Noble Causes
Jay Faerber's homage to Superhero comic books and soap operas. The series revolves around the Noble family, a wealthy, famous family of superheroes. In addition to fighting supervillains, the heroes face such challenges as infidelity, unplanned pregancies, and the tabloids.
The main family members are:
- Dudley "Doc" Noble: A Gadgeteer Genius who is more interested in working on inventions in his lab than spending any time with his family.
- Gaia: The matriarch of the family, who does everything she can to make herself and her family look good in the public eye. Currently divorced from Doc and serving a prison term.
- Rusty: The oldest son, a Super-Strong hero with a bad temper who had his consciousness transferred into a robotic body after nearly being beaten to death. In years since, he's struggled with his humanity, and, evidently, given in. He now speaks in a harsh monotone, doesn't use contractions, and rarely indicates emotion. He's faking it.
- Frost: Gaia's son from an extra-marital affair with The Doc Noble of an Alternate Universe. Has ice-based powers and a huge chip on his shoulder.
- Race: The middle child. He has Super Speed and seems to be the nicest and most well-adjusted member of the family. No wonder they killed him off at the end of the first issue...
- Zephyr: The youngest child. A teenage girl who sleeps around. This results in her getting knocked up by Draconis, her father's archenemy.
- Liz Donnely-Noble: A normal girl who runs a bookstore. Her good looks and unpretentious nature caused Race to fall in love with her and marry her. She continues to live in the Noble Family mansion after Race's death.
- Krennick: Race's best friend, and the son of Draconis, Doc Noble's Arch Enemy. A demon who holds unrequited feelings for Zephyr.
- Celeste: A publicity-hungry heroine with stellar energy powers who was married to Rusty, but had a long-standing affair with Frost.
- Olympia: Doc's second wife, a superstrong beauty queen with two children from a previous marriage.
- Surge: Olympia's son, and the youngest of the Nobles. In need of a serious attitude adjustment; gets on poorly with just about everyone due to his explosive temper.
- Minutae: Olympia's daughter. Extremely introverted and removed from social interactions, she strikes a quick friendship with Doc due to her love of science.
- Amy: Surge's girlfriend, who accused Frost of raping her after he resisted her advances. The real Amy had actually been killed and replaced by a shapeshifting assassin before her introduction in the comic.
- Slate Blackthorne: The youngest of the villainous Blackthorne family, who can turn into a gigantic rock-man and eventually abandoned his family to marry Zephyr.
Tropes used in Noble Causes include:
- A Day in The Life
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: (Icarus, Doc Noble's Robotic Assistant, sees himself as Doc's firstborn and makes attempts on the lives of all of his "siblings", since they were such a disappointment to Doc.)
- Author's Saving Throw: (at the end of the third miniseries, Liz goes to an Alternate Universe where Race is alive and well.)
- Cliff Hanger (one of the series' biggest strengths)
- Convenient Miscarriage: (Subverted with Zephyr. Supervillains faked a miscarriage and abducted the baby.)
- Family Feud (the Nobles and the Blackthorne family)
- Flash Back (usually used to cast character's actions in a more sympathetic light)
- Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke (the source of Celeste's powers)
- Home Porn Movie (The source of a scandal around Zephyr; A gun was held to a little girl's head in order to coerce her into participating.)
- Grand Theft Me: Gaia's Loony Fan switches bodies with Doc
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Surge's entire character revolves around this.
- If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him (subverted when Doc Noble killed Draconis)
- Love Redeems: Celeste once she starts dating Dawn.
- Loads and Loads of Characters
- Meaningful Name (nearly everyone)
- Mirror Universe
- The Real Heroes (Frost gets an award for saving a bunch of firefighters and says they're the real heroes.)
- Ridiculously Human Robot (Cosmic Rae)
- Shared Universe: Invincible and Savage Dragon have made appearances in the comic)
- Soaperizing: To the point it's more like a Soap Opera with occasional superpowers.
- Sympathy for the Devil: (at times, Draconis seems more sympathetic than Doc Noble)
- Canon Welding: The "Faerberverse" consists of this comic, Dynamo 5, Venture & Firebirds.
- Time Skip: Issue #32 takes place 5 years after the previous issue.
- Uncanceled
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