4 Issue Test #21 - Nova

No blank variant again and I can't be bothered to edit a new one, so here's a sh*tty-looking variant instead

Nova was a title I picked up on a whim, I was not initially intending to pick up his title (the same goes for Ant-Man and Uncanny Avengers btw) and Nova does not make the first impression since he’s the hothead of Ultimate Spider-man. But I’m willing to give everything a second chance, so let’s dig into Nova #1-4

Whilst this is relatively irrelevant to the book, it does look good and gives an idea for what to expect in the title

We open with a short piece from a movie. Sam Alexander and his friends are watching it, and making comments until they’re shushed by another moviegoer. They leave and Sam gets a report about a gas main burst in downtown Glendale. He makes an excuse to his friends and heads off as Nova.

His father (Jesse Alexander, also a member of the Nova corps) is already on the scene, he says he hasn’t checked the houses for people so they both head to look to look, suddenly Jesse’s helmet begins to malfunction, he falls in the burning building with his helmet out of his reach, thankfully Sam manages to rescue him. He says there’s someone else up there, it’s a cat, which Nova rescues.

Eva, Sam’s mother, is waiting up for them. Sam and Jesse burst in and she displays her concern for the pair, she asks Jesse if he’s sure that helmet was his old helmet and he counters by saying he couldn’t use it at all if it wasn’t. She doesn’t like not knowing where Sam is, but knowing Jesse is with him makes her feel better.

There’s a pop quiz at school. Sam’s done the reading but one of his friends hasn’t. Meanwhile in Jess’s place of work, a mine shaft, the tremors from last night (the ones that caused the gas leak) caused a disturbance in section N-76 and it’s had to be shut down, they’ve detected some weird movement around there and they need Jesse and his work partner to give the all clear before they can restore power.

They head through a shaft but it begins to collapse, they survive but discover a massive tunnel that shouldn’t be there. After the test is completed with only Nova confident of success he ditches them again to go out on patrol, he destroys a robot or two before heading home. He talks to his father, thanking him for being there and letting them be Novas together. He heads to bed as Jesse continues to make adjustments to the helmet. A mysterious voice asks who that was. His response:

‘That was the son. And no, he has no idea what’s going on’

I get the black background in places is to indicate it being a dark cave but.. they couldn't add the tiniest of details?

Issue 2 opens with Jesse waking Sam up to tell him he’s been called into work, despite it being a Saturday. Nova gets dressed but Jesse’s already gone by the time he gets downstairs, his sister’s already eaten most of the pancakes and syrup. Two of his friends, Blake and Paul, invite him out mini-golfing. He agrees but Eva warns that with his father at work, he really should be fulfilling his Nova duties.

Another massive tunnel has appeared in the mine, it also appears that the copper has been stripped out too. They use explosives to blast the thing out, it’s some sort of giant creature. Jess texts Sam and he manages to blow off his friends, again to head off. He arrives with Jesse’s helmet and they both set their sights on the monster. The monster can breathe fire. Jesse’s helmet shorts out again and he’s caught in a blast. Nova pursues and finds a disfigured man, Sam concludes that this is not his father. He says he’ll explain everything once the monster is defeated but once Sam defeats the monster, he’s gone.

You've could honestly see this scene happening between 2 of the other panels which is nice. But the f*ck is Catsup?

Nova bursts through into Stark headquarters and alerts Tony Stark to the situation, wanting him to hopefully find a way to track Jesse’s helmet. Stark warns him that whoever the imposter was he knows everything about him and his family. Sam heads back home in a panic. They’re fine but Sam alerts them to the situation, having to even confront his little sister about it.

A week later at Avengers HQ (which, lest we forget is an airfield – remember this, I’ll have a point about it later) Nova is energising some wires, completely oblivious to his communicator being active (which should be his phone given ANAD Avengers) it’s Tony, he tells Sam that he hasn’t been able to find the Nova helmet with any of the tools at his disposal but promising they will find a way. Oh and the Avengers HQ is now full of grass and trees, you things you don’t normally find in an airfield.

Iron Man tells Nova, Ms. Marvel and Spider-man (Miles Morales – lest we forget) to head out on patrol together. Ms. Marvel complains she expected more action and less DIY (err), with Spidey Gwondering why Tony doesn’t have a spare penthouse (because he’s kinda sorta not really broke in this version, pay attention) they ask Nova if being an Avenger is what he expected, he says that maybe he got his hopes up to high.

They spot some moloids stealing food on the ground and head off after them. The moloids head into the subway with the trio in pursuit. They head through a hole and see the Subterranea in ruins. The moloids down here are hungry and sick which is why they were stealing food. They find Mole-man, who accuses them of being spies for their son, who’s waging war against him.

He gases the 3 of them, knocking them out but in the next panel they’re magically awake again and facing a giant monster.

Was the big caption box really necessary, and why is the font completely different from the last 3?

Nova beats the giant monster in a fit of rage, he doesn’t listen to Spidey or Ms. Marvel. The rest of the moloids are abandoning Mole Man as his son approaches. Even his monster have deserted him, it was one of his that attacked in Arizona. Nova asks why his son wants to destroy him but Mole Man claims not to know. Nova sees the son approaches and charges through his forces.

He eventually is captured and brought before Mole Man’s son, the Mole Monster. He asks why he’s doing this, Mole Monster explains that Mole Man abandoned him and his mother, left them to fend for themselves. His weakness lead their people to run with his obsession with the surface world. It’s his duty to destroy them. Nova argues that he’s still his father but Mole Monster discards that as the thinking of a child. Nova attacks in anger once again, but is quickly put down. As they’re about to finish him off Spidey rescues him as they head to the surface. The need to report to Cap as they can’t win this fight alone.

They see on the surface that it’s night and Nova rushes home. He finds a letter from his mother. She had to go to the job interview (you know, one of those late night ones) and his sister has been left with neighbours. Sam collapses on his bed before noticing the homework he has yet to do. He trashes the room, accusing his helmet of having ruined everything.

So, that was Nova #1-4, how does everything stack up, well, let’s take a closer look.

Well, these issues are generally fun to read, there’s a nice atmosphere and it’s nice to see a hero enjoy his superhero work (#4 notwithstanding) it’s also a nice dynamic, while it lasted, at least to have a hero work with his father. Which is why it's kinda sad that it didn't last long at all,

The artwork looks brilliant on the monsters and the main characters, some of the side characters look a tad off but it’s generally fine.

But let’s get to my issues, the characters. I know they haven’t done much with Sam’s personal life yet but I’ve yet to hear one of them addressed by name, we know the names of two of Sam’s friends (out of 3) but most of the names I used I google searched rather than attaining them from the issue itself, that’s a major fault from the first issues

There are also some dialogue issues, listen to the following lines

“Education is a gift that I get to unwrap every day” – Sam

“Is it possible that we just let him go” – Spider-man

“Oh, right, ‘cause we’re Avengers” – Spider-man

“You just need to die” – Mole Monster

There are others like that.

Plot wise despite the relative thinness of it, I enjoyed #1-2, #3-4 are where I begin to have problems. The characterisation of Spider-man and Ms. Marvel are head-scratching given how they are in their own books and in the Avengers Title, there’s the aforementioned scene with Mole Man knocking them out only for them to be right back on their feet in the next panel, and the idea of them just stopping mid-fight to call Cap doesn’t sit right with me at all.

Ratings

#1 7.5/10

#2 7.5/10

#3 6.5/10

#4 5.5/10

Overall: 6.75/10

Recommendation: I am going to keep reading this title for the time being, but I hope for more like the first 2 issues than the second two.

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Images/clips used in this review are from Nova and belong to their respective owners. All images/clips in this review are subject to fair use