BACK TO THE PRECINCT: PAUL Di FILIPPO ON MORE TOP TEN

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

The Eisner Award-winning team that brought you Top Ten, writer Alan Moore and artist Gene Ha, reunites for Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, an original hardcover graphic novel that delves into the past, revealing the origins of Neopolis and the first officers of Top Ten in May.

Created as part of Moore’s America’s Best Comics line, Top Ten is set in Neopolis - a modern metropolis with a citizenry made up exclusively of super beings. In a city where everyone is blessed with powers, it takes a unique and powerful police force to protect and serve. The extremely diverse officers of Precinct Ten include an armored and talking dog, a genetically engineered "perfect woman," a high tech cowboy, an indestructible man, and a rookie with a toy box full of "helpers." Individually, they are unique personalities, together they are Neopolis' finest.

Already, though, there’s a sense of nostalgia for fans of the property, as The Forty-Niners will be Moore and Ha’s last go at the world of Top Ten for the foreseeable future.

However – like other ABC titles and characters, just because Moore and Ha are moving on, that doesn’t mean Top Ten is done.

Moore and Ha's multi-Eisner Award-winning homage to police dramas and old science-fiction tales continues in August, courtesy of sci-fi writer Paul Di Filippo and legendary artist Jerry Ordway, in Top Ten: Beyond The Farthest Precinct, a five-issue miniseries that tells the next chapter in the lives of Smax, Toybox, King Peacock, Joe Pi and the rest of Neopolis's finest.

We caught up with Di Filippo for more on the story.

Newsarama: How did you come to work on the sequel to Alan Moore/Gene Ha's Top Ten?

Paul Di Filippo: Never underestimate the power of being in the right place at the right time.

For a few years now, I had been wanting to try my hand at scripting stories in the comics medium that I love so much. A few abortive efforts, such as a script for the online Matrix comics that was almost produced, left me tantalizingly close. But I realized that some kind of more personal connection with an editor was necessary to clear the final hurdle.

I had established an e-mail correspondence with Warren Ellis, who knew my name from my work in the SF field. He was magnificently kind, and, at my request, recommended me to Scott Dunbier, at Wildstorm/ABC. Coincidentally, Scott had just asked Harlan Ellison for the name of a writer who could tackle the Top 10 sequel. Harlan recommended me as well, without any prior consultation. Scott must have felt that juju forces of synchronicity were at work, and he now had no choice but to offer me the assignment!

NRAMA: So – that said, you’re new to the comics audience, but what've you written before this?

PDF: I made my first professional sale in the SF field while still in college, in 1977. Since then, I've sold well over a hundred stories, and have fourteen books in print. Mostly SF, Fantasy and Horror, but also a mystery or two.

NRAMA: What's your background in comics?

PDF: I read my first comic at age five, a Mighty Mouse adventure that sent my brain reeling, as our tailed and large-eared hero journeyed on a thrilling interstellar voyage. For the next seven years or so, I devoured the then-current Silver Age masterpieces from both Marvel and DC. Discovering prose SF around age 12, I abruptly and mysteriously left comics behind me, more to allow myself to focus my limited reading time and limited allowance on paperbacks than out of any new "mature" disdain for comics. About ten years ago, I began to be seduced back into the field by such items as the Kitchen Sink Spirit reprints, Hate, Love and Rockets and Eightball. Nowadays, the mania is in full resurgence, and I currently read almost every title the major houses produce, as well as a variety of alternative books.

NRAMA: Moving back to Top Ten: Beyond The Farthest Precinct, how is this tied to Moore/Ha's Top Ten and Moore/Zander Cannon's Smax five-parter?

PDF: I used the first two series as my Bible, respectful of the immense work Alan Moore and Gene Ha put into the development of this world. Continuity is fully preserved and extended. I elaborated on the topography of the city and its history, hopefully opening up new dimensions for further tales. My story begins some five years after the events of the Smax sequel, which itself occurred in story-time immediately after the close of the twelve-parter.

NRAMA: For those who missed it the first time, what happened in Smax that will lead to your story, Beyond The Farthest Precinct?

PDF: The major fallout from the Smax miniseries is that, after an adventure back on his native plane, Smax has returned to the Top 10 dimension with his sister, Rexa, and they have set up housekeeping as lovers. Such a relationship is natural in Smax's home dimension, but it raises a few eyebrows back among his co-workers. Also, Smax's old bachelor setup -- a crummy trailer home -- is not suitable any longer, and he's out house-hunting in my book.

NRAMA: For you, what were some of the major highlights in the first Alan Moore/Gene Ha 12-parter?

PDF: In the original series, we were introduced to an ensemble of cops, all superpowered, who patrolled a city whose inhabitants were also all gifted with various super-abilities, both high and low. We saw the cops deal with everything from mutant hookers to back-talking robots to domestic squabbles to feisty godlings to a drug-crazed Police Commissioner who nearly destroyed the precinct. Moore and Ha's genius lay in the perfect blend of mundane and heroic concerns, a mix I've tried to maintain. Also, several dangling threads from the first book -- such as the exact nature of The Rumor -- are picked up and untangled in my sequel.

NRAMA: In terms of characters, who else will be appearing in the sequel?

PDF: All of the cast from the original series will be back, even the deceased Girl One! As well, I introduce several new cops who, hopefully, can stand up in colorfulness to the veterans.

NRAMA: What's it like working with Jerry Ordway?

PDF: We're still in the very early stages of our collaboration, but so far it's been immensely rewarding. Jerry is a masterful artist, and I'm relying on him to flesh out my visions with his typical style and skill.

NRAMA: What's next for you?

PDF: I've done a two-part Batman tale for Joey Cavalieri at Legends of the Dark Knight, which will appear sometime down the road. It was a privilege to work with both Joey and Batman. As a kid hypnotically absorbing the whole Batman mythos, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that someday I would be guiding him through an adventure. My experiences so far in this field have shown me that the intersection of hope and reality is sometimes more fantastical than we often dare to imagine.

[upstart]

thank god!!!

[Alfonso]

Well, I'm naturally curious, but also skeptical. Just about every ABC book I've read that wasn't by Alan Moore I didn't like very much. The Greyshirt mini was okay, but Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, aside from Moore's own contributions, was anything but terrific, and I haven't been interested in any of the guest arcs in the main Tom Strong book.

Still, Top Ten is one of the strongest properties of the bunch, so who knows. It's got lots of potential. I just wonder what Moore thinks of the choice of Filippo.

[David Vega]

I miss Top 10 very much. I will be buying this!!

[Boomtube]

Hmm...this makes me both excited and nervous. While I'm as huge a "Top Ten" fan as is possible (I'm anticipating "The 49ers" as much, if not more, than any of this summer's blockbuster films), the idea of somebody else writing it makes me uneasy. While I'd love to know what happened after issue #12 of "Season One" and issue #5 of "Smax", I'd be a lot more happy if I was hearing it from Moore. Also, I love Ordway's stuff, always have, but I just don't know if his style is appropriate in this instance.

Also, I'm not familiar with DeFillipo's work at all, and that makes me less confident in it. However, I'd never heard of Brad Meltzer or Allan Heinberg before they worked in comics, and I've enjoyed everything they've written in the field so far. Pays to keep an open mind, I guess.

Aw, who cares? I know I'm gonna buy it anyway...

[Rabid Monkey]

Seriously, I'll probably buy this too despite the lack of Moore and Ha on the book. Hell, I bought Smax thinking it would just be okay and throughly enjoyed the continued fantasy adventures of Jeff and Robyn. Doubting Allan Moore. What the crap was I thinking?

The Girl One resurrection does make me nervous though, but I can imagine that if this guy stays true to the spirit of the first book we should get an amusing and touching Top Tennish nod to super-hero resurrection stories

I just really love these characters.

[twoarmman]

Oh hell yeah. I LOVED Top 10. I think it was the best of the ABC comics (I haven't finished Promethea yet so that might take the cake when all is said and done)

I usually stay away from the hard backs for financial reasons, but this one will probably be to hard to pass up.

[Noreikas]

I loved the TOP 10 series - I bought it in the 2 trades and found it to be highly imaginative. I'm waiting on SMAX to be put out in softcover TPB. I'll get THE 49ERS when it goes softcover as well.

Good to hear about the upcoming mini-series. I'll keep my eye out for that.

As for the ABC line - I agree for the most part - the Moore-written tales are the best....but I loved Rick Veitch's GRAYSHIRT mini-series.

[Fazhoul]

I haven't read anything by Paul Di Filippo but I love the Top Ten so I'll be checking this mini-series out.

[OcCaM]

Fortunately my usual internet store is having Top Ten: 49ers at half off, instead of the usual 40%. And as ever free shipping.

So, I really had no excuses to wait for the tpb on 49'ers.

Really looking forward to Top 10 continuing, even if it's not by Moore and Ha. Hell, I enjoyed the first tpb of Terra Obscura so what do I know? (Oh when the heck are they releasing the 2nd one anyway?)

[Solario]

Originally posted by Rabid Monkey
The Girl One resurrection does make me nervous though, but I can imagine that if this guy stays true to the spirit of the first book we should get an amusing and touching Top Tennish nod to super-hero resurrection stories.

Well the Girl One resurrection was kind of preluded in the original series, when those two developers are at her funeral asking around, what they could improve upon in the next Girl One (Girl Two?), for example: "Does she need bigger breasts?"

So maybe it's not exactly the same Girl One.

And hey I'm looking forward to it. I'm not loving Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, but I liked Terra Obscura, so there's hope.

[Lee Grice]

Those unfamiliar with Paul Di Filippo's work can get a taster here:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/index.htm
There's a short story, a novella, a couple of interviews and a handfull of reviews.
(just click on 'A to Z' on the top right of the page and then on 'D' for 'De Filipo' and then Robert's yer mother's brother.)

Peace!
LEE

[render man]

Originally posted by Lee Grice
Those unfamiliar with Paul Di Filippo's work can get a taster here:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/index.htm
There's a short story, a novella, a couple of interviews and a handfull of reviews.
(just click on 'A to Z' on the top right of the page and then on 'D' for 'De Filipo' and then Robert's yer mother's brother.)

Peace!
LEE

Cool. Thanks for the link. His writing isnt bad and tends towards weirdness quite readily, which is a good sign, but writing books and comic books is a different art all together. So I am skeptical about top ten being written by anyone else, but I'll give it a try for sure.

[stlfan79]

I waited on the hard cover for money issues, going to try to find it on ebay for less money or wait until it is released as a soft cover. Great to hear that there will be a new series though.

[Frank Castle]

Top 10 is certainly in my, uh... top 10 list of favorite books (ok, that was lame...)

Seeing as to how it's still the same characters, I'll probably buy this, but cautiously...

I'll certainly miss Alan Moore's fantastic pacing (humor? action? drama? You got it!) and skill with dialogue (which has made his characters so well rounded). Certainly Mr Di Fillipo has some big shoes to fill in for this next miniseries...

[Aaron Weisbrod]

An unsolicited endorsement from Harlan Ellison speaks *volumes* as far as I'm concerned.

I'm in.

(For the recond, I think the GREYSHIRT mini-series was not only one of the best things Veitch has ever written, but also *clearly* the best non-Moore-written ABC title. Great stuff!)

On the beat,
Aaron Weisbrod

[Raphe Cheli]

I'm most excited about Jerry Ordway -- he's a terrific artist whose been criminally underused of late.

[pogofan]

OcCaM, would you mind telling me (or us) which internet store has the Forty-Niners for 50% off? I'm new here---if that kind of info isn't allowed in posts, feel free to email me. Thanks!

[A Guy]

Originally posted by OcCaM
Fortunately my usual internet store is having Top Ten: 49ers at half off, instead of the usual 40%. And as ever free shipping.

What is your internet store?

In general, Top Ten has been a very imaginative series from the start. I think the success of the continued series will depend on how creative and original this new author continues to be with the characters.

[samnoir]

I'm always a bit skeptical of strip mining the comics of writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman after they have left the building. For every success like HELLBLAZER, there are a dozen sub-par books out there that just don't quite live up to the originals.

For anyone, filling Moore's writing shoes is definately a very daunting challenge. I wish the upcoming team the best of luck because I am very fond of the characters and will be at least picking up the first issue to see where they are heading with it.

________________________________

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[Catullus]

OcCaM: howzabout a plug for your online retailer... 50% would make getting new Alan Moore work even sweeter.

[Catullus]

Oh! Hadn't the thread completely through. Sorry for being a nimrod. Second the motion for the URL to that website.

[Vyper]

Glad to hear that Top Ten is coming back, though I was really hoping it'd be Moore and Ha. I've never been too crazy about Ordway's work, to be honest.

[johnnystorm]

That's the way you do it! That's the way you debate! uh...

Love the idea of original graphic novels, I'm over phamphlets I buy mostly trades now anyways... so in graphic novel form it will be interesting to see the format evolve. Since most comics are told in 22 page chapters, doing it this way means you can get out of the comic book formula for storytelling... just as tv has 15 minute chapters, movies tell the story based on the story not based on where the comercials go.

And its alan moore so you know its going to be good.

So now if only invincible, JSA and Ultimates would adopt this idea... I'd never buy a phamphlet again.

[Vyper]

Originally posted by johnnystorm
That's the way you do it! That's the way you debate! uh...

Love the idea of original graphic novels, I'm over phamphlets I buy mostly trades now anyways... so in graphic novel form it will be interesting to see the format evolve. Since most comics are told in 22 page chapters, doing it this way means you can get out of the comic book formula for storytelling... just as tv has 15 minute chapters, movies tell the story based on the story not based on where the comercials go.

And its alan moore so you know its going to be good.

So now if only invincible, JSA and Ultimates would adopt this idea... I'd never buy a phamphlet again.

onemoment, is that you?