Nova #5

I adore what Jeph Loeb on this series having re-read the last few just recently, and I’ve picked up a few more details and I have to say this may been one of my favourite series of Marvel Now! It’s not as good as stuff like Uncanny Avengers and Indestructible Hulk (which is my favourite by far), but just the fact that Jeph Loeb has got himself out of the kind of stuff he was producing before is good enough for me.

Plot

Sam has a big fight with Titus over the helmet, and Sam after knocking around his home town, takes him into space and they then meet up with the Chitauri again.

Review

This is unfortunately, Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness final issue on the series for the foreseeable future. They apparently will be back at some point next year, but next issue its Zeb Wells and Paco Medina (both of who I like especially Medina), but boy does the creative team go out with a bang in a very literal sense. This issue in my opinion show all of Sam’s best points and characteristics all in one issue. It really does give you a sense of who he is and what he’s like, and even if you’re a new reader you’ll probably get him straight away (although you’ll probably have no idea about the plot), but now onto the review.

The Good

• This cover... I mean when I saw this I thought that's a heart warming image and yes it is, but that's before I had read the previous few issues, and basically looking at the real thing I literally nearly cried. This cover captures this whole arc pretty much perfectly, and well its the little details like the tears in Sam's eyes that make the image even more poignant.
• The majority of the issue is a fight between Nova and Titus it gradually escalates in scale, and I do mean that it goes from outside of Sam's house to further across town and then into space the fight literally just gets better and better. Loeb also induces a bit of humour into the fight and while its not bit of comedic genius it fits this book very well, also it was kind of fun to see the bullies from the first issue reappear, and the girl that fancied sam appear as well, it helped bring this arc full circle. The ending of the fight was truly epic, and once again brought the arc full circle (see there's a theme going on here), but the ending really was awesome and its open ended enough for the villain to return again, but it still makes the arc feel complete.
• This point has really been said a lot and I mean a lot, but this really is the most all ages friendly book I buy its fun, easy to understand, non bloody action, and generally friendly characters I won't go on any more, but you get my point.
• When I said this arc comes full circle it really does every bit from earlier in the arc makes a appearance in this issue with the bullies and the girl who fancied Sam, and even Rocket Racoon and Gamora, it literally did it all so well without the story becoming overly complicated, even Spoiler the Watcher makes an appearance in this issue, but more on that in a minute. This really helped to make the arc feel complete enough and well Loeb definitely has left a mark on this series.
• The final part of this issue is basically Sam coming to terms with what he's done, and sorting out the mess he's made, and trying to sort out what was left over from Titus and the Chitauri attack. What this scene does is show you all of Sam's best points he clearly wants to do the right thing especially with the Spoiler Watcher scene where Sam gives him a certain object seen in the last issue it simply is a nice scene. The final moment of this issue is truly heartbreaking, and it was a real twist ending given what happened and what everyone had said in previous issues.
• Ed McGuinness has produced probably his best work ever on this series because he seems to have completely given up the sort of bulky and oversized proportions that he had, been using in all of his previous stuff and everything just looks so well defined in this issue everything looks alive and there are no rough edges in this book, this is probably also due to inker Dexter Vines who also did a great job, but McGuiness knocks it out of the park. The splash pages in this book are truly spectacular, and have a lot of energy to them and I still love how McGuiness draws Nova. Marte Gracia is not the colourist for this issue instead it is Edgar Delagdo, and while he isn't as good as Gracia, Delagdo does a great job providing colour and energy to the book.

The Bad

• The Chiaturi dialogue is hard to read at times.
• Titus isn't really the most original villain ever, nor is he the most interesting one I have ever met, but the mystery left behind about what happened with Sam's dad makes him a bit more interesting.
• In issue 3 Gamora is wearing her pre-Marvel Now! clothes and in this she's in her Marvel Now! costume as is Rocket Racoon it just stuck out a bit to me.

Verdict

Jeph Loeb's reputation was utterly ruined with his Hulk run and Ultimatum, but I can frankly say this is one of the best bits of all ages writing I've seen in a while, not in terms of how clever, or how literate it is, it's not on the same scale as Indestructible Hulk or Batman, but for Loeb this is his best work since Hush (although I haven't read his work between Hush and Hulk). This was just a great ending to this origin with great action and emotion in it a must buy series and I hope more people get into it more, as it is one of the best of Marvel Now!

5 stars