The Good
This issue continues to flesh out Sam Alexander as he embarks on his journey in becoming a hero in the Marvel Universe. It's nice to see a younger hero attempt to find his place, especially when he isn't quite sure of his full limits. Sam has become pretty adept at using the Nova power and, as is often typical in the young, he feels he is ready to take on the world (or universe). Obviously Zeb Wells (and Sam's mom) do their best to make him realize he has a lot to learn.
Of course there are still those that haven't warmed up to Sam as a Nova. Leave it to Wells to include the following comment:
"What are you telling me? That the old Nova was a total bad ass? Great. Don't get sick of hearing that..."
There's is progress on Sam's future, including what may or may not happen with the New Warriors. Carlo Barberi and David Lopez provide the art in this story. It is a bit of a celebration and we get to see several characters (sort of).
The second story is by incoming writer Gerry Duggan with art by Paco Medina. Duggan jumps right in and with Median's art, it's a seamless transition. Immediately you can see that Duggan does understand the enthusiasm the character has and leaves us with with a new twist at the end for Sam to deal with.
The cover gallery of all 100 "Nova" issues is cool to see.
The Bad
The first story, while fun, had quite a bit of Sam complaining about quite a bit. Yes, he's a teenager who suddenly finds himself with an amazing set of powers but gets to be a little too much.
I'm still trying to figure out how Robbie looks so young. After going through everything during Civil War and afterwards, I don't know if I missed something when he stopped being "Penance."
The Verdict
Fans of Sam Alexander as the new Nova will enjoy this oversized issue that closes the chapter on his introduction and sets the stage for what's to come next. Zeb Wells and Gerry Duggan both flesh out the character and we see where he'll be going after this. It might feel a little odd celebrating 100 issues of Nova with Sam but hopefully this could be a sign that the past and history haven't been forgotten. Duggan sets up an interesting direction for, at least, the next issue. There's even a cute back up with art by Yale Stewart everyone should enjoy.
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