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Top 10 #3
Smax
Jeff Smax, a major character in Alan Moores enthralling TOP 10 series, must return to his homeworld after many years on Earth. Accompanied by his fellow Neopolis Precinct Ten police officer Robin Toybox Slinger, he must face a myriad of challenges ranging from cutting through mountainous red tape to go on a quest, doing battle with the most monstrous of all dragons and adapting to a world where the laws of physics are not only unheard of, they just plain dont work. And then theres Jeffs sister
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Alan Moore
1,634 books22.2k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 19, 2021
Who knew Alan Moore has a sense of humor? In this spinoff of Top Ten, Smax and his partner Robyn head to Smax's homeworld to attend his uncle's funeral. I love how Smax thinks his fantasy based homeworld is full of inbred hillbillies. Moore and Cannon make a lot of fun of fantasy tropes and it's great. The ending though was a bit icky.
August 26, 2024
Who knew Alan Moore doing a high fantasy deconstruction would be so funny!
June 9, 2025
I didn't find this quite as funny as Top 10 was. Maybe it's because there's less inherent absurdity in fantasy worlds, compared to superheroes, so the story had to crank them up to real parody levels in order for it to work the way it wanted to. It's far more blunt about it.
Doesn't mean it wasn't good, of course. I still like the characters, and their adventure was an epic and exciting one. Just that for all the effort to that end, it didn't get quite as many laughs out of me.
Doesn't mean it wasn't good, of course. I still like the characters, and their adventure was an epic and exciting one. Just that for all the effort to that end, it didn't get quite as many laughs out of me.
July 23, 2023
I really wasn't expecting this. It's a Top 10 spin-off where Robyn Slinger joins Jeff Smax on a journey to his home world. It's essentially a spoof of fantasy/D+D. I just watched that D+D movie, and wasn't a big fan, I think something like this book would have made for a better D+D movie - although I think hiring Moore to be a screenwriter would be an impossible task. Just so many clever little things on each page, on each panel. This was Moore still working at the height of his powers. I love the attention to detail he gives his stories. It blows most other comic writers out of the water.
It's one of Moore's funniest books. He had explored similar themes in his sci-fi spoof series D.R. & Quinch back in the 80s. I need more funny books by Moore in my life.
It's one of Moore's funniest books. He had explored similar themes in his sci-fi spoof series D.R. & Quinch back in the 80s. I need more funny books by Moore in my life.
May 9, 2011
I think it's worth clearing up one point straight away. This is not intended as a piece of serious fiction, okay? So, it isn't Watchmen (though Rorschach does make a cameo appearance, as does, wonderfully, Bill, the Galactic Hero) or V for Vendetta. This is Alan Moore having fun, and it is positively awesome. Dragons that look like giant pussy cats; illegal immigrant elves; reflections on just how boring it might have been to be a viking, and a masterful climactic homage to H P Lovecraft.
So, basically, what it is is a wonderful compendium of just about every foolish trope from fantasy fiction only satirised mercilessly. But it's all right because, as it turns out, in the end what everyone needs is some good, honest science, and that understanding stellar evolution is more important, when it comes to dragon slaying, than any number of bulging muscles or even a sword that rather likes Abba. So take heart, scientists: it turns out we do rule, after all.
So, basically, what it is is a wonderful compendium of just about every foolish trope from fantasy fiction only satirised mercilessly. But it's all right because, as it turns out, in the end what everyone needs is some good, honest science, and that understanding stellar evolution is more important, when it comes to dragon slaying, than any number of bulging muscles or even a sword that rather likes Abba. So take heart, scientists: it turns out we do rule, after all.
February 25, 2020
In this wonderful spin off of Top Ten .. Jeff and Robyn go to Jeff's country/planet which is like fairy take realm. SMAX's pages are again filled with easter eggs of different nods to different stories and legends and myths.
Jeff used to be a DragonSlayer in his old life and when he has to go back to his universe for this uncle's funeral his past life catches up with him. And he has to go on back on the quest which he left unfinished last time.
Smax is filled with funny bits and pieces.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Jeff used to be a DragonSlayer in his old life and when he has to go back to his universe for this uncle's funeral his past life catches up with him. And he has to go on back on the quest which he left unfinished last time.
Smax is filled with funny bits and pieces.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
October 9, 2015
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.
December 13, 2018
If you knlw Top Ten, then you already have met Smax and Toybox. The gisnt blue guy and the skinny short woman make a wonderful couple, but only as partners. The story is very funny because we folow Smax to his home planet and we learn all his dirty secrets. I enjoyed reading it although I am not very convinced about the drawing. It is good, but not beautiful.
July 11, 2013
This just didn't work. It was supposed to be silly and satirical, but it was just off-putting. And I'm not even talking about the incest part. The book just makes fun of every fantasy trope in there is, which could have been funny, but came off as insulting, not witty. And Jeff, one of the heroes of the Top 10 series, is a complete and total idiot in every way in this book, why is that fun? Robyn was the only character who wasn't completely stupid, but she didn't have any depth. Everything I loved about Top 10 was totally absent from this book. The characters were completely shallow, literally jokes and not people I cared about. And the art was really childish. The only thing that was at all cool was the dragon, but the rest of it was just not good at all. Not even not good in comparison to Gene Ha's beautiful art from Top 10, because that's a hard standard to meet, but really just not appealing, like it looks like the stuff I see on the back of cereal boxes, it doesn't look like art for grown-ups. Disappointing.
December 3, 2021
*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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2019
The fantastic sci-fi world of Alan Moore's Top Ten turns it's eye on the fantasy genre with expected hilarious and trope-smashing results. If you loved Top Ten, then you have simply got to read Smax.
September 22, 2018
I think top 10 is great. Might even be in my top 5. Smax is great too. Not as great but still great. It was an awesome story. Great to see some characters in a kind of fable environment. Also it was hysterical. Really well written but it didn’t take itself too seriously and it was a lot of fun. Also the art had a million little details in the background that kept me entertained at least an hour longer than I would have otherwise. 5 stars.
September 14, 2019
A beautifully illustrated, occasionally funny parody of high fantasy that ultimately feels pretty uncommitted and half-baked. I was excited to spend more time with Smax and Toybox, two great characters from Moore's prior series Top 10, which I absolutely loved. And overall, this is a very readable, if a little frivolous, series. Smax has to return to his home dimension, which basically consists of parodies of every fantasy character and series ever made. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Shannara, etc., all get lightly made fun of here. He brings Toybox along with him as support. Which should be fun! However, the respective characteristics of the two leads start to get pretty annoying the more time you spend with them away from the rest of the cast of Top 10.
Smax is a quiet grump. Toybox is offended by his gruffness. This make Smax grumpier. Which makes Toybox more offended. This goes back and forth for the first 2-3 issues of this 5 issue series, and it really starts to wear on you. Their relationship isn't really expanded upon in any way until the final moments of this thing, and until that point, neither of them behave at all like actual friends/co-workers, instead just ignoring each other and shutting each other out in order to increase the fake "conflict" between them. It's very frustrating.
For instance, early in the series, Smax tells his family that Toybox is his new wife. This pisses Toybox OFF. Like, she is furious over this. Smax continually tries to tell her his reasons for saying this, and every time he tries, she just retreats into her room and locks the door. It's like, dude just claimed your his wife out of nowhere. You have no interest in learning why?
Not that the answer is very satisfying. Eventually it turns out Smax claimed Toybox was his wife in order to avoid marrying his twin sister, who he, um, regularly has sex with. Smax continually says this as a gross tradition that he doesn't like, but then keeps just saying he "has to do it," and is clearly attracted to his sister throughout the story. It's extremely strange, and not explored or satirized in any real way other than I guess to get a little shock value into the story.
Then, the larger plot involves a quest to slay a dragon, and a prophecy that dragon foretold involving Toybox. The prophecy is laid out in the second issue, and really feels like it's going to be a huge deal. Then, it just kind of isn't. Again, this doesn't really function as satire, and it also doesn't function as good sincere storytelling, so it just kind of fizzles.
But, I have a hard time really ranking this much lower than 3 stars. I still liked a lot of the ridiculous world-building Moore sprinkled in, and the art by Zander Cannon is very different from Gene Ha's Top 10 work, but still works wonderfully and adds a lot of depth to an otherwise shallow tale.
So, while I can't say this is one of Moore's best, it's worth giving it a read if you enjoyed Top 10 or Moore's other ABC Comics line.
Smax is a quiet grump. Toybox is offended by his gruffness. This make Smax grumpier. Which makes Toybox more offended. This goes back and forth for the first 2-3 issues of this 5 issue series, and it really starts to wear on you. Their relationship isn't really expanded upon in any way until the final moments of this thing, and until that point, neither of them behave at all like actual friends/co-workers, instead just ignoring each other and shutting each other out in order to increase the fake "conflict" between them. It's very frustrating.
For instance, early in the series, Smax tells his family that Toybox is his new wife. This pisses Toybox OFF. Like, she is furious over this. Smax continually tries to tell her his reasons for saying this, and every time he tries, she just retreats into her room and locks the door. It's like, dude just claimed your his wife out of nowhere. You have no interest in learning why?
Not that the answer is very satisfying. Eventually it turns out Smax claimed Toybox was his wife in order to avoid marrying his twin sister, who he, um, regularly has sex with. Smax continually says this as a gross tradition that he doesn't like, but then keeps just saying he "has to do it," and is clearly attracted to his sister throughout the story. It's extremely strange, and not explored or satirized in any real way other than I guess to get a little shock value into the story.
Then, the larger plot involves a quest to slay a dragon, and a prophecy that dragon foretold involving Toybox. The prophecy is laid out in the second issue, and really feels like it's going to be a huge deal. Then, it just kind of isn't. Again, this doesn't really function as satire, and it also doesn't function as good sincere storytelling, so it just kind of fizzles.
But, I have a hard time really ranking this much lower than 3 stars. I still liked a lot of the ridiculous world-building Moore sprinkled in, and the art by Zander Cannon is very different from Gene Ha's Top 10 work, but still works wonderfully and adds a lot of depth to an otherwise shallow tale.
So, while I can't say this is one of Moore's best, it's worth giving it a read if you enjoyed Top 10 or Moore's other ABC Comics line.
March 29, 2018
First contact with the Top10 series, or actually one of it's spin offs. Moore here makes an excellent parody of DnD and epic fantasy in general with interesting characters. He manages to include dragons and heroism with incest and child abduction and it still comes out great instead of weird. But then again, that's Alan Moore.
I'll surely read the initial Top10 and the other spin-offs too, "Smax" was an interesting intro to the universe.
I'll surely read the initial Top10 and the other spin-offs too, "Smax" was an interesting intro to the universe.
July 2, 2018
Dec 2017 Read: Although I loved the original Top Ten; this one not so much. Or should I say, not at all. The humor is jarring-ly juvenile, bordering on seriously offensive. Worse, the story is boring. It's like a joke told by a really drunk guy at the bar that meanders far and wide, never hitting the punchline. Sad.
July 2018 Read: Wow! I must have been in a really bad mood that day last December! On second read, I found that I enjoyed the (okay, pretty juvenile) jokes. Additionally, I noticed, as I may not have the first time,how the artwork tells more than half the tale. A seemingly beautiful world has many hidden scenes of ugliness and cruelty. Maybe my own world has changed enough in the past 6 months that I can now appreciate the humor as metaphor in ways that I could not on first read.
July 2018 Read: Wow! I must have been in a really bad mood that day last December! On second read, I found that I enjoyed the (okay, pretty juvenile) jokes. Additionally, I noticed, as I may not have the first time,how the artwork tells more than half the tale. A seemingly beautiful world has many hidden scenes of ugliness and cruelty. Maybe my own world has changed enough in the past 6 months that I can now appreciate the humor as metaphor in ways that I could not on first read.
May 27, 2026
Taking place right after the events of Top 10, Smax once again sees Alan Moore in his fun mode. This is a fantasy romp in the vein of Discworld and Shrek (of all things) that pokes fun at tropes while embracing them. We follow Smax and Robyn as they return to Smax’s homeworld for his uncle’s funeral, only to get involved in local shenanigans that he would rather avoid. Part of the fun is the world itself. It may not be as complex and loaded with references as Neopolis, but it nonetheless has lots of funny bits sprinkled throughout the panels. Zander Cannon has a cartoony style that fits the story well. I don’t think many people would claim this is among Moore’s best work – I wouldn’t – but it’s still a delightful read with heart and humor, and a nice companion to Top 10.
July 6, 2008
Maybe, in the end, my absolute favorite of all four books technically constituting Top Ten. It's a great combination of serious questy problem solving and silliness, and the flat, candy colored drawings are just gorgeous. The book allows Moore to indulge himself in perhaps even more jokes than Top Ten did because now we're throwing in fairytales and legends and myths as well as anything that's ever appeared in a comic, and he (I'm assuming it's Moore, but I'm sure Zander Cannon got to contribute) goes Will Elder in his exuberance and vulgarity. So, you know, dragons and pixies and elves and also incest (two different kinds) and jokes about Appalachia, all incorporated into a genuinely good adventure story. Sort of like the most fun bits of Fables.
April 29, 2016
QUICK PITCH: Your Dungeon Master, a Terry Pratchett 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 Top 10, Vol. 1, 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 Top 10, Vol. 1, 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.
April 24, 2009
This was crap overall, but I did finish and I enjoyed the first issue so 2 stars instead of 1. The new characters were boring and unoriginal, as was the dialogue. The ending sucked, and I can not stand sappy simple cheesy art. Not recommended for fans of the first 2 books. SPOILER FOLLOWS:
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I have a major problem with incest stories. Even though I understood the point that was being made, I was still too thrown off. What is it with this series? A dog and a woman hooking up in the first books and now a sister and a brother. Ewwww.
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I have a major problem with incest stories. Even though I understood the point that was being made, I was still too thrown off. What is it with this series? A dog and a woman hooking up in the first books and now a sister and a brother. Ewwww.
April 7, 2010
I sometimes wonder if Alan Moore thinks of something typically disturbing (or at the least, socially forbidden) and then creates a story around it with the intent of making the reader sympathize with the characters and agree that under these circumstances that well, maybe it's okay. For this one it's brother-sister incest. But really, that's just a smal;l part of the adventure. This one could give Fables a run for their money as far as a screwed up fairy-tale land would be with real dysfunctional adults.
June 14, 2016
This was actually surprisingly great. So much tongue-in-cheek humor about fantasy. It's basically like Alan Moore does Shrek. And of course, it being Moore, there are some occult references and a lot of poking fun at the distinction between magic and science. The story has virtually nothing to do with Top. 10 other than being an extremely loose spin off based on one of the characters but was a good read if you like seeing Alan having a bit of fun.
April 22, 2011
Spin-off de Top Ten que leí antes que su precuela y que me resultó mucho más divertida. Lástima que el dibujo de Cannon no esté al nivel del de Ha, pero su estilo más desprolijo y feísta sirve -y mucho- para la historia. Ahora que la bella Bucletina me lo regaló en papel seguro lo relea y lo rerreseñe.
April 3, 2017
Konečně příběh z Top 10 světa, který mi sedl. Nejspíš i proto, že fantasy je mi bližší než superhrdinové a policejnímu žánru neholduji vůbec.
March 5, 2017
Mucho mejor de lo que esperaba. Muestra que Moore se maneja bien en diferentes géneros. Me recordó a Pratchett. No se si habrá sido una especie de homenaje intencional o no.
October 13, 2022
Spin-Off y secuela de Top Ten. Años después, ECC lo reeditaría en un mismo tomo junto a The 49ers, otro spin-off de Top Ten, en este caso una precuela.
April 1, 2019
Reprints Smax #1-5 (October 2003-May 2004). An emergency has Smax returning to his home planet, and his partner Robyn “Toybox” Slinger is about to discover his fairytale home is no fairytale. Now, Smax’s past is coming back to haunt him, and he must face it head-on if he hopes to return home and to the Top Ten.
Written by Alan Moore, Smax is a five issue mini-series spin-off of the Top 10 comic from the America’s Best Comic line. The series features art by Zander Cannon and was well received upon its release. The issues were also collected in Absolute Top 10.
Top 10 was a lot of fun. Of the ABC line-up, it was my favorite, and while I fizzles on Tom Strong and Promethea, Top 10 was a must buy. It was the type of comic that could be read multiple times and new things could be seen in both the story and the art with each reading. The Smax series was a fun addendum to Top 10 and it is worth seeking out if you were a fan of the original Top 10 series.
It should be noted that Smax really needs to be read as part of Top 10. The comic book really feels like a mini-series and probably would be difficult to follow as a stand-alone story; plus, you would miss the richness of much of the context. The only bad part about Smax is that Top 10 was such a great ensemble story (though Smax and Toybox were generally the heart of that series as well). Top 10 only ran twelve issues under Alan Moore, and Smax is at least a nice addition to his work.
With Alan Moore’s smart writing, the series is loaded with great art. Zander Cannon provides the penciling while Andrew Currie inks the series. Part of the joy of the series is that the backgrounds of the comic are loaded with pop-culture references and in Smax. That mostly means fantasy stories, but all types of references pop up. You don’t even have to read Smax…the pictures are worth looking at on their own.
Smax and Top 10 should have had longer runs. There was so much potential for the series and so many more stories to tell. Following Smax, Top 10 did return in a one-shot prequel story Top 10: The Forty-Niners which Moore did write and a second series of Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct was written by Paul Di Filippo. Zander Cannon returned to Top 10 with Top 10: Season Two in 2008.
Written by Alan Moore, Smax is a five issue mini-series spin-off of the Top 10 comic from the America’s Best Comic line. The series features art by Zander Cannon and was well received upon its release. The issues were also collected in Absolute Top 10.
Top 10 was a lot of fun. Of the ABC line-up, it was my favorite, and while I fizzles on Tom Strong and Promethea, Top 10 was a must buy. It was the type of comic that could be read multiple times and new things could be seen in both the story and the art with each reading. The Smax series was a fun addendum to Top 10 and it is worth seeking out if you were a fan of the original Top 10 series.
It should be noted that Smax really needs to be read as part of Top 10. The comic book really feels like a mini-series and probably would be difficult to follow as a stand-alone story; plus, you would miss the richness of much of the context. The only bad part about Smax is that Top 10 was such a great ensemble story (though Smax and Toybox were generally the heart of that series as well). Top 10 only ran twelve issues under Alan Moore, and Smax is at least a nice addition to his work.
With Alan Moore’s smart writing, the series is loaded with great art. Zander Cannon provides the penciling while Andrew Currie inks the series. Part of the joy of the series is that the backgrounds of the comic are loaded with pop-culture references and in Smax. That mostly means fantasy stories, but all types of references pop up. You don’t even have to read Smax…the pictures are worth looking at on their own.
Smax and Top 10 should have had longer runs. There was so much potential for the series and so many more stories to tell. Following Smax, Top 10 did return in a one-shot prequel story Top 10: The Forty-Niners which Moore did write and a second series of Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct was written by Paul Di Filippo. Zander Cannon returned to Top 10 with Top 10: Season Two in 2008.
January 23, 2022
Okay, my favorite Alan Moore reads are the astonishing From Hell with Eddie Campbell and the genre-redefining Watchmen with Dave Gibbons. But both are not what you would call light reading. When I want the complexity of Moore but a happier experience, I look to Moore's Supreme series, the wondrous Top 10 series, and this spinoff from Top 10.
Top 10 basically answered the question "What if Hill Street Blues was set in a superhero universe?". Smax answers the question "What if one of those cops goes back to their home, which just happens to be in a fantasy universe?" And Moore takes full advantage of the setting to both honor the conventions of the genre and humorously poke holes in it. One of my favorite set pieces is when our protagonist realizes he has to go on a quest and has to satisfy the local bureaucracy that his party satisfies all the necessary "diversity quotas". (Line of dialogue: "How... many... DWARVES?") Even with that humor, Moore makes the story sufficiently frightening, with an outstanding monster and several visits from several fantasy versions of Death.
But what sets the whole work up is Zander Cannon's pencils. Not only does Cannon excel at the Will Elderesque use of Easter eggs, but his cartoony style works for both the humor of the characters and the utter strangeness of the dragon at the center of the conflict. It's a fabulously drawn book, and I'm saddened to think it's the only Moore work with Cannon pencilling.
Highly recommended if you like Alan Moore or want a graphic novel that explores the fantasy genre. If you haven't read Top 10, you may be missing a bit of context, but I think you can catch the gist readily enough.
Top 10 basically answered the question "What if Hill Street Blues was set in a superhero universe?". Smax answers the question "What if one of those cops goes back to their home, which just happens to be in a fantasy universe?" And Moore takes full advantage of the setting to both honor the conventions of the genre and humorously poke holes in it. One of my favorite set pieces is when our protagonist realizes he has to go on a quest and has to satisfy the local bureaucracy that his party satisfies all the necessary "diversity quotas". (Line of dialogue: "How... many... DWARVES?") Even with that humor, Moore makes the story sufficiently frightening, with an outstanding monster and several visits from several fantasy versions of Death.
But what sets the whole work up is Zander Cannon's pencils. Not only does Cannon excel at the Will Elderesque use of Easter eggs, but his cartoony style works for both the humor of the characters and the utter strangeness of the dragon at the center of the conflict. It's a fabulously drawn book, and I'm saddened to think it's the only Moore work with Cannon pencilling.
Highly recommended if you like Alan Moore or want a graphic novel that explores the fantasy genre. If you haven't read Top 10, you may be missing a bit of context, but I think you can catch the gist readily enough.
May 1, 2019
It's hard not to make comparisons to Top 10, given that Smax is a direct sequel. At the same time, they're such absurdly different stories that they don't even share a genre. The cop drama/superhero setting is dropped in favor of a fairytale/fantasy world, the majority of previous characters don't even make a cameo, and the detailed and realistic art style is replaced with bright and cartoony drawings. If you're looking for more of what you found in Top 10, there isn't much of it here.
This is a romp through the tropes typically found in fairytales, Lord of the Rings wanna-be novels, and D&D campaigns. The fantasy world in this comic twists cliches into both laws of nature and long lines for submitting paperwork, making for a parody world that reminds me somewhat of Discworld.
There are times that it might lean a little too hard on superfluous jokes. There are countless little cameos to watch for in the background, but the page-long Harry Potter parody takes it a bit far. (It's harmless fun, don't get me wrong, but it's also completely pointless, especially when Harry already made a background cameo appearance as a ghost earlier.) Overall, though, I'd say far more jokes and references land than miss. Even more importantly, it doesn't forget to have a plot in the midst of all the silliness.
When Jeff returns to his home world for a funeral, he gets roped into a quest to complete some unfinished business with an all-powerful and all-knowing "dragon." While Top 10 could get lost in all its plot threads, Smax has one straightforward endgoal, which keeps the foreshadowing and pacing well-focused.
It's almost jarring when the story veers into some extremely dark territory. There is rape, there is incest, and there is child death in this story, so brace yourself if those are sensitive subjects for you. Alan Moore knows when to drop all pretense of humor, though, and he gives the disturbing scenes the weight they deserve. He balances just enough horror to give the plot some investment without bogging down the whole story with darkness.
I'm mixed on the art. The colors are bright and the details can be a bit sparse, which is fitting for a lighthearted parody. When it comes to the more dramatic or emotional scenes, there's great care taken with the pacing, lighting, and atmosphere. The villain's design and presentation is appropriately unnerving and creepy.
On the other hand... Sometimes the anatomy gets a little wonky, or I have trouble parsing what expression a character is supposed to be wearing. Robyn is especially prone to doofy expressions. If she's not featured in a close-up shot, her eyes are frequently nothing more than dots and she's lucky if she gets a nose. On one page, her face shape changes three times in three consecutive panels.
What I found I missed the most about Top 10, though, was the focus on characterization. Smax gives far more precedence to its plot. Some of the new side characters could be replaced with a log and you wouldn't notice the difference. Jeff is really the only character who gets much of an arc. Robyn is vital to the mission, sure, but it's hard to say that she's gained much for herself in this adventure. She's mostly there to push Jeff into action and to ask questions about the world so the audience can learn through her.
Smax does probably contain a tighter, more focused story compared to Top 10, though, so it's up to personal preference whether it's good or bad that Moore decided to water down his characters for the sake of a stronger plotline. I wish he could have managed both somewhere in this series, but that's a writing balance that often likes to tip over.
It's difficult to talk about Smax without addressing a certain elephant in the room... At first it seemed kind of unfair to me that other reviewers have left negative reviews solely over the controversial romance. I don't blame anyone for being uncomfortable with it, but does a single squicky element alone justify marking down the comic's rating as a whole? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was a symptom of a deeper problem: the romance was written too shallowly.
Given that's how the comic spends its last precious pages, it leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste.
Which is a shame, because this is a fun parody with an otherwise satisfying conclusion. It didn't address all that many questions I was hoping to see answered from Top 10, but for its own thing, it made for an enjoyable mostly self-contained story.
This is a romp through the tropes typically found in fairytales, Lord of the Rings wanna-be novels, and D&D campaigns. The fantasy world in this comic twists cliches into both laws of nature and long lines for submitting paperwork, making for a parody world that reminds me somewhat of Discworld.
There are times that it might lean a little too hard on superfluous jokes. There are countless little cameos to watch for in the background, but the page-long Harry Potter parody takes it a bit far. (It's harmless fun, don't get me wrong, but it's also completely pointless, especially when Harry already made a background cameo appearance as a ghost earlier.) Overall, though, I'd say far more jokes and references land than miss. Even more importantly, it doesn't forget to have a plot in the midst of all the silliness.
When Jeff returns to his home world for a funeral, he gets roped into a quest to complete some unfinished business with an all-powerful and all-knowing "dragon." While Top 10 could get lost in all its plot threads, Smax has one straightforward endgoal, which keeps the foreshadowing and pacing well-focused.
It's almost jarring when the story veers into some extremely dark territory. There is rape, there is incest, and there is child death in this story, so brace yourself if those are sensitive subjects for you. Alan Moore knows when to drop all pretense of humor, though, and he gives the disturbing scenes the weight they deserve. He balances just enough horror to give the plot some investment without bogging down the whole story with darkness.
I'm mixed on the art. The colors are bright and the details can be a bit sparse, which is fitting for a lighthearted parody. When it comes to the more dramatic or emotional scenes, there's great care taken with the pacing, lighting, and atmosphere. The villain's design and presentation is appropriately unnerving and creepy.
On the other hand... Sometimes the anatomy gets a little wonky, or I have trouble parsing what expression a character is supposed to be wearing. Robyn is especially prone to doofy expressions. If she's not featured in a close-up shot, her eyes are frequently nothing more than dots and she's lucky if she gets a nose. On one page, her face shape changes three times in three consecutive panels.
What I found I missed the most about Top 10, though, was the focus on characterization. Smax gives far more precedence to its plot. Some of the new side characters could be replaced with a log and you wouldn't notice the difference. Jeff is really the only character who gets much of an arc. Robyn is vital to the mission, sure, but it's hard to say that she's gained much for herself in this adventure. She's mostly there to push Jeff into action and to ask questions about the world so the audience can learn through her.
Smax does probably contain a tighter, more focused story compared to Top 10, though, so it's up to personal preference whether it's good or bad that Moore decided to water down his characters for the sake of a stronger plotline. I wish he could have managed both somewhere in this series, but that's a writing balance that often likes to tip over.
It's difficult to talk about Smax without addressing a certain elephant in the room... At first it seemed kind of unfair to me that other reviewers have left negative reviews solely over the controversial romance. I don't blame anyone for being uncomfortable with it, but does a single squicky element alone justify marking down the comic's rating as a whole? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was a symptom of a deeper problem: the romance was written too shallowly.
Given that's how the comic spends its last precious pages, it leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste.
Which is a shame, because this is a fun parody with an otherwise satisfying conclusion. It didn't address all that many questions I was hoping to see answered from Top 10, but for its own thing, it made for an enjoyable mostly self-contained story.
June 17, 2022
Mostly enjoyable.
I had started this mini-series in single issues, but never got to finish it. I'm glad I finally did.
Though Smax and Toybox are spun out from Top Ten, Moore's super hero cop series, that doesn't have much relevance for this story, which explores Smax' childhood backstory. I liked the whimsy and adventure of it (except maybe for the obligatory Alan Moore weird sex thing).
The artwork is likewise a treat. There is so much to see in the backgrounds of the panels, with many "cameos". I also like how Cannon seems to keep the environment in mind as he moves around the point of view and keeps a 3D, consistent layout. This helps tremendously with understanding what is happening in scenes.
I had started this mini-series in single issues, but never got to finish it. I'm glad I finally did.
Though Smax and Toybox are spun out from Top Ten, Moore's super hero cop series, that doesn't have much relevance for this story, which explores Smax' childhood backstory. I liked the whimsy and adventure of it (except maybe for the obligatory Alan Moore weird sex thing).
The artwork is likewise a treat. There is so much to see in the backgrounds of the panels, with many "cameos". I also like how Cannon seems to keep the environment in mind as he moves around the point of view and keeps a 3D, consistent layout. This helps tremendously with understanding what is happening in scenes.
September 27, 2018
The farcical and also disturbing origin story of Smax.
After the first issue I was resigned to the fact that Smax was just a frivolous Top Ten story. Then Alan Moore mixes the nonsense of Smax's homeworld with horror.
Morning Bright in particular is a widely effective villian, I wish that more could have been done with him beyond this series. The artwork felt wrong too until some of the Morning Bright whose design is sublime. The story cleverly subverts the dragonslayer/quest storyline with both humour and genuine terror.
Not as complex or character driven as Top Ten but still a very fun backwards origin story for the mean spirited bastard Smax.
After the first issue I was resigned to the fact that Smax was just a frivolous Top Ten story. Then Alan Moore mixes the nonsense of Smax's homeworld with horror.
Morning Bright in particular is a widely effective villian, I wish that more could have been done with him beyond this series. The artwork felt wrong too until some of the Morning Bright whose design is sublime. The story cleverly subverts the dragonslayer/quest storyline with both humour and genuine terror.
Not as complex or character driven as Top Ten but still a very fun backwards origin story for the mean spirited bastard Smax.
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