Notes to Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #5

by Jess Nevins

The text here, except where otherwise credited, is © copyright 2006 Jess Nevins, and may not be duplicated, in part or in whole, without my permission.
Politely-phrased additions and corrections are welcome at jjnevins@ix.netcom.com.


Page 1. Panel 1. That's Carl Barks' Gyro Gearloose in the upper left, DC's Killer Croc and Marvel's The Lizard beneath him, DC's Ragman and Art Spiegelman's Maus in the center of the panel, the Tazmanian Devil to the right, and Marvel's Scarlet Witch on the far right. Paul Di Filippo (hereafter "PDF") notes that the duck woman with the Scarlet Witch is Disney's Magica de Spell.

Panel 2. On the far left is DC's Hourman and Chronos. To the right is DC's Solomon Grundy, wearing an "Aberzombie and Flesh" t-shirt. (A dual pun, that, working on the fact that Grundy is a kind of zombie and the slam "Aberzombie," referring to the vast numbers of high school & college students who all wear Abercrombie & Fitch clothes and so all look alike). In the center of the panel is Dennis the Menace, with what PDF says is "Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, in elderly mode." PDF notes that to the right is Marvel's Kang the Conqueror and DC's Time Trapper.

I don't know how the two characters on the far right of the panel are.

Panel 3. On the far left are Kang and the Time Trapper. Sitting beneath the tree are what PDF says are "the three card-playing bats from "Pogo"...down for a game." To their right are DC's Joker and Groucho Marx. Staring at the tree is Dik Browne's Hagar the Horrible. Next to Hagar is DC's Phantom Lady with what PDF says is Vampirella. Next to Phantom Lady and Vampirella are Marvel's Stick and Elektra. I don't know who the two characters behind them are.

To the right are Marvel's Dead Girl and what PDF says are Marvel's Gwen Stacy and Karen Page. On the far right are Hourman and Chronos.

Panel 4. On the far left are Vampirella and Phantom Lady. Next to them are the three bats from "Pogo." Next to them are Marvel's Tigra nad DC's Catwoman. In the center of the panel are DC's Amanda Waller and what PDF says is Henry Gyrich (not Jasper Sitwell, as I guessed). I don't know who the two characters next to them are.

On the right are what PDF says are Marvel's Mystique and DC's Clayface. On the right are Dick Tracy and Fearless Fosdick.

Pages 2-3. Panel 1. PDF says, "This whole scene is intended to be an homage to Berni Wrightson's "Bat Day" panorama from National Lampoon." 

On the left is Marvel's Golden Age Destroyer. I don't know who the character is to the left of the Destroyer's head, or the character beneath his armpit.

The character in blue chain mail and an orange vest is, I think, a miscolored Stalker. Next to him is Marvel's Valkyrie. Next to her is DC's Abel (from House of Secrets and later Sandman). Above him is...I don't know, nor the male character with the "K" on his chest. Next to him is, possibly, DC's Black Canary. Next to her is DC's Ultra Boy.

I don't know who the woman on all fours is, or the man yelling "Get away from me!!"--possibly the Golden Age Catman? The woman on the far right is DC's Cinnamon.

Panel 2. That is DC's Johnny Quick, from the Crime Syndicate of America.

Panel 3. I can't place either of the heroes in this panel (upper left, lower right).

Panel 4. The scene on the Subliminal Kid's facescreen is the famous scene from Batman's origin in Detective #33. (Oh, wait, that's not the right origin. I couldn't find an image online of the true origin).

Page 4. Panel 1. Apart from DC's Northwind in the lower left, I can't identify any of the characters in this panel.

Panel 2. Or this one. (Not doing too well this time around, I'm afraid).

Panel 3. I don't know who the woman is with the cape. Is that Bill Willingham's Chrysalis next to her?

Page 5. Panel 4. The gopher from Caddyshack?

Page 6. Panel 1. That's DC's Bouncing Boy in the lower right, and possibly Mojo Jojo on the left, but I can't identify anyone else here.

Panel 3. Captain America kneels in the background.

Page 8. Panel 1. Geoff Rose points out that the computers are "O-Macs, a pun on the DC Infinite Crisis plot point Brother Eye and the real world I-Mac."

Panel 4. That's Underdog in the lower left. I can't identify the cat-and-mouse trio in lower center, or the boy with them. Presumably the cape-wearing dog is Superman's companion Krypto. Next to Krypto is an altered Red Sonja.

Page 9. Panel 1. The "Schaffen Burgers" cart is a reference to Silver Age Superman artist Kurt Schaffenberger.

I'm not sure what the "Rigellian Mindworm Invasion of '98" is a reference to.

Panel 6. On the far left is an altered Timber Wolf, from DC's Legion of Superheroes.

Page 11. Panel 1. PDF notes "Carl Anderson's mute Henry...vainly trying to convey his problems."

I can't identify any of the other characters in this panel.

Panel 3. Or in this one.

Panel 4. Presumably that's Wolverine in the lower right; the woman on the left looks familiar but I can't place here.

Panel 6. Is that Mr. Mxyzptlk?

Page 12. Panel 5. One of the gargoyles is Marvel's Fin Fang Foom.

Page 14. Panel 4. PDF says, "We see the shattered wreckage of two large buildings, reminiscent of the WTC 9/11 disaster:  the equivalent event on this timeline."

Page 17. Panel 1. That's Jar-Jar Binks being throttled by, as PDF notes, Frank Miller's Lance Blastoff. I can't identify any of the other characters in this panel.

Page 21. Panel 1.  PDF identifies this character as the goddess Tara.

Panel 2. Lower half of the panel are the skeleton pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean. Above them are Skeletor and, as PDF notes, the "Snowman/Boneman who advertises Nestea Cool."

Panel 6. PDF identifies Kemlo's driver as Race Bannon.

Page 21. PDF identifies one of the Badge Bunnies as Al Capp's Moonbeam McSwine, who is rubbing a pig's head because she preferred the company of pigs to men.

Joe Pi is drinking a can of "Marvel Mystery Oil," which was (is?) a real substance as well as the partial title of a Marvel comic from the 1940s.

Behind Joe PI are McGruff the Crime Dog and DC's Wildcat.


Thanks to: Alicia, as always; Paul Di Filippo, and Geoff Rose.

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