List of characters in Top 10: The Forty-Niners

Top 10: The Forty-Niners is a prequel to the America's Best Comics series Top 10. It features several characters from the previous series, relatives of characters from the previous series and many new characters as well. For characters from the other series see List of Characters from Top 10.

[edit] Main characters

Steve "Jetlad" Traynor: Only ten when he first began flying fighters against the Nazis, Traynor is sixteen in this story. He makes friends with Leni early on and takes a job as a mechanic with the Skysharks. In the original series, he has grown up to become the Captain of Precinct 10.

Leni "Sky Witch" Muller: A German pilot who rode a mechanical flying machine that resembled a broomstick, Leni defected to the United States due to her hatred of the Nazis. She joins the new Neopolis Police Department after encountering several officers, the Maid among them, at an incident at Scowling Joe's Bar.

An international team of fighter plane aces who fought for the Allies, inspired by the Blackhawks and Skywolf's team. Members include:

John Sharkey: Leader of the Skysharks, Sharkey has a deep distrust of the robots and vampires and wants the military to take policing duties of Neopolis.

Wulf: Twenty-five-year-old German Skyshark, Wulf becomes Jetlad's first and possibly only lover, as they are still together in the future of the original series.

Lars: A Danish Skyshark with a crude sense of humor who shares Sharkey's views on robots and vampires.

Pierre: A French pilot and great fan of Jetlad's, Pierre is still friends with Jetlad and Wulf in the future and probably knows about the nature of their relationship by that point.

Zaran "Doctor Omega" Orval: The Doc is the progressive Captain of Neopolis's Police Department, understanding of new ideas, but stringent on the rules. As an alien champion, he is based on Superman (visually his Kryptonian father Jor-El from the Silver Age).

Rocket Ryan: An officer with a rocket on his back, apparently had two side-kicks known as the "Time-Twins" that the Doc ordered him to downplay, due to rising concerns about the relationship between heroes and their sidekicks, as well as the dangers young wards were put in. He is from the 25th Century (a reversal of Buck Rogers who awakens in the 25th Century).

Joanna "The Maid" Dark: A Joan of Arc-style officer with full chainmail and holy powers to determine the truth and bless things. She is considered the heavy artillery against the Undead, with her Holy Light emanating naturally from her costume. In addition to her sword, she also carries a globus cruciger which can enlarge to transport Joanna and her teammates as a pseudo-spacecraft.

SteelGauntlet: Introduced as a disfigured scientist inside a heavy robotic suit of armor, similar to characters like DC's Robotman, but revealed to be the first fully intelligent robot.

Sam "Major Lilliput" Slinger: Previously seen as "Colonel Lilliput", senile father to Robyn "Toybox" Slinger, in the original Top 10 series. Looking like a foppish 18th-century French officer, he commands an army of mechanical toys (many more than Robyn has in the future, but seemingly less sophisticated).

Ramon "Black Rider" Morales: Leni's partner, a Mexican-American sword-and-flintlock wielding biker.

Adam "Spirit of '76" Pure: Partner to SteelGauntlet, the Spirit is a rather overbearing and prejudiced character, holding conservative views in contrast to Doctor Omega.

Johnny "John Q Public" Genovese: The Mayor of Neopolis lacks the slick rhetorical skills normally associated with politicians, instead being blunt and uncompromising. He fears that the volatile experiment that is Neopolis will blow up in his face and his main concern is to keep his citizens from their natural tendency towards vigilantism so that the new police can keep order. The Q that is his crest looks strikingly similar to "Captain BBQ" hot dog chef seen in Precinct 10 in the future.

Betty "Doesgood": New landlady of Steve and Leni. One of the first residents of Neopolis, she came from a generation where the special people didn't have superpowers, they simply stood out for being smart or funny. She gave advice and is eager to forget about those days. She is friends with Sloppy Sullivan. Very similar to early comic strip characters like Mary Worth. Owns a radio made out of the helmet of the Rocketeer, as alluded to her turning it off and exclaiming 'all that racket'.

"Sloppy" Sullivan: The Skysharks cook. Apparently the lover of Betty Doesgood.

In the background can be seen several references to early comic and cartoon characters, including Officer Bull Pupp in "Krazy Kat", Li'l Abner and his mother, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Jiggs from "Bringing Up Father", the Captain from "The Katzenjammer Kids", Captain Haddock from "The Adventures of Tintin", Bluto from "Popeye", Flattop from "Dick Tracy", Flip from "Little Nemo in Slumberland" and many more.