Noir

Noir
Noir's logo as it appeared in the first Noir standalone issue, Crimes Against Fun #7. Art by Joseph Leeson. (1951)
Publication
Publisher	QUACK! Comics QUACK! Studios
First Appearance	Crimes Against Fun #7
Created By	Joseph Leeson Rain Jeuvam
Formats	Cinema Comics Novels Television
Character Information
Alter-Ego	Quentin Harrison Alley Strider
Species	Human
Place of Origin	Bourensfort, GA Rodriguezville, CA (USQ)
Team Affiliations	ICEC Knights of Life Goons of the Past
Associates	Biff Jones Selena Harvey Josh Wright
Abilities	Genius intellect Street knowledge Skilled combatant Peak physical shape Utilizes weapons technologies Does not die naturally
Enemies	Slapjack SlimKicker Rozelyn D'Amilio The Codifier

Noir (Quentin Harrison) is a fictional superhero appearing in numerous comic book series published by QUACK! Comics as well as the movie of the same name. Noir is based in the United States of Quentin, and was designed primarily by Joseph Leeson and Rain Jeuvam, with his first appearance being in Crimes Against Fun #7. Originally named simply Quentin Harrison, the character adopted the name Noir after his parents are killed. Noir also goes by the names of Harrison, Quentin, or the Alley Strider. Noir is mainly depicted in the 1910's, 1920's, and 1930's, although he has been depicted in more recent times as a part of the Knights of Life, as Noir is notable for his immortality against natural death.

Noir's alternate identity is that of Quentin Harrison, a middle-aged railroad worker, who is part of a poor family. Noir originated from an incident when he was a child involving the death of his parents, Billie Harrison and Darla Harrison. The family lived in Bourensfort, however on a trip to Poleton Harrison's parents were killed during a fight between the Mukdukk and the JP Mellio. Harrison survived, and moved permanently to Rodriguezville, pledging to avenge his parents by opposing the gangs of the state. After this, his first battle with Slapjack gave him immunity against natural death.

Harrison does not have any supernatural powers besides this immortality, however his genius intellect, street knowledge, weapons construction abilities, and peak physical fitness make him extremely formidable. He lives in Rodriguezville, however travels all across the USQ and even into the Megatridimensional Order and Paladinia for some issues. Additionally, Noir is frequently stationed onboard KNOL, the Knights of Life satellite orbiting the planet. His allies include Biff Jones, a fellow railroad worker who has a politician for an uncle, Selena Harvey, Noir's love interest who is part of the social elite of the city and who is kept apart from Noir because of her parents, and director of the Interdepartmental Committee on Extraordinary Crime (ICEC) Josh Wright, a fictional government agency which helps Noir fight criminals, though Noir is at odds with the ICEC because of his opposition to all gang activity, even legal ones.

Noir has a large assortment of enemies as well, including his archenemy Slapjack, along with SlimKicker, Rozelyn D'Amilio, and the Codifier. As a part of the QUACK! Comics and QUACK! Studios universe, Noir is often seen as a member or supporting character of the Knights of Life, a superhero organization operating in the country, however does not play as often a role in the organization as other characters, such as Good Hope, Humakavula, or Housefires. Noir does prove invaluable in the group when locating villains, as his many contacts make him extremely knowledgeable, and often prefers to negotiate with criminals, unless they are involved with gangs.

Noir became a huge success in the USQ after the conclusion of the Crimes Against Fun series in 1949, and in 1951 the character gained his own comic series, titled Noir, which is still published today. By the end of the 20th century, Noir was the best-selling comic book series in the country, and Noir gained his own television series, which was also a large success. With the success of many superhero movies in the early 2000's, such as the M.O.D.S. franchise, Catastrophica, and Grindhog, QUACK! Studios decided to release its own films, including Good Hope: Starlight and Humakavula: Dark Shadows, and Noir gained a film of his own titled Chronicles of Noir, released in November of 2020. The film received critical acclaim, and despite an unexpectedly slow opening week at the box office, the film broke numerous records on its opening weekend.

Characterization

Noir's secret identity is that of Quentin Harrison, a middle-aged railroad worker who comes from a poor family. As a child, Quentin witnessed an event involving the death of his parents, Billie Harrison and Darla Harrison. The family lived in Bourensfort, however on a trip to Poleton Harrison's parents were killed during a fight between the Mukdukk and the JP Mellio. Harrison survived, and moved permanently to Rodriguezville, pledging to avenge his parents by opposing the gangs of the state. After this, his first battle with Slapjack gave him immunity against natural death. Noir easily averts suspicion of his alter ego, as his poor railroad job results in many not noticing he even exists, as he is treated badly by many. Noir's personality as Quentin Harrison is similar to his personality as Noir, being quite reserved. However, Harrison is much less arrogant and outspoken as Harrison, attempting to keep his head down and blend in with the other poor workers.

Those working alongside him at his railroad job as well as his friends believe Harrison to be poor, and he in fact has a residence in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Rodriguezville. However, his genius intellect and ability to deal with gangs in the city have led to him acquiring a large amount of wealth, enabling him to build a hideout in an abandoned mine. Noir enters his mine through an old rail car, and his hideout includes many useful tools and records, along with advanced technology, at least for the 1920's. Noir does lead a rather modest live in comparison to his wealth, however, as he gives the majority of his money to children's charities in the city. In one particular 1990's issue, Noir gave a donation of $220 million to the Quentinian Society for Social Care. Noir avoids killing, as he is a devout member of the Weber National Church, a Christian Protestant church, however tends to lose control of himself when in contact with the various gangs and criminals of the city, being quite vengeful against anyone belonging to a gang.

Supporting Characters

See main articles: List of Noir Supporting Characters and List of Noir Enemies

Noir has a long list of supporting characters who have developed throughout Noir's publication history, including allies, enemies, and bystanders.

Enemies

Noir has many enemies, ranging from common criminals to supervillains. Noir is unique in that in addition to solo criminals, he also fights numerous crime gangs and syndicates. Noir's archenemy is Slapjack, a former crime boss who lost his job after Noir shut down the syndicate he ran. After losing his job, Slapjack became extremely homicidal and maniacal, committing numerous crimes across the city and attempting to exact revenge on Noir through his card-based crime. Other major recurring villains include SlimKicker, a villain powered with shrinking abilities, Rozelyn D'Amilio, a seductive genius who is the villain of many QUACK! Comics heroes, the Codifier, an ex-ICEC agent who carries out justice severely and illegally, Fox-Giant, Zoom, and Aunt Rosa. Additionally, Noir fights the Rooks and the Blisters, two major crime syndicates, and their leaders Jacob Brier and Evie Green. Noir also fights the real-life Mukdukk and JP Mellio gangs, however only fights the more radical members of the gangs.

Fictional Plot

20th Century

Origin

See main articles: Crimes Against Fun § #7-12, Noir (comic book series)

The origin period for Noir was published from 1949 to 1956, and involves Noir's parents, Billie Harrison and Darla Harrison, being killed by gangs in Poleton, around the year 1906. Noir, at the time 14-year old Quentin Harrison, survived the incident, and moved to Rodriguezville, pledging to avenge his parents' death by fighting criminal gangs in the country. Once in Rodriguezville, Quentin Harrison became a railroad worker, working for very little pay and being looked down upon by many of the city's elite. While in his job, Noir meets Biff Jones, and the two become very good friends. While walking home from work, the two find an abandoned mine, and Noir decides to explore. This is where he originally finds his mine hideout, although he does not equip the cave yet. After exploring, Noir decides to take on a dark persona, wearing a trench coat, fedora hat, and spectacles. During the origin period, Noir decides to shut down the Billings Crime Syndicate, which ran a number of criminal organizations in the area. After Noir successfully shuts down the operation, killing many members and threatening others, the gang leader Brent Newton becomes unemployed, eventually becoming insane and desperate for revenge against Noir. Eventually Newton takes on the persona of Slapjack, basing numerous murders in the city around the theme of gambling.

Slapjack is soon wanted by the police, and Noir soon notices Slapjack has killed many people who are close to him, including a fellow railroad worker, and a member of a club in the city which Harrison also belonged to. Soon, the two meet, and after a battle, Noir wins, with Slapjack retreating from the city despite the best efforts of Noir to kill him. After this first major battle, Noir gathers his first case file report, stashing it in his hideout and beginning his cache of weapons as well. Additionally, Noir first meets Garfield G. Jones, uncle of his friend Biff and major politician, who promises to help Noir fight crime using his influence and considerable wealth.

Original Escapades

See main article: Noir (comic book series)

The Original Escapades period was published from 1956 to 1961, although the period takes place during the 1920's. During this period, Noir battles numerous gangs in the city of Rodriguezville, while also establishing a number of associates and allies. In the first sequence of Original Escapades, Noir fights the Rooks Syndicate, led by Jacob Brier. It is during the fight with the Rooks that Noir meets Selena Harvey, a member of the social elite of the city who attempts to infiltrate the Rooks to gain the influence of the gang. Noir meets Harvey as he is trying to kill their leader, and far from being terrified of Noir, Harvey is intrigued by him. After Harvey infiltrates Noir's hideout, the two agree to fight crime in the city together. Harvey still does not know Noir's identity, however, which is not revealed to her until the Supervillain Period. As the two fight the crime syndicates, Noir falls in love with Harvey, and soon his railroad job takes on a contract for Harvey's father, who is a member of the social elite. Noir meets Selena as Quentin Harrison while talking to her father, however Harvey shows no interest, herself being intrigued with Noir and not knowing Harrison is Noir.

This conflict in the relationship of Noir and Harvey continues for the entirety of the Escapades period, however the two continue to fight crime in the city together. The two take down two smaller gangs which support the Rooks Syndicate, and soon the Rooks take notice of Noir, with Jacob Brier facing off against Noir in an alley in Rodriguezville. After Noir kills Brier in the alley, the second-in-command of the Rooks, Nina Bestieh, kidnaps Selena Harvey, attempting to use her as leverage to get Noir to back off. Noir secretly infiltrates the gang, however, and after gaining the trust of many in the organization, he infiltrates Bestieh's hideout and drops down on her from the ceiling, killing her. Harvey is saved, and the two share a romantic moment, although it is still one of tension, as Noir does not know how to feel about Harvey, and Harvey does not know who Noir really is.

At the end of the Escapades period, the two take down a number of other gangs across the city, and Noir even travels to Bourensfort, attempting to defeat a criminal who was rigging elections in the city and across the state. After Noir defeats the criminal, Tereese McLaurin, he is noticed by the Interdepartmental Committee on Extraordinary Crime (ICEC), and the head of the organization Josh Wright. The ICEC is a QUID-like organization, and Wright approaches Noir at the end of the period, attempting to use his skills on a nationwide scale, fighting supervillains such as Slapjack. Noir refuses, however, and after he is threatened and taunted for his appearance by many ICEC agents, Noir kills numerous people on his way out of the compound and back to Rodriguezville. Once back in Rodriguezville, Noir discovers that a new supervillain by the name of SlimKicker has begun a streak of crime across the city, aided by a former ICEC agent now known as the Codifier.

Supervillain Period

See main article: Noir: Villainous Shadows

The Supervillain Period was published from 1963 to 1971, although fictionally it takes place during the late 1930's, after the Greater Venturian War. Additionally, though the period fictionally takes place nearly a decade after the prior period, it chronologically takes place immediately following the events of the prior period. The period begins with Noir fighting the new villain duo of SlimKicker, a drug lord who is famous for his powers of shrinking and his large feet, and the Codifier, a former ICEC agent who seeks to carry out the law violently and effectively, wanting to kill Noir for his murder of crime lords and ICEC agents. After the Codifier and SlimKicker use their influence to convince the city's politicians to make Noir a criminal, and SlimKicker beats Noir in a fight, using his shrinking abilities to confuse him, Noir goes to Selena Harvey for help. Harvey is scared and suspicious, as her father and other elite socialites have been warning of the dangers of Noir. However, as Noir (as Quentin Harrison) saves Selena from being thrown off a building by the Codifier, after which he reveals to her his identity as Noir and gains her complete trust. The two then battle the Codifier first, with Selena digging up his past and convincing the ICEC that he is a danger. After the ICEC command the Rodriguezville police to turn on the Codifier, Noir then confronts him, fighting the Codifier and eventually beating him. The ICEC take the Codifier to prison, and after a conversation with ICEC head Josh Wright, the two come to an understanding, becoming allies for the first time.

The SlimKicker is more difficult to catch, however, as he evades the police with his shrinking abilities and the help of his drug associates. Noir finally tracks SlimKicker to Lindin, where the two face off, resulting in SlimKicker retreating again to Kumar City. In a dramatic scene, Noir tracks SlimKicker to Skyward Row, a marketplace in the city, and uses stealth to capture him, simultaneously injuring him so that he cannot use his shrinking abilities. ICEC takes SlimKicker into custody, and Noir and Selena go back to living life in Rodriguezville. A new conflict arises in their relationship, as Harvey's father disapproves of Harrison's low status as a railroad worker, forbidding Harvey to see Harrison. All this time, Noir's friend Biff Jones still does not know of his secret identity. As Noir continues to fight lower level crime gangs, he soon discovers that the criminal Slapjack is back, and is slowly taking over numerous criminal gangs in the area, including the Blisters Syndicate, parts of the JP Mellio and Mukdukk, and Aunt Rosa's Gang. Noir soon finds Slapjack, and the two battle, causing Slapjack to fall into a vat of toxic chemicals. Although this should have been fatal, Slapjack reemerges with superpowers, including those of agility, speed, and quick reflexes. After this battle, Slapjack escapes, and during this time develops his signature weapons, which are razor sharp playing cards. At the end of the storyline, Noir meets Slapjack in a large battle, and despite the fact that Slapjack has numerous criminals on his side, Noir is able to fight them off and singlehandedly takes down Slapjack. Although he attempts to brutally kill the criminal, Josh Wright and Selena Harvey stop him, leading to his arrest.

After the Slapjack storyline, Noir becomes the leader of numerous gangs because of his defeat of their former leader, Slapjack. He immediately dissolves the gangs, however is left with a massive fortune, upwards of $50 million. He uses this money to upgrade his hideout and technology, gaining access to technologies like radar, and equipping his hideout with security features. He also gives a $1 million donation to charitable organizations, buys a new car for Selena Harvey, and gets Biff a promotion at the railroad business, which has a corrupt system of promotion based around bribes. Noir begins spending more time at his hideout than at his home, and Selena also spends more time with him there, away from the disapproving sentiments of her parents.

This is when Noir comes into conflict with Aunt Rosa, an old lady who ran Aunt Rosa's Gang before Noir won it from Slapjack. Although the two had come to a previous arrangement, Rosa is angry that Noir dissolved the gang, and soon forms a new iteration of the gang. Aunt Rosa is remarkably strong, and has effective fighting skills. She soon sends numerous gang members to kill Noir and Selena, and Noir prevents a few of these assassination attempts before seeking out Aunt Rosa. Aunt Rosa leads him to a warehouse, where he is trapped. As it so happened, Biff Jones was in the area, and told Selena something suspicious was happening, though he still does not know about Noir being Quentin Harrison at this point. Selena then sneaks in and breaks Noir out, though they are confronted by Aunt Rosa just before escaping. Aunt Rosa knocks out Selena before advancing on Noir, and although she is has super strength and effective fighting skills, she is no match for Noir, who takes her down. After Aunt Rosa is in jail, Noir uses his intelligence to bust a drug deal her gang was putting together, outsmarting both the gang and the police to take down the gang.

First Knights of Life Period

See main article: Knights of Life Team

Published from 1974 to 1985, Noir's first entry into the Knights of Life comes in the fictional year of 1974, over 40 years after the last period. Due to his immortality from natural death, Noir is still the same age in 1974, although his friends Selena Harvey and Biff Jones, along with Josh Wright, have died. Noir is still fighting crime in Rodriguezville, however soon a massive tornado sweeps through the city, leaving Noir shocked. Noir looks up in the sky to see Good Hope, a superhero, battling with Doctor Storm, who is controlling the tornado. Noir confronts Good Hope, and questions him about what happened, saying that he doesn't like Good Hope's reckless attitude. During their conversation, the building they're standing on collapses, revealing Steel Snapper, another enemy to Good Hope. The two retreat, as Steel Snapper is accompanied by Slapjack, one of Noir's enemies, as well as Two-Kay, another villain. The two go to Noir's hideout, and Noir researches Two-Kay. After this, the two go to Clint Wright, the son of Josh Wright, who leads the Interdepartmental Committee on Extraordinary Crime (ICEC). Clint then introduces them to Nuclear Flame and Raven's Assassin, who tell the two heroes about Two-Kay.

Return to the Streets

Second Knights of Life Period

21st Century

Expanded Universe Escapades

Third Knights of Life Period

Television Plot

See main article: Noir (television series)

Cinematic Plot

See main article: Chronicles of Noir, Humakavula: Dark Shadows