Nova Vol. 1: Annihilation: Conquest

by Roger Ash

You know that feeling you get when you discover something really cool and exciting and you can’t wait to share it with everyone? That’s how I’ve been feeling recently. Let me tell you about my favorite corner of the Marvel Universe. You probably know about all the exciting stories that are going on in Avengers, X-Men, and Spider-Man, but are you familiar with what’s going on in the Cosmic Corner of the Marvel Universe? I’m talking specifically about Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy. Holy crap! These are great comics! Ahem. OK, I’ll try to conduct myself with a bit more decorum in the rest of the column, but excitement may get the better of me from time to time. I had heard rumblings on the internet about what great series these were and decided to find out for myself. I’m glad I did.

I’m gonna focus on Nova this time as some people may find it easier to get into a comic with a single lead character as opposed to a team book. Although, to be honest, Nova does sorta become a team book. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I have to admit that I never followed the adventures of Nova in the past, but I was aware of his solo adventures as well as his time with the New Warriors. That didn’t stop me from enjoying this series from the first issue as writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, under the guidance of editor Bill Rosemann, told me everything I needed to know from the get go.

If you’re not familiar with Nova, let me give you a bit of background. Nova is Richard Rider. He became Nova when a dying alien imbued him with his power. As Nova, he became a part of the Nova Corps who are sort of a galactic police force. However, all of the Nova Corps except Richard were killed during the Annihilation Event leaving all of the Nova Force housed in Richard. (Abnett & Lanning’s first Nova miniseries was part of this storyline.) The Worldmind, a computer that contained all the knowledge of the planet Xandar and guided the Nova Corps, was downloaded into Richard’s brain. Nova is a one man police force trying to bring the bad guys of the universe to justice.

You may say to me, “Roger, that sounds kinda like Green Lantern.” And I’d say, “It does, doesn’t it?” But for me it’s only a surface similarity. The powers of Nova and GL are not the same, the two Corps work in very different ways, and the Worldmind is unlike any Guardian I’ve seen before. I do think it would be fun to see a Nova/Green Lantern crossover. Between Geoff Johns, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning I bet they could come up with one heck of a story.

One thing that quickly endeared Abnett & Lanning’s writing style to me is that it is a pleasant mix of old and new. These are not old fashioned stories, but there is a respect for the past and the character in that they take what has been done and build on it. Characters are usually introduced in the story itself, many times during a battle, so a reader can jump on board in any issue and know enough to follow the story. And the stories are full of action, humor, character moments, and just plain superhero fun. Let’s look at some specifics and examine the collections that are available. I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there will be some story points discussed.

Nova Vol. 1: Annihilation: Conquest. This volume is your introduction to Nova as you learn who he is and what he’s about. Due to a mishap, he ends up back on Earth during the superhero Civil War. Nova’s conversation with Tony Stark/Iron Man about the Civil War is wonderful and puts a nice twist on the event. Nova heads back space where he encounters the deadliest woman in the galaxy, Gamora, who has been taken over by the Phalanx, a robotic race who are the villains in the Annihilation: Conquest story. Nova also becomes infected by the Phalanx as does Drax the Destroyer.

Nova Vol. 2: Knowhere

Nova Vol. 2: Knowhere is my favorite collection in the series due to the introduction of Knowhere and its head of security, Cosmo. Knowhere is an odd research station at the edge of the universe. Cosmo is a former Russian cosmonaut with strong telepathic and telekinetic powers. And he’s also a taking dog. (Knowhere and Cosmo later become important parts of Guardians of the Galaxy.)  This volume also includes a storyline featuring Warlock, formerly of the New Mutants. At the end, Nova, Gamorra, and Drax take off to take on the Phalanx.

If you want to know how the Phalanx war ends, you have to read Annihalation: Conquest Vol. 2, which also reprints some of the Nova stories from Volume 1. I understand the desire to have a complete story between the two Annihalation: Conquest volumes, but I’m not wild about having to buy some of the stories twice. I would have liked the Annihilation: Conquest miniseries, and the related miniseries, collected on its own.

Nova Vol. 3: Secret Invasion

Nova Vol. 3: Secret Invasion. As you may have guessed, this volume takes place during the Secret Invasion event, but it stars out with a rip-roaring space adventure pitting Nova against Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and a menace called Harrow. During the excitement, Worldmind is damaged and goes offline. Traveling to Earth, Nova joins forces with his former teammate, Darkhawk, to protect equipment held at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. from the invading Skrulls. The computers at P.E.G.A.S.U.S. also become the new home for the Worldmind. Some of my favorite moments in this volume come when Richard has a reunion with his younger brother, Robert Rider, who is employed at P.E.G.A.S.U.S. These personal moments really help define Richard’s personality. Surprisingly, at the end of the volume, the new Nova Corps arrives to save the day.

Nova Vol. 4: Nova Corps

Nova Vol. 4: Nova Corps. Nova learns that the Worldmind has been rebuilding the Nova Corps behind his back and their base of operation has to be seen to be believed. (See, I told you it would sorta become a team book.) Richard doesn’t object to a new Corps, but has problems with how quickly the Worldmind is recruiting plus the number of recruits, including his brother, Robbie. The Worldmind doesn’t take kindly to Richard’s objections and takes the Nova Force from him. This volume also features a very fun New Warriors reunion. The volume wraps up with a special that reprints Nova#1 and 4 from 1976 written by Marv Wolfman with art by John Buscema and Sal Buscema.

Nova Vol. 5: War of Kings

Nova Vol. 5: War of Kings. The Worldmind gets the Nova Corps involved in the War of Kings, a battle between the Shi’Ar, the Kree, and the Inhumans. Richard’s fears come true as many of the Nova Corps are killed in battle. After regaining the Nova Force and Worldmind making an interesting change, Nova and the Corps battle the Strontian and have a fun encounter with Blastarr and his forces from the Negative Zone. The Corps is mostly disbanded by the end of the story, but a core remains.

This volume is an excellent example of how you can tell a complete story within the context of a larger story. While the War of Kings took part in its own miniseries, as well as some related miniseries,  the Nova story tells you everything you need to know. If you want to know the whole story, that’s cool and recommended, but the story in Nova is a side battle and complete unto itself, yet added to the War of Kings story as a whole.

Nova Vol. 6: Realm of Kings

And Volume 6: Realm of Kings is currently available for pre-order and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

The art for these volumes is mostly done by Wellington Alves and Andrea Di Vito, with others filling in along the way. The art is quite good and compliments the story well. My descriptions of these books only scratches the surface of what’s in these volumes. There are more than enough thrills to go around.

It took me a while to get the great trick Abnett and Lanning were accomplishing with Nova. Here was a character I really wasn’t familiar with when I started reading, but at some point they made me care about him. I felt awful when his powers were taken from him, I smiled during his reunion over beer and pizza with his former teammates, and it warmed my heart when I saw how much he and his brother care for each other. I think if you give the series a try, you’ll feel that way, too.

And as an aside, make sure you check out my interview with Abnett & Lanning to learn their plans for the Marvel cosmic characters in The Thanos Imperative.

Now, go read a comic!

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