Nova #3

I’ve been really enjoying this book it’s definitely not the best book on the stands but this is one of the most consistently fun reads each month and I like how this has been a more light hearted book with all these fairly dark books that are currently out and also I’m a sucker for anything Cosmic Marvel and this also has been a great origin story so far for this new hero.

Plot

The Watcher shows Sam an invading alien fleet that are coming for Earth and then Sam flies back to Earth and meets his mother and then finds Gamora and Rocket Racoon who are offering to train him.

Review

This is the best issue yet it has not yet hit the 5 star rating but it’s getting there and I think the final two of this 5 issue origin story will be pretty close if not at 5 stars but really what this has going for it is the Watcher scene which is not like most Watcher scenes that I have read which I have often found to be very similar with the Watcher saying you are destined for great things etc, but this was different and I liked that a lot but more on that in a minute. Also I was really excited to see more of Gamora and Rocket Racoon because I felt there involvement in last issue was a bit lacking and I wanted to see more of what they had to bring to this book and their involvement in this issue is more pleasing than last issues appearance with them.

There are a few developments in this issue not many as it transitions between three stages in this issue the Watcher scene which lasts a 5^th of the issue and the longest part with Rocket Racoon and Gamora and the short ending sequence. I liked how more emphasis was placed on the most interesting scene which develops Sam’s character the most and sets up the coming threat properly as it is only glanced at in the Watcher scene.

The scene with the Watcher is on the whole really good I like how it was more subtle than forced to speak about how great Sam is going to be because the Watcher doesn’t talk at all in this and it really adds tension and suspense to the next issue and the later events of this issue and the Watcher was nicely characterised. I did however have a problem with the fact that Sam wouldn’t stop talking I understand about him being a kid and only a teenager but it is a bit excessive and I think McGuiness did a good enough job of showing Sam’s frustration in his art and I think Loeb could have left it to McGuiness more to show the story and that happens a bit in this issue and it also slows the issue down with the dialogue.

I do continue to enjoy the short bits of interaction we get between Sam and his mother it helps to make Sam a more 3 dimensional character and by giving him a family and a caring mother. This obviously will be involved in future storylines and I expect in the end she will come into play with his story and Sam will have to save her if that happens eventually but this is merely my predictions. I know she will be involved in issue 6 more with the new creative team of Zeb Well and Paco Medina which I am both apprehensive and excited for mainly because I’ve been enjoying this book so much with Loeb and McGuiness on so I have to wonder what will happen to the book but I’m glad that his mother will play are larger role with the series with the new creative team especially as the solicit to issue 6 is quite funny.

The main part of this issue and the most interesting in terms of development of Sam’s character is as I said earlier the scene with Gamora and Rocket Racoon because one this is a naturally developing scene which provides some insight into what is coming in the next issue it also is a lot of fun to see this fairly new to you character going up against the Guardians of the galaxy and both learning to use his powers and what it feels like to lose and get beaten up. This makes up for the slightly forced appearance from last issue which I did not like because it felt forced to just be in there and the reason for their reaction was just forced as well but this made up for it in a good way.

WARNING SPOILERS FOR THIS WHOLE PARAGRAPH BUT THIS WAS IN PREVIEWS!!!!

I do like how sometimes we see in comic stuff from the films coming in to comic I like small little details like costume changes like Hakweye changed his costume when the Avengers came out but I find it should more be the comic affecting the films like it should be but not so that the detail is just put in the film and people are left wondering why on earth this is here it needs to be explained. In this issue we see the villains from the Avengers appear at the end (no not Loki or the big purple guy) no this is the Chitauri and… well they look exactly the same as they did in the film big whale thing and all even the portal that they use to come into this comic is similar. This is both good and bad good because it makes it more new reader friendly because a lot of people have seen the Avengers also I’m really excited to see this massive threat go up against Sam and I want to see how it turns out as I’ve no idea what is going to happen I really don’t especially with the ending and I like the unpredictability of it. It’s bad because it does feel slightly forced just to put them in here they will make interesting villains but I wonder how long they will be here for and I hope they are not just a one issue thing as I think they could be a good long standing villain for this series. This is not however the first time Marvel have used the Chitauri but that was in the Ultimate universe and they were basically the Skrulls it’s just one point but I thought it was worth bringing up.

The art once again fantastic except for one point which is the way the Watcher looks it just looks weird his eyes are huge and he looks a bit too baby faced in my opinion but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise stunning looking issue. I’ve loved what McGuinness has brought to the book in terms of look this is probably on the whole one of the best looking books of Marvel Now! it just looks so vibrant and dynamic probably in part due to Marte Gracia’s incredibly vibrant colouring but McGuiness put a lot of effort into this you can tell with how Nova looks the facial expressions and also the invading alien fleet looks amazing as well especially in the detail at the distance we are looking at them from.

Verdict

While not perfect because I’m unsure of the end and the dialogue in some scenes felt a bit excessive this was the best issue yet and I loved it from start to finish this is Loeb back to his best not as good as his classics like Hush but compared to what he did on Hulk and some of his other stuff this is a lot better and I’m impressed it’s a pity Loeb will begone for a bit and so will McGuiness but I know they’ve got another story planned and the new creative team looks pretty good keeping with this series light-hearted tone.

4 stars