Notes to Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #1

by Jess Nevins

The text here, except where otherwise credited, is © copyright 2005 Jess Nevins, and may not be duplicated, in part or in whole, without my permission.


Page 2. The title of this issue, "A screaming comes across the sky," is the opening line to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.

"Feininger Park" is likely a reference to Lyonel Feininger.

Below and to the left of the "Feininger Park" sign can be seen Ace the Bathound, who has chased Popeye's Jeep up a tree.

is the rabbit version of Alan Moore's Tom Strong.

In the lower left Irma Geddon is chasing Lockjaw, the dog member of Marvel's Inhumans.

In the upper right, towing the banner with the story title, is the zeppelin which is constantly to be seen in Mad Magazine.

I don't know who the child hero with the pumpkin(?) head in the lower right is. He is chasing Krypto the Super Dog and a child version of Triton of Marvel's Inhumans.

Page 3. In the upper right, towing the banner with the creator credits, is Charles Schultz's Snoopy, on his flying doghouse.

Toy Box's creatues are supplying the condiments on the picnic table.

In the lower right is either Streaky the Super Cat or a miscolored Raul the Cat, from Howard Chaykin's American Flagg.

Page 4. Panel 4. Leading the ants' assault on the picnic is Marvel's Ant-Man. 

Page 5. Panel 1. "Jenny," the green, scaled mermaid, is "Panthalassa." "Panthalassa" was the name of the ocean which covered Earth during the Pangaea phase, 200-300 million years ago.

Panel 2. In Panthalassa's bowl are several Jokerfish, fish transformed by the Joker's poison in Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers' "The Laughing Fish," Detective Comics #475.

Panel 4. "Officer Chambliss," the bird-headed officer Captain Traynor is speaking with, is "Curlew." A curlew is a wading bird. 

Page 6. Panel 1. The three bank robbers are the Beagle Boys, the criminals who plague Scrooge McDuck.

"First Bank of Trantor" is a reference to Trantor, the capital of the Galactic Empire in Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy.

Page 7. Panel 1. In the center of the panel can be seen the pink Tribble, from Star Trek, which will so quickly multiply across the rest of the panels on this page.

Panel 3. "Moreaugenesis" is a reference to H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Page 8. Panel 1. Smax is drinking Miraclo, the drug which gave the Golden Age Hourman his powers.

Panel 4. "I want another thoat steak" is a reference to the thoats of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter of Mars" series.

Panel 6. Philippe, Robyn's boyfriend, is Phillipe Jouet-Homme. His costume is the same as Superman's enemy, the Toyman.

"And I thought Houllebecq was perverse" is a reference to the French writer Michel Houllebecq and, I think, his novel Les Particules Élémentaires in particular. 

Page 9. Panel 1. The robots look familiar, but the only one I can positively identify is Robbie the Robot, from Forbidden Planet.

"I can see straight down to the planck level" may be a reference to the effect of the spice melange in Frank Herbert's Dune.

"The multiverse is open source" is a reference to the Open Source movement.

Page 10. Panel 2. The robot in the lower right may be Ed Valigursky's "Cosmic Computer." Alternatively, it might be the robot which often appeared on the cover of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in the 1960s and 1970s.

Panel 6. The face on all of the robots is that of Palmer Eldritch, from Philip K. Dick's The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

Page 12. Panel 1. Driving the bus is Gilbert Shelton's Wonder Warthog. The sign on the front of the bus, "Warthog's Academy," is a pun on "Hogwart's Academy" from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels.

"Kids, don't forget you've got hussade practice after school" is a reference to the game hussade from Jack Vance's Alastor.

A "volantor" is a flying car.

Panel 2. Philippe's knee and ankle joints are ball-and-socket joints, which gives some indication about Philippe's secret.

Panel 3. Behind Roy Radium are the familiar ears of Mickey Mouse.

Panel 4. Poking his head through the hole in the wall is Itchy the Mouse, from the Simpsons.

"Mrs. Motherthing" is a reference to the alien in Robert Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel.

Panel 7. Monsoon is watching the Weather Channel.

Panel 9. This is Paulie Oldwood, a.k.a. Saltator.

Page 13. Panel 1. The statue is holding a Phantom Zone projector (from Superman comics).

In the lower left is Ed Roth's Rat Fink.

Passing him on the left is Al Gabriele's Black Cat. 

In front of the Black Cat is Black Beauty, the Green Hornet, and Kato. They are opening the door for the Lone Ranger and Tonto.

In the lower right is the Arrowcar and the Golden Age Green Arrow and Speedy.

Standing next to the pool is Namor, the Sub-Mariner.

Among the policemen coming off-shift or going on-shift are Marvel's Screaming Mimi and Thor and DC's Batman.

Behind Jetlad are Robin and Batman.

Page 14. Panel 4. "Thanks, Pogo" is a reference to Walt Kelly's "Pogo."

"Rowrbazzle" is a word that an irritated Albert the Alligator, in "Pogo," would sometimes use.

Page 15. Panel 1. Kemlo is wearing a "Parrothead" t-shirt, a reference to the fans of singer Jimmy Buffett.

Panel 3. The officer with the television head is "The Subliminal Kid."

Page 16. Panel 11. This is "Parsifal Congo," a.k.a. "The Hoodoo Priest."

Page 17.  Panel 2. Among the items I can see: Page 18. Panel 1. Behind Robyn is Iron Man's original, grey armor and the 1970s battlesuit of Lex Luthor.

Page 19. The volantors are modeled on the Moller Skycar.

In the background are Hopey and Maggie, from Love and Rockets, and Skeezix, from "Gasoline Alley."

Page 20. Panel 2. The "Holtzman Pentashield" is a reference to the personal forcefields in Frank Herbert's Dune.

Page 21. Panel 3. "I am a High Church Eganite in my beliefs when it comes to software transubstantiality" is a reference to the work of Greg Egan, perhaps especially Permutation City.

Panel 5. Captain Traynor's chauffeur "Race" is Race Bannon, from Johnny Quest.

Page 22. Panel 1. Driving by is Buddy Bradley, from Peter Hagge's Hate.

Behind him is "Neptune Perkins," a reference to the DC hero and member of Young All-Stars; "Brother Eye's Cameras and Film," a reference to "Brother Eye," originally from OMAC and now a villain in the DC Universe proper; and STAR Labs, a scientific outfit in the DC Universe.

Panel 3. The receptionist is Celia from Monsters, Inc.

Panel 4. "Mayor Dolan" is Ellen Dolan, from Will Eisner's "The Spirit." 

Panel 5. The picture is of DC's ape villain Gorilla Grodd.


Thanks to: Alicia, of course; Paul Di Filippo.