Nova

Nova #2

Nova #2The first issue might have been a little too much set-up, but Nova #2 is a hell of a lot of fun. Sam Alexander wakes up in the hospital to find the fictional characters from his father’s bedtime stories, Rocket Racoon and Gamora, standing at his bedside. Like any rational teenage hit with a crazy ass situation, Sam freaks the hell out (especially after the “talking raccoon” tries to shoot him).

Later that night, after initially deciding to get rid of it, Sam puts on the Nova Corps helmet keyed to his father’s DNA, becomes the new Nova, and watches the final message from his father. The rest of the comic features Sam processing all that has happened over the past few days and experimenting with his new powers before crash landing on the moon at the feet of a Watcher.

Once again Ed McGuinness delivers some great art (although I like my Rocket Raccoon a little more cute and less feral) with so much of the heavy lifting done last issue Jeph Loeb writes a much tighter story with some great humor.

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Nova #1

Nova #1Writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness give us a solid (although at times somewhat confusing) first issue as Marvel NOW! sets out to relaunch Nova with a new hero under the helmet. Part of the problem with Nova #1 is that it has to introduce not one Nova, but two. Had the Loeb been able to fit Sam Alexander‘s story into the already existing Nova history (rather than show us that his drunken father was once a member of the Nova Corps so forgettable he had never appeared in any issue in the Marvel Universe until now).

On the plus side Sam is likable enough (although does Marvel really need more angsty teenage heroes with parental issues?), and the comic does include an appearance by Rocket Raccoon and Gamora (that will nearly always earn you some points in my book).

The structure of the comic, though confusing given none of these characters are familiar, actually works well as Sam’s dad relates his experiences in space to Sam’s younger sister in a series of bedtime stories Sam has gotten too old to believe in anymore.

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