Allies in 1943, apparently because she disapproved of the policies of the Nazis.

* MayDecemberRomance: Jetman and Wulf.

** Mainly against robots (who prefer to be called Ferro-Americans, and don't like being called "[[FantasticSlurs clickers]]"). In ''The Forty-Niners'', there's a robot ghetto neighborhood, and [[spoilers:one of the characters is a robot passing as human by telling people his exoskeleton is PoweredArmor]].

A PoliceProcedural ComicBook with a twist, written by Creator/AlanMoore, drawn by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha, and published by Creator/AmericasBestComics. TopTen follows the lives of the officers of precinct 10, Top Ten, as they patrol the streets of [[CityOfAdventure Neopolis]]. The twist is that every single man, woman, and child in Neopolis is a costumed "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Science Hero]]" complete with CodeName. Despite the [[FantasyKitchenSink fantastic]] setting, the PoliceProcedural premise is played [[MundaneFantastic completely straight]]. Transportation accidents, a SerialKiller targeting [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold prostitutes]], and a pervert groping woman are all things they deal with. The twist is that instead of car accidents there are [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation]] accidents, the SerialKiller is a [[EldritchAbomination grotesque]] space alien [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]] [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe ex-porn star]] and the prostitutes include Immune Girl whose power is that she can't get AIDS or [[TheCorruption S.T.O.R.M.S.]] (a [[BodyHorror mutagenic]] form of VD), while the pervert groping women is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] who just shifts into the form of a chair.

* FantasticRacism: Mainly against robots (who prefer to be called Ferro-Americans, and don't like being called "[[FantasticSlurs clickers]]"). Precognitives have very stringent restrictions on where they can work, so Ron spends most of his appearances job-hunting. There doesn't seem to be a very high public opinion of vampires, either.

* HypocriticalHumor: Shock-Headed Peter is strongly bigoted against robots and is eventually kicked off the force for an unsolicited assault on Joe Pi; he starts dating the android Girl Two shortly thereafter.

* LivingStatue: Detective Corbeau fights one in a gladitorial match.

* LoverAndBeloved: Steve Traynor's and Wulf's relationship began this way, since Traynor was Wulf's sidekick. By the time of ''TopTen'', they've been a HappilyMarried (in a sense) couple for about 30 years.

* PaintingTheMedium: In a sequence involving a hole through time, the view through the hole is always of something happening earlier or later in the same book, in the position on the page corresponding to the position of the hole.

* SymbolSwearing: This is one of the few times where this trope works better than actually cursing. The otherwise calm and peaceful Jetman telling Smax to "Break her %$#@ing neck, son" after [[spoiler:Ultima kills Girl One]].

* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: In the case of Gograh, more like the five ''hundred'' foot whatever. And falling-down drunk to boot. He doesn't drink beer from cans, he drinks it from beer-filled truck tankers.

* BadAss: Officer Smax.

* BrotherSisterIncest / {{Twincest}}: The core of Smax's embarrassment about his home dimension. Not that it stops him from participating in it (and lying about it to his co-workers)...
** An incestuous relationship was also forced on the superhuman twins Sturm and Drang by Nazi scientists - Drang doesn't like it but knows her brother is [[DumbMuscle too slow]] to understand, so she's been seeing Herr Panzer on the side.

** The Libra killer's name and M.O. are based on the Scorpio killer from ''Film/DirtyHarry'', in turn based on the RealLife Zodiac. Professor Gunter Gromolko is based on Dr. Thaddeus Sivana from ''{{Shazam}}'', down to a unique EvilLaugh.

* InnocentFanserviceGirl / ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Subverted with Girl One, who is naked at all times with the excuse that her shifting skin pigments mean she doesn't technically have to wear clothes -- but she subverts the trope by being quite aware of the nudity taboo, but [[HypnoFool engineered by her creators to have an aversion to wearing clothing]]. When she finds out Hyperdog doesn't see color and can see through her "clothes", she decks him for not warning her.
** He then says he didn't mention it because as a dog he's not attracted to her. Mind you he later marries a human prostitute.
*** In a later panel in the same book he's seen talking to a male colleague where he admits he lied to Girl One, at least about dating a dog.

** Worth pointing out that Shockheaded Peter recognises Qualtz' tentacle monster form ''from a porn movie''.
*** Also worth noting that she can make people (males at least) see what she wants, so she may not actually be a shapeshifter and Shockheaded Peter may be seeing the GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe form.

* YouAreACreditToYourRace: In the Precinct One world, black people are called Nubians, or "Nubies", and are second-class citizens, as King Peacock finds out. After [[spoiler:Commisioner Ultima]] gets him thrown into a series of Gladiator battles, he is often introduced with this description.

* ModernMayincatecEmpire: The crowd at the Transworld Transport Terminus in issue 8 includes a group in {{Mayincatec}} outfits - representatives of the same transdimensional invaders seen in an early issue of ''TomStrong''.

* {{Fanservice}}: Pretty much the only reason for Girl One's costume (or lack thereof). Justified in that that's just what her creators, a couple of horny {{Fanboy}}s with too much time and money on their hands, designed her for. Probably including the compulsive nudism.
** Jackie too. * [[YuriFan Drool]]*
** Given that Girl Fifty-Four [[LamarckWasRight shares]] the same compulsive nudism...

* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires: Averted; Vamps are the equivalent of TheMafia, complete with the traditional [[VampireVords Old Country accent]].

* ShoutOut: Far too many to mention here. Top Ten has {{shout out}}s, [[{{Cameo}} cameo appearances]], and other references to comics classic and modern, television, and many other media at a seeming minimum rate of one per panel, often far far more. There's even cameo appearances of ''word balloons'' from ComicBook/TheSandman and {{Preacher}}. The most intricate, and certainly funniest, is the CrisisCrossover featuring cat and mouse versions of many Marvel and DC characters re-enacting the first appearance of Galactapuss in ''ComicBook/FantasticFour #50''.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When not in costume, Peregrine's appearance is based on 90s fitness guru Susan Powter. {{Lampshaded}}; at one point she's seen on a stakeout wearing a "[[ThePowerpuffGirls Powterpuff Girls]] t-shirt.

* {{Expy}}: A number of the characters are Expies of the original regular characters in ''HillStreetBlues'':

** Goose Juice (mongoose blood) grants temporary {{Superspeed}}. The name is a ShoutOut to the Whizzer, a [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] speedster with a [[DorkAge decidedly silly origin story]].

* SurvivorGuilt: Smax left his home, and went as far away as Precinct 10, because he couldn't save a little girl from a dragon. Her handprint was permanently burned onto his chest, which didn't exactly help matters.

* BadSanta: A powerful, dellusional telekinetic dressed up as Santa Claus, stole some reindeer from a zoo, and fought off officers Smax, Slinger, Wornow, and Li until being finaly subdued by Lovelace.

** An incestual relationship was also forced on the superhuman twins Sturm and Drang by Nazi scientists - Drang doesn't like it but knows her brother is [[DumbMuscle too slow]] to understand, so she's been seeing Herr Panzer on the side.

* DisabilitySuperpower - Bob "Blindshot" Booker doesn't drive his cab, "the universe does." His "zen senses" let him take you where you ''need'' to be. Subverted slightly; He does cause his share of traffic accidents, but everything he does seems to ultimately help people. Also Synaesthesia's altered senses give her [[HyperAwareness intuition bordering on the psychic]] at times-- although ''interpreting'' said intuition can be a challenge.

* FantasticRacism: mainly against robots (who prefer to be called Ferro-Americans, and don't like being called "[[FantasticSlurs clickers]]"). Precognitives have very stringent restrictions on where they can work, so Ron spends most of his appearances job-hunting. There doesn't seem to be a very high public opinion of vampires, either.

* HotSkittyOnWailordAction: with very grim realism in the story of Jeff's conception

* MsFanservice - Girl One. Literally so, as her creators created her with fanservice tropes in mind, and programmed [[InnocentFanserviceGirl some of them]] into her genetics. However, she [[MegatonPunch dislikes]] being viewed this way.

* PhysicalGod: they even have their own bar. Peregrine in particular gets rather upset when she finds her Lord and Savior there after he's had a few.

*** Also worth noting that she can make people (males at least) see what she wants, so she may not actually be a shape shifter and Shockheaded Peter may be seeing the GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe form.

* YouAreACreditToYourRace - In the Precinct One world, black people are called Nubians, or "Nubies", and are second-class citizens, as King Peacock finds out. After [[spoiler:Commisioner Ultima]] gets him thrown into a series of Gladiator battles, he is often introduced with this description.

A PoliceProcedural ComicBook with a twist, written by AlanMoore, drawn by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha, and published by Creator/AmericasBestComics. TopTen follows the lives of the officers of precinct 10, Top Ten, as they patrol the streets of [[CityOfAdventure Neopolis]]. The twist is that every single man, woman, and child in Neopolis is a costumed "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Science Hero]]" complete with CodeName. Despite the [[FantasyKitchenSink fantastic]] setting, the PoliceProcedural premise is played [[MundaneFantastic completely straight]]. Transportation accidents, a SerialKiller targeting [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold prostitutes]], and a pervert groping woman are all things they deal with. The twist is that instead of car accidents there are [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation]] accidents, the SerialKiller is a [[EldritchAbomination grotesque]] space alien [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]] [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe ex-porn star]] and the prostitutes include Immune Girl whose power is that she can't get AIDS or [[TheCorruption S.T.O.R.M.S.]] (a [[BodyHorror mutagenic]] form of VD), while the pervert groping women is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] who just shifts into the form of a chair.

There was a twelve issue series published in 1999-2000, plus a SpinOff involving the character Smax published in 2003, and a prequel published in 2005, all written by AlanMoore. Also in 2005, another five-issue series set five years later was published - written by Paul Di Filippo and drawn by Jerry Ordway- which pretty much nobody liked, as well as "Season Two," ''another'' five-issue series written by Zander Cannon with Gene Ha returning on art in 2008, which most people did. While 2005's ''Beyond the Furthest Precinct'' was an {{Anvilicious}} TakeThat towards the Bush administration, ''Season Two'' was much more faithful to the original series and avoided the pitfalls of ''Beyond...'' by [[{{Retcon}} completely ignoring it]].

* PaintedOnPants: Parodied and Lampshaded with Girl One. [[GettingCrapPastTheRader She's given several full body profile shots]] (including one in chapter one where her nipples are clearly visible) and several lingering shots of her backside with the impression suggested that this trope is in play. Then, after it was too late to change it, the comic's authors reveal that she's actually naked with a form of natural, mobile, BodyPaint built in.

* AllTheMyriadWays: Averted, because this world is just one reality of many. Parallel One, or "Grand Central" and the headquarters of the multi-dimensional police presumably gets naming rights for inventing the transworld jump technology.
-->'''Corbeau''': So Grand Central is a parallel upon which TheRomanEmpire never fell?
--> '''Customs Agent''': No your *** -hole world is some freak parallel where it did.

A PoliceProcedural ComicBook with a twist, written by AlanMoore and drawn by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha. TopTen follows the lives of the officers of precinct 10, Top Ten, as they patrol the streets of [[CityOfAdventure Neopolis]]. The twist is that every single man, woman, and child in Neopolis is a costumed "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Science Hero]]" complete with CodeName. Despite the [[FantasyKitchenSink fantastic]] setting, the PoliceProcedural premise is played [[MundaneFantastic completely straight]]. Transportation accidents, a SerialKiller targeting [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold prostitutes]], and a pervert groping woman are all things they deal with. The twist is that instead of car accidents there are [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation]] accidents, the SerialKiller is a [[EldritchAbomination grotesque]] space alien [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]] [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe ex-porn star]] and the prostitutes include Immune Girl whose power is that she can't get AIDS or [[TheCorruption S.T.O.R.M.S.]] (a [[BodyHorror mutagenic]] form of VD), while the pervert groping women is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] who just shifts into the form of a chair.

** Jackie too. * [[YuriFanboy Drool]]*