Broken Frontier

Hunter Blackthorne is set free despite his many alleged crimes against humanity, and he and his nefarious family are hatching a plan that may turn the Noble family’s world upside-down.

Noble Causes is one of those books that I’ve seen in the comic shop and always heard good things about, but I could never quite muster up the courage to go out and buy a book by a creator unknown to me. So when Jay Faerber so graciously offered up as a perfect jumping-on point Noble Causes #13 to reviewers a few weeks before direct market release, I jumped at the chance to check into it. And I must say the positive words about the series are well founded.

Being clueless of the characters or dynamic in this series does not put new readers at a disadvantage. Immediately, Mr. Faerber introduces us to the patriarchs of the two main super-families and their obvious animosity toward one another. Subsequently, each remaining member of these respective families is also give some page-time to show us who they are, what their nature is and, to a certain extent, what they are capable of. Once the Blackthornes are reunited at the dinner table about halfway through the issue the reader is treated to the revelation of a diabolical revenge plot against Doc Noble and the rest of his family. There is a clear-cut sense of who the good guys are and who the bad guys are with a few notable exceptions--one being the reveal on the last page that is a very intriguing cliffhanger for new and veteran readers.

Despite artwork by two different teams (one for present and one for flashbacks), the book has a very consistent look to it. Bueno’s slightly angular style fits the tone of the book quite well, and Williams’ flashback sequences (with wonderful set coloring by Ryan Vera) match Bueno to the point that I couldn’t even tell there were two different people doing them. Past and present sequences also contain a little action, and both handle this in a strikingly dynamic fashion.

Call me a convert. This series has mostly flown under the radar despite all the positive buzz. The creators have upped the ante by giving readers six more pages than before (which reflects the slight price hike), and they use the extra space effectively. Jay Faerber frequents several message boards (including Broken Frontier), and like any good salesman, does his best to bring this book to the attention of comic fans everywhere. You should take a chance and listen to him if you haven’t already.