Black History Month in Comics: Catalyst Prime: Noble Vol. 1 Godshots Review

CATALYST PRIME: NOBLE VOL. 1: GODSHOTS
Written by BRANDON THOMAS
Art by ROGER ROBINSON, JAMAL IGLE
Cover by ROGER ROBINSON
Astronaut David Powell helped save the Earth from an approaching asteroid. In the resulting explosion, David gained superhuman telekinetic powers but lost his memories. Now back on Earth, David is on the run from the Foresight Corporation and its CEO, Lorena Payan, using his new powers to stay alive long enough to regain his memories, family, and identity. nTo put her family back together, Astrid Allen-Powell will use every skill and weapon in her arsenal to get back the man she loves. nThe first series of the Catalyst Prime superhero universe is collected, with art by series regular Roger Robinson and Jamal Igle.
OCTOBER 31 | RATED T | $14.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL



INTRODUCTION

Catalyst Prime is a new superhero universe comics publisher Lion Forge started in May 2017 with the release of the FCBD one-shot Catalyist Prime: The Event. Shortly after "The Event" introduced all of the main characters of the line, Lion Forge launched their flaship title Catalyst Prime: Noble that same month. It is a comic fronted by a young black married couple, written and edited by the all black creative team of Brandon Thomas, Roger Robinson, Jamal Igle, and Joseph P. Illidge, with colours provided by Juan Fernandez.

Prior to "The Event" the residents of the Catalyst Prime universe were ordinary people living ordinary lives and working ordinary jobs. Kids went to school, parents worked, and others were simply looking for their life's calling. Life wasn't too spectacular for a lot of the CP residents, but were nonetheless content with what they had. That is until the mysterious Icarus2 asteroid suddenly appeared bound for direct impact on Earth, prompting a certain Mexican entrepreneur by the name of Lorena Payan to send a group of astronauts on a suicide mission to destroy the asteroid and prevent armageddon. Though seemingly a successful mission that resulted in the heroic sacrifices of these brave astronauts, the aftermath of their mission, however, still changed both the course of history and the lives of so many people both directly and indirectly, even accidentally.

Lorena Payan is without question the heart and centre of the CP universe since so much of the world's narrative is centred around her actions. This also makes Lorena the world's most mysterious figure, especially when you consider that she knows more about the origin of the mysterious Icarus2 asteroid then the rest of the people inhabiting this world. From the way Lorena hides important information from her own employees to way that she thoroughly manipulates situations and the people in her life as a way of maintaining control of the events surrounding the Icarus2 asteroid, it really does get you to question whom she truly is as a person and whether or not she's a friend or foe.

To everyone not intimately associated with Lorena, she is simply known as the CEO and entrepreneur of Foresight Corporation, a company that specialises in aerodynamic engineering and astronomic research. A lot of the technology Lorena develops is for space exploration, or so the world thinks. To those who intimately know Lorena are aware of her questionable character and are not particularly trusting of her motives. In addition to the research she does on the front of long duration space exploration (LDSE), Lorena is known by those close to her to also participate in illegal human experimentation and appears to be building her own army, though no one knows why she is doing any of this. One of the books that explores this aspect of Lorena's character in depth is Catalyst Prime: Noble, whose lead protagonists David Powell and his wife Astrid Allen-Powell are all directly affected by Lorena's actions as former employees of hers.


A BRAND NEW LIFE

Set a year after "The Event," the first volume of Noble, "Godshots" (which collects issues #1-4, as well as the FCBD one-shot) deals with the aftermath of the asteroid mission and it especially follows up on the life of one of the astronauts who was sent off on that suicide mission, David Powell. However, it isn't just David who is affected by the aftermath of that mission. His wife, Astrid, and son are affected as well. Astrid in particular decides to utilise her skills as a former agent of Foresight Corporation to look for her missing husband and reunite her family.

Most of the first volume alternates between David's and Astrid's points of view and writer Brandon Thomas along with primary artist Roger Robinson masterfully craft just how very different their perspectives are. Astrid has a very clear focus whereas David's focus is all over the map. The latter is done to convey David's traumatic state of mind, as well as the fact that he has amnesia. A year after the event, David has no idea who he is, where he comes from, or why he ended up where he ended up. He just goes through life as best he can, though he does occasionally remember glimpses of his past, namely his marriage to Astrid and his son, showing that they are his happiest memories.

We also get flashbacks of David's past following the immediate aftermath of his mission, which is confusing and mysterious to both David and the reader alike. Just what exactly did happen when David went into Earth's orbit along with several other astronauts to destroy that Icarus2 asteroid? How much control did they really have over their already dangerous situation? How much control did Lorena Payan have in orchestrating this whole scheme and what is her endgame? What is the significance of the asteroid being called "Icarus2" a name that is clearly borrowed from the tragic hero of Greek mythology who's hubris caused him to fly too close to the sun, causing his artificial wings to melt and sending him plunging to his death? What does the name reveal about Lorena's character and David's role in her scheme?

These are all mysteries and questions that are revealed as Thomas' story progresses, and the questions more often lead to more questions than any real answers. Lorena continues to demonstrate a manipulative character but David (along with Astrid and the reader) continue to be in the dark about her actual motives. At best, David (as well as the reader) are aware that she wants to create some super soldiers of her own and David apparently happens to be one of Lorena's earlier experiments, though very clearly without his consent. We also learn that David does not agree with what Lorena is doing and is very visibly angry that she had turned him into one of her guinea pigs. Lorena, however, doesn't seem at all bothered by this, but does show that she can control David's new powers as well as his memories.

Could this be a clue that Lorena--like the mythological Icarus--is equally narcissistic and setting herself up for her own tragic downfall? Well...


POWER PLAY

Another major theme that is explored in the first volume of Noble is obsession with power, which is not a surprising theme in many superhero stories, though this theme is not always explored in a meaningful way. In Thomas' story, however, it is very carefully explored without painting any of the book's antagonists as cookie-cutter villains.

Lorena's obsession with power is a given in this first volume, though Lorena isn't depicted as a fascist or a tyrant as much as she is depicted as a very flawed, perhaps even misguided individual. When Lorena is not obsessing over her own project, she actually does philanthropist work to improve the Mexican community and especially invests in the education of Mexican children. All of this was established in "The Event" one-shot, which makes her actions in Noble all the more troubling and unnerving.

Just what exactly is she up to and why is she actively hurting the lives of very innocent people like David and Astrid Powell? Why is she actively destroying their happy family, especially when they have a young son together? When you especially factor in that Lorena does have a very personal history with Astrid in particular, things really don't add up! Why do something like this to someone you are supposedly close to when this risks severing that close relationship in very permanent ways? These are additional questions Thomas cleverly adds to the mystery of all of the characters involved, not to mention it helps to build the world these characters inhabit. But it isn't the just threat of Lorena both David and Astrid have to concern themselves with. There is an additional competitor for Lorena's technology, and that is the mysterious Dr. Mayes who was also present when David was first being experimented on by Lorena.

More mysterious than Lorena herself is Dr. Mayes. Unlike Lorena who has an established reputation and a public persona, Dr. Mayes is far less known and operates in the shadows. What adds further to his mystery is that he shares the common goal with Lorena of creating super soldiers of his own but his motives are equally not known. Does he recognise Lorena as a dangerous threat to the world they inhabit and is creating super soldiers to combat whatever disaster Lorena plans to orchestrate for self gain, or is Mayes equally corrupt? The way Thomas depicts Dr. Mayes in this first volume makes it seem as though he could go either way, and his presence is especially chilling when you consider the way Robinson draws him as very calm and collected before he shows his more sinister face.

Between what Dr. Mayes and Lorena are doing, what is all of this amounting to? Well, nothing good, that's for sure. But this is only the beginning of what Thomas is clearly building as a fight for power between two very equally dangerous individuals. We just don't know how dangerous and which is the lesser of two evils.

But what does David himself have to say about all this, and what about his wife Astrid?


SUPERHERO ORIGIN

The last major theme that is explored in this first volume of Noble is David's superhero origin, and it is a very compelling one. Like many superheroes who first discover or acquire their powers, he doesn't have full control of them. However, this trope is also handled in a very unconventional way by Thomas. In addition to the fact that David doesn't fully understand the nature of his powers and is only just learning how to use them in a more controlled manner, it is also known that as one of Lorena's experiments, he is never going to be in complete control. So how in control is David? How much of David's actions are by his own accord vs programming from Lorena?

For most of this volume, both David and the reader are made to believe that David is in control of every situation he is in. That is until we start learning more about what Lorena did to him during the immediate aftermath of his mission and the questions they all raise. It's especially chilling when you learn some of the details of the experiments Lorena did on him, leading you to question how much of David's journey thus far has been him and how much has been Lorena. When you especially consider how David acquires his own superhero costume, more questions are raised.

Though David's character and circumstances are mysterious in every sense of the word, he is nonetheless of a very engaging character who does live up to his name of "Noble." When he is not fighting for his life for stopping criminals from hurting innocent people, David is very humble and keeps to himself a lot. He's very kind and gentle to the people he meets, but he can also be assertive and stand his ground when pushed to his limits by Lorena or anyone he perceives as threatening. He won't actively hurt anyone and tends treat most everyone he meets with the utmost respect, but he isn't going to be anyone's "bitch" either. He's certainly not going to be tossed around like a metaphorical rag doll nor stepped on like a rug. With a balanced personality such as his, it isn't hard to imagine why his wife Astrid fell in love with him in the first place.

And speaking of which...


CAN'T HAVE SUPERMAN WITHOUT LOIS LANE

I simply could not end this discussion on Noble Vol. 1 without discussing David's wife, Astrid, who plays a very important role in David's story. Just like DC's Lois Lane from the Superman family of comics, Astrid is more than just the love interest, and she certainly fulfils a much more important role than mere supporting cast. She is more accurately the co-lead, and like David, she too has her own story arc that interconnects with his, as well as the larger Catalyst Prime narrative.

One of the things that stands out right away about Astrid as a character is her determination. She's very much an action girl and not the type who sits back and waits for anything to happen. If there's a problem, she will work to resolve it. If the problem is especially personal, she will go through hell and back to undo the damage, and possibly even cause some damage of her own to make her point clear. But even when Astrid isn't fighting against personal battles, that isn't all there is to her character. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is also a former James Bond type of agent of Lorena's corporation.

Though Astrid's relationship with Lorena and Foresight Corporation isn't explored in depth until Noble Vol. 2: Never Events (out 17 April 2018), we do learn in Vol. 1 that Astrid and Lorena were at least friends at one point. When their relationship started to sour is implied to have started sometime before the events involving the Icarus2 asteroid, though tensions certainly intensified after the fact. Whether or not things go up or down for Astrid and Lorena moving forward, or whether Lorena's actions against David creates a point of no return for Astrid is one of the ongoing narratives of Noble. It is certainly one I'm interested in seeing explored further in upcoming story arcs.

One last thing that is interesting about Astrid is her relationship with David himself. What's remarkably different about this relationship that makes it stand out from other superhero romance stories is the fact that Astrid and David are already in the married chapter of their relationship. Not only are we witnessing firsthand an already existing superhero marriage right from the start (a rarity in and of itself), but the premise also allows Thomas to juxtapose their current relationship with the initial courtship via flashbacks as a way of creating history and depth for the couple. It is admittedly one of my favourite sub-plots of the book and it's one I look forward to reading every single month.
(Things especially heat up in Vol.2, with the concluding chapter, issue #9, out this week!)


VERDICT

On the whole, Noble Vol. 1: Godshots is a very fun book to start with for getting invested in the Catalyst Prime universe. The story and characters are very engaging, Thomas' world building is impeccable, and the artwork by Robinson and Igle coupled with Fernandez' colours provide very stunning visuals. The story is very easy to follow and evenly paced, but it also keeps you on the edge of your seat with every new twist and turn that each of the characters' journeys take. Definitely worth picking up, and I highly recommend picking up Vol. 2 (issues #5-9) as well, which is currently in floppy format in comic shops right now, as well as in digital on comixology. The trade collection will be out 17 April 2018.

★★★★★