Nova #2 (mini review)

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

**Spoilers Ahead...kinda**

I really want to like Nova because Jeph and Ed have done some phenomenal stuff together in the past. What sucks is that Nova isn't shaping up to be very good. Maybe it will be, and I'll totally eat my own words if that's the case, but for now, I'm not impressed.

Rocket Raccoon and Gamora appeared at the end of last issue to a bewildered Sam Alexander. Starting exactly where it left of, Sam calls Rocket a "talking raccoon", which proceeds to send the talking raccoon into a murderous rage over being called a talking raccoon. It's important to understand one's place in life, and maybe not be so completely sensitive about a pretty obvious similarity to the raccoons of Earth. Seriously, Rocket needs to get over it.

As far as Sam goes, he's nothing special. I was hoping for some real emotional nuance with this series, but all Sam has going for him is generic teenage angst and a contrived situation that doesn't make much sense. His dad's only been missing for a matter of days and now he's supposedly dead? Wait, what? Where did that come from? Loeb isn't doing himself any favors by keeping readers in the dark; we've been waiting to learn who the new Nova is since Marvel Point One over a year ago. It's about damn time we got the story, and now Jeph Loeb wants to spend six issues outlining the character's origin. Bluuuuuhhhhh. 

GRADE

6/10

Nova #1

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

As a comic book reader who never took the plunge into Marvel's cosmic line in the past, the character Nova is still relatively new to me. I have a basic understanding of the mythos: there's a Nova Corps not dissimilar from DC's Green Lantern Corps, there are multiple character's who have gone by the title Nova, and Richard Rider is by and far the most popular of those characters. Other than that, it's all Greek to me, as they say.

From this starting point, Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness' Nova #1 is a blast. Loeb's balance of space action and rural American life is stark as it is believable in a world where a giant green man can demolish mountains and gods live in Oklahoma. And McGuinness' classic art style shines throughout these pages, juxtaposing Sam Alexander's mundane existence in Carefree, Arizona against his father's stories of weird space adventures with the Black Novas that may or may not be true.

The negativity I've seen toward this series seems rooted mainly in one thing: fandom. Richard Rider is considered the best Nova in Marvel's history, and he's been shelved for a new take on a classic franchise and that irks people. Another point of contention has been Jeph Loeb's explanation that this new, teenaged Nova is based on his own late son; part homage and part inspiration for the stubbornly loyal yet loving Sam Alexander. The complaint is that Loeb should process his grief elsewhere and let Richard Rider be Nova once again. The simple response to that is: us readers don't get to decide how writers are influenced or inspired. 

Instead of pining for the old, why not try and embrace the new? Loeb has introduced a whole new, secret branch of the Nova Corps! That should be an exciting prospect for anyone interested in Marvel's cosmic line because it means new stories and new ideas.

GRADE

8/10

(COMIC) AvX: VS #3 of 6

STORY: Jeph Loeb and Christopher Yost
ART: Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, Terry Dodson, and Rachel Dodson

In the first totally enjoyable issue of AvX: VS, Colossus takes on the Thing while Black Widow and Magik take the fight to the demons in Limbo. While I previously lamented about how both Coloss-onaut and Thing have already been featured in VS, their fight was actually quite enjoyable. Similarly, Black Widow and Magik are generally evenly matched.

One cardinal sin of a comic book is not delivering on what it promises, and last issue's fight between Spider-Man and Colossus was totally boring because they didn't fight so much as Spider-Man quipped and quipped while Colossus destroyed a city while Spidey dodged until he ran away. This time, though, Colossus begins his fight with Red Hulk who knocks the new Juggernaut across the Blue Zone of the Moon to let the Thing take care of him. But unlike Red Hulk or Thing, Colossus' mind has been warped by Cytorak and the energy of the Juggernaut, making him unstoppable, not only in stature, but also in mind and spirit. While Thing tries to throw ol' Piotr off his game with verbal insults, Colossus just keeps going without distraction. Even though I've seen Colossus get into this mode before, he tends to go to the extreme and rage out - it's jarring to see him so focused.

It's interesting how little the major players from The Avengers have been used in Avengers vs. X-Men so far. Outside of Captain America and Iron Man, Earth's Mightiest have been represented by the likes of Red Hulk, Thing, Protector, Ms. Marvel, and Luke Cage. While all great characters in their own right (except Red Hulk - that shit still makes no sense to me), it's hard for new fans to relate to a team with the name they recognize with faces they don't. Fortunately, Black Widow is front and center in the second match of the issue against Colossus' sister, Illyana Rasputin, a.k.a. Magik. Illyana's mutant power allows her to teleport through a demon dimension known as Limbo, which is a great defensive power, but really puts her on the same offensive level (or under, arguably) as Natalia Romanova. Also, setting their fight in Limbo was a great decision, as it gives readers a new location to sink their eyes into. And it's about time the X-Men started winning matches! For real!

GRADE

B