Noble Causes: Family Secrets started off exceptionally strong, but hasn't quite hit those heights again for me yet. However, it remains a fun and well-done series blending super-heroes and soap operas, and Faerber has gotten me interested in all of the characters he has created. I continue to wish for longer lead stories and the elimination of the backup tales, but at the same time this issue's backup story gives a lot of insight into what formed Frost in his childhood, so maybe what I really want is bigger books. Whatever complaints I may have about the series, and I do have a couple, I'm always looking forward to the next issue and Noble Causes has become a must-read for me.
In this issue, the father of Zephyr's baby is revealed, and I found it to be an intriguing revelation with even more intriguing ramifications, but I would have been considerably happier if the readers had been given clues during the story to try and figure it out. However, it seems like the ramifications of the story are really where Faerber's interests lie, as they involve the continuing story of Doc Noble and the guilt that he has felt since the death of Race. The lead story is somewhat compressed for space, but Faerber makes it work by letting the readers draw conclusions about Doc's erratic behavior, rather than spelling it all out.
I'm surprised to discover at this point in Family Secrets how much this story is about Doc, because he has seemed like such a background player for the most part. But it is his reactions and his investigation that really drive this issue, and the last page indicates that the next issue will be very much a confrontation for Doc. Which isn't to say the other characters are ignored; Zephyr's confrontation of her over-protective and hair-triggered brother Rusty was a great indication of a relationship we haven't seen much of, and Liz's talk with her therapist was a good chance to show off her strength, something that has been expressed fairly quietly so far. I wasn't as crazy about the guest stars being involved in the "paternity questioning," because I just don't think most of those characters fit into the Noble Causes universe and I don't like them being in a shared universe in general. For some reason, the same technique worked for me in Powers, but not here.
The backup stories have always been a bit of a sore point for me, as I feel like this book could really serve to expand the main story page count, but this issue's story is fascinating for what it reveals about Frost. So far, we've only seen him as the bad boy, angry and bitter, but the backup shows a little more of why he might have become that way, and it's very effective. I haven't empathized with Frost this much before, and the use of Sommariva's cartoony artwork helps to convey the story from Frost's childlike point-of-view.
Though I still wish that the scenes had a bit more room to breathe, so that the characters could exchange dialogue that doesn't seem directly plot-related all the time, Noble Causes continues to entertain and delight. The big questions and revelations are enough to keep my attention, and Faerber has created a cast of interesting characters that have turned out to be surprisingly multi-layered, rather than simply falling into the role of family patriarch, angry jilted husband, out-of-her-depth newcomer or the various other roles that the characters serve in general.
