Noble #8
Publisher: Lion Forge
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Artist: Roger Robinson & Will Rosado
Colorist: Sotocolor, Paul Mounts, Juan Fernandez, & Snakebite Cortez
Cover: Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez
Your flagship title has got to bring the heat and that’s exactly what’s been happening for the past eight issues in Noble. So when Astrid and her husband were reunited last issue you just knew that it was about to go down and Brandon Thomas carries that momentum right on through to here! He not only delivers some great action sequences that continue to show off Astrid’s skills but we get to see David cut loose with his powers amidst some precise and well paced character building. One particular scene goes back to right before The Event and it’s a quiet family moment between the Powells. It’s an honest conversation that is just full of heart and warmth and it’s refreshing to see this effort put into the character building of a Black family. It also sets up the next scene perfectly as you get to see another expression of their love as they’re bringing the pain and defending each other side by side.
Thomas has also given us a complexity in this story that makes it more than just a series of jaw dropping events. Especially when it comes to Lorena who is the one character linked to all of the Catalyst Prime titles. Where at first she came off as the “big bad”, Thomas is throwing us curves here and refuses to be predictable as to where this character is going. Especially during a pivotal moment here that almost made me throw my issue across the room. The moment reveals another side of this character but not for shock value because it makes you question past decisions, motives, and it’s just a great point of story progression. Also a hat tip to editorial as well for making sure that Lorena’s character stays consistent across multiple titles. They make it look so easy.
The majority of the artwork is by Robinson while the flashback is courtesy of Rosado. The styles differ so much that the tonal and visual shift is great when we get to the action taking place in the present time. Seeing David wield his abilities in these action sequences again is a nice display of power and classic superhero action. The scene that almost made me throw my issue is a great display of less is more which makes the impact of it hit even harder. And once again Letterer Saida Temofonte enhances the action along with the visual effects during the fights. I’m still not sold on Noble’s costume yet but that’s just a personal thing due to similar costumes being worn by other characters sans helmet. I’d like to see him in something a bit more personal to the character but this isn’t my comic and what we do get still looks good from the artists.
There’s levels to this and each step has added a layer leading to surprises in a genre where many have already “seen it all”. Well even if you think you have, you haven’t seen it told like this thanks to this creative team. Noble is actually delivering on what many comic fans have been looking for and shows just how good it can be when it’s not a gimmick.
[Editor’s Note: Astrid Powell is just one of the characters to vote for in our Breakout Characters of 2017 category in the fan poll!]
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