I've been a fan of Noble Causes since the beginning, but there have always been problems that kept it from becoming a favorite. The backup stories resulted in the tales being too short, the rotating artists were distracting, the switch to black and white a disastrous (if necessary) decision, and I had started to think maybe the whole thing was just gonna disappear. Happily, Noble Causes is back for another go-round, and all of my prior complaints have been addressed, as this is a full-length, full-color book with a new regular artist. Predictably, this means I have new complaints instead, but in general, this is a pretty good fresh start for the book, accessible for new readers and with an interesting central plot that brings to light one of the ongoing subplots for those who have stuck around since the beginning.
I know that Don and I sometimes harp on accessibility, but for a series that has had several incarnations, being accessible to new readers is one of the most important issues. Noble Causes is very accessible for new readers, with a good capsule description of each cast member at the beginning, a new storyline centering on a murder-mystery that really doesn't require readers to be too well-versed in the cast and a good introduction to the status quo of the characters in the form of a family breakfast. I have to admit that I'm also pleased to see a little bit more of an upbeat tone to start off the series, with the return of Race and the new relationship for Rusty setting two of the lead characters on a more even keel. Maybe not as dramatic as a murdered husband or a cheating spouse, but it's nice that the lead characters get to be happy for a while, if only to contrast with the future drama they'll face.
What frustrated me a little bit was that Noble Causes has a sort of weird reverse accessibility problem, in that those who have followed all of the prior series might find themselves struggling to remember the status of inter-dimensional doppelgangers (I can't remember if Doc Noble is himself or not, nor can I remember the details of Race Noble's return) or the status of some of the troubled relationships (like the one between Doc and Gaia), and there aren't many clues here. That's because in order to maintain that accessibility, Faerber can't really get into the alternate dimensions, Race's death and all of the other stuff without having a lot more room to tell his story. It's a worthwhile sacrifice, but if you're a longtime reader, make sure and drag out your trades or back issues and reread before reading the first issue, or you might find your mind trying to answer questions that aren't germane to the current plot and distracting you from the goings-on in the issue.
Those goings-on involve a murder, as indicated on Bueno's cover, and while there are other stories, it's definitely the murder that is driving the plot. Faerber introduces a super-powered cop whose powers make for a nifty instant CSI and who comes at the Nobles with a refreshingly sympathetic viewpoint, and I liked that the murder didn't turn into an immediate media circus, even though Faerber does make use of the Noble's famous standing to drive the murder investigation in a somewhat different way than the police investigations we see in most comics. I'm also continually intrigued by the story of Krennick, as we start to wonder if he's more like his father than he ever wanted to admit or if, ironically, his affiliation with the Nobles is what caused him to become corrupt. Hell, I'm still not 100% sure he is corrupt, even though the cliffhanger at the end seems pretty damning.
One of my minor problems with Noble Causes was that Faerber's artists kept either leaving or getting snapped up by the big leagues, and thus the book never really developed an artistic identity. Fran Bueno is the new artist, and I have to admit, I don't think it's the strongest art the book has had. There's some really nice work done on the backgrounds, and the work is capable, certainly, but it's a little bit bland and has some weird stylistic quirks. The characters' expressions are somewhat stiff and exaggerated, and some of the perspective shots, like the one where the cop presents the snapshot, just look off. Bueno's style looks something like the work of Mike Oeming, but at a very, very early stage, and there's clearly a lot of development to be done to get it beyond the "acceptable" range and into the range of art that is more impressive on its own merits, rather than just good enough to get the storytelling done.
