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NOBLE CAUSES: FIRST IMPRESSIONS #1
Recommended (7/10)
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Image Comics
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...?"
Pencils: Billy Dallas Patton
Inks: Damon Hacker
Letters: Shelly Helms
"...By Its Cover"
Pencils: Patrick Gleason
Inks: John Wycough
Letters: Ray Dillon
Writer: Jay Faerber
Colors: Rob Schwager
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Price: $2.95 US |
Though I'm not wild about the idea of two first issues for a new series (this one-shot and the regular Noble Causes #1), Faerber impresses with this introduction to his debut creator-owned effort. I'm put in mind of Kurt Busiek's Astro City, and my first exposure to some new names in comic art was a good one as well.
Race Noble, the speester son in a family of super-heroes, has a new girlfriend, and a family dinner is organized in order to introduce her. This new belle is unlike any other to come before though, and that's saying something, since Race has dated aliens, supernatural princesses and maybe even robots. The family's not the only group interested in the woman's identity; they don't come much more famous than the Nobles, and the media is chomping at the bit for a glimpse of the new woman in Race's life.
Patton's art definitely boasts a strong Todd (Spawn) McFarlane influence, but not so much so that he's simply mimicking his style. There are other influences there as well... George Perez comes to mind, though it's far more subtle. Patton tells the story clearly, and I'm impressed with his level of background detail, not to mention the detailed inks from Hacker. I also enjoyed the digital effects that make the characters' powers come to life.
Gleason's work on the second story reminded me of the styles of Paul (Negation) Pelletier, Jason (Body Bags) Pearson and Cully (Firearm) Hamner. Not bad company. Gleason's stuff seems a tad more polished than Patton's. I also got a better sense of the characters in this story, but that's probably because there are really only three in this piece.
The basic characters concepts are a lot of fun; I was particularly amused by the patriarch of the Noble clan, who comes off as something of a raunchier Reed Richards. We really don't get much of a sense of who these people are, though. Sure, it's only the first (first) issue, but the villains seems a shade more developed than the main characters.
Faerber has a solid concept on his hands. The key will be for him to maintain a unique tone. The greatest strength of this title is that it focuses on the unusual family dynamics, not the superhuman adventures of the title characters. As long as that remains the emphasis, Noble Causes should provide a nice change of pace as a super-hero comics that downplays the super-heroics.
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