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NOBLE CAUSES #1
Recommended (8/10)
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Image Comics
"In Sickness and in Health"
Pencils: Patrick Gleason
Inks: John Wycough
Colors: Chris Sotomayor & Jeremy Roberts
"Special Delivery"
Pencils: Amanda Conner
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: J. Brown
Writer: Jay Faerber
Letters: Ray Dillon
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Price: $2.95 US/$4.60 CAN |
The first issue of Noble Causes is even better than the one-shot preview we saw last October, Noble Causes: First Impressions. Jay Faeber combines a soap-opera sensibility, real-world emotions and super-hero conventions to come up with a wondrous, funny and intriguing couple of stories, and he's aided in his efforts with a couple of strong art teams.
Speedster Race Noble, a member of a family of world-renowned super-heroes, marries Liz Donnelly, an average woman who now finds herself in a fantastic new world. While the parents of both the bride and groom worry about how different their now-wedded children are, other Noble family members cause some problems. And in a story set 25 years ago, Doc Noble and wife Gaia find their marriage tested to its limits by betrayal, and the key to reconciliation comes from an unexpected source.
Faerber not only pokes some fun at the super-hero genre in this story, but pop culture and celebrity in general. There's more to the book than a different spin on super-heroes. This should be of interest to those who don't normally read comics. What's impressive, though, is that in the process of satirizing super-heroes, Faerber nevertheless captures a sense of wonder as well.
Conner and Palmiotti's art on the backup story is quite strong and expressive, and that comes as no surprise. They mix 1970s design with the fantasy world of the Nobles nicely as well. Kudos are due to Gleason and Wycough as well, though. They don't just hold their own against the more noted comic-book art team working on this issue. They tell a busy story quite clearly, and they do so with sharp, dynamic lines. The character designs are just as impressive, too.
I'm not one for the soaps. Maybe it's that I could care less about the problems that the unbearably beautiful and wealthy characters create for themselves. But then again, maybe it's not. The same sort of family matters and personal rivalries work quite well in Noble Causes. I found myself drawn into the conflicts and chomping at the bit to find out what happens next.
Easily my favorite aspect of this book is Liz Donnelly, our guide into the delightful but dangerous world in which her new husband exists. I loved that she is focused on her happiness as opposed to the aliens, magicians and demons that surround her. I love that she stands her ground in the face of in-laws who could make her disappear with a thought. There's a strength to the character that outshines all of those with the super-powers.
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