Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities DnA Nova ongoing

Well, the ending to #17 put a smile on my face, I have to admit. Biggest comic-related one since the Conquest Prologue [also by DnA, of course. They're on a roll - from my point of view at least]

Well, I'm way behind as usual, but I have to add that the Galactus/Silver Surfer/Nova three-parter was excellent.

I've read a lot of 'world is about to end, must rescue everyone scenarios' and this is one of the best. Nova, the character, remains as solid as ever by DnA and they handled the Surfer perfectly: good, subtle strokes of character but with enough msytique and granduer to keep the readers at an arm's length. Galactus was as majestic as he should be too.

I agree 'Boot, DnA are on a roll lately. Perhaps putting out their best work ever. I hope GotG and Nova continue on for quite awhile with DnA at the helm.

#18 preview: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=1266&disp=table

If it IS <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Wendell</span></span>, what are they calling him now that <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Phyla co-opted his "name"?</span></span>

Interesting that he showed at PP...

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Well, if you look... </span><span class="spoiler_text">They're still calling him "Quasar" for now. The name issue is supposed to be settled in GotG somewhere down the line, but that'll be during or after War of Kings at this point, since the real Quasar's going to be in Nova until at least #21.

See DnA's interview here: http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18215 </span></span>

And picking PP for the return isn't the only back-reference (even if you don't count Director Greunwald). There's also several distinct references to <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">an old Marvel UK character</span><span class="spoiler_text">Death's Head II</span></span> in the issue, although they're apparently in-jokes... for now.

About Quasar's return-- I can't help but think that another sort of recently deceased Marvel character should receive a similar return.

If Wendall can come back in a body made of light, then surely Darkstar (Laynia) could make herself a body made of darkness...

I'm enjoying the Nova/Darkhawk team-up. I wouldn't mind if this becomes a recurring thing.

Interesting developments on the Quasar front, should lead to some further interesting stories.

This is just a solid science-fiction superhero comic book that has been consistently good. And like so many of Marvel's best comics these days (Cap, DD, Thor, Herc, GotG), it is just on the outskirts of the MU, only using current MU 'events' and 'continuity' when it suits the comic--which works so well here.

Did they ever address the whole "Quasar/Ego the Living Planet bonding thing" that happened which took Q-Man off-planet to begin with?

http://www.novaprimepage.com/AbnettLanning4.asp

Nope. It was pretty cack-handed in the first place anyway.

Yeah, Busiek's entire 'Maximum Security' event was pretty 'meh'. That's when he started burning out on Avengers.

I actually love, love, love the notion of Ego the Living Planet (pure Kirby!), so it was more annoying for me to see that happen to Ego because I felt like it lessened his grandiose nature.

Quasar, like Darkhawk, is a character I like but have no great love for. So when someone like DnA get ahold of him, I just sit back and take the ride with them.

Getting off-topic for a moment:

You probably shouldn't read Marvel Adventures Avengers #12 (reprinted in Digest 3: Bizarre Adventures).

Everyone else should.

Despite my love for the concept, that's just too funny!

Interview with DnA, preview pages for #20: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19035

Well, Cobalt will love the ending of #20

I just read the issue and ran right to the computer to post exactly that! Yet another reason why Nova rocks like no one's business!

Oh, and the issue was excellent too! Great character moments New Warriors fans should love to see, and the subplot with Robbie's brother is strong but not overdone.

Well, #24 flew by, as the Imperial Guard completely Own the Nova Corps (followed by the apparent Supergirl-counterpart killing the prisoners), and Rich & Quasar find out the WM isn't all it's cracked up to be.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">More details... </span><span class="spoiler_text">I'm confused as to why Quasar's stuck in a Professor Stein/Worldmind role here. Are we meant to take it that he's somehow sitting between Rich and the Q-bands, making it easier for Rich to use them (and making it possible for him to take them off once he no longer needs them?) Because he clearly wasn't bonded to the Q-bands to that extent between his revival and the end of last issue.

As for Ego/WM... I would be surprised to learn that Ego was controlling the WM before #21, when the WM actually uploaded into Ego. I hope this isn't a blanket absolution for the WM, anyway. While I'm on the record here as not wanting a insane/evil WM to start with, I want at least up to the recruitment of Robbie's batch to be its' own doing, and the rest (including the subliminal mind control) to be stuff it thought up by itself in the first place, even if it wouldn't have actually done it itself. It would scream "cop-out" if the WM got a get-out-of-jail free card.</span></span>

[Anyone notice the name of the planetoid used, BTW? Same place Ko-Rel died back in #6 - bad omen from the start ]

Well, I've been meaning to post here for awhile since I read #24 mainly because DnA have done something that relates to a previous conversation between Reboot and I in this thread. They are telling a really awesome Ego the Living Planet story. I'm thrilled. And its all in the middle of a really awesome Imperial Guard / War of Kings / Nova Corps storyline too!

I do agree about WM--don't want him to be completley off the hook either.

Between Nova, GotG and War of Kings, this is probably the best era of cosmic Marvel stories...well, maybe ever (take that 70's Adam Warlock fan(s)--Pov ).

DnA have also done something else impossible. They've made me care about Robbie Rider.

Not quite sure how you'll react to Ego's denouement, though

But first, the kicker - the Worldmind as we've known it since Annihilation: Nova is dead. Long live the new Worldmind!

Not sure about this at all for several reasons - first, I've been missing the WM for a while. I liked the git. And the goodbye here... well, I can see that they wanted "sudden", but that puts the onus on the art to deliver. And the art oh-so-conspicuously failed to deliver.

I mean, REALLY Marvel. The anniversary issue, the culmination of a plot that's been running for nearly a year and the effective death of a major character and we get CRAPPY RUSHED FILL-IN ART FOR IT?! The issue was solicited with DiVito on art, and I dread to think how little time that implies Kevin Sharpe had to do it, but the art was mostly dreadful, with poor staging, inconsistent character models, a general puffiness/bloatedness to the characters, and a Silver Age DC stiffness to round it off. Oh, and a referencing glitch in both art and colour - the Hub shown was the Orienta Shard Hub from Annihilation: Nova #1, not the Ego Hub from Nova #22.

However this state of affairs was arrived at, all those responsible for this happening should hang their bloody heads in shame.

Back to the WM replacement... secondly, the Ko-Rel we get here doesn't seem very much like the character from #4-6. For one thing, pretty much every line she was given - both in Rich's play house and as the main WM personality at the end - was absolutely dripping in sarcasm, when she wasn't written as anything like that back in #4-6 - three or four gently-sarky lines, but certainly nothing on the boom-boom-boom level of this issue. For such a... dominant... personality trait, you'd think there would be a major basis in her original issues, especially with the same writers.

Where they're going with it... well, that depends how much Ko is actually "in control" and how much she's just a face and manner of speech. There's still her kid out there, who there were a couple of pointed mentions of after she died, but nothing since the Annual. And there's her original reactions to the WM - they may be going for some sort of irony motif in having Ko "become" the WM, given her reaction to the WM being in her head/reading her mind back then ("This is so invasive" being perhaps the least-freaked out line she has on the subject.). And then there's the "old-grouchy-guy regenerating into younger-comely-female" motif and what that may lead to, and I'm not sure I want them to go down that road at all.

On the WM's problems... unless you count his ranting when he thought Rich had killed them back in #15 (and which did knock him semi-permanently online), there's really no evidence of the WM being "broken" until Rich comes back to find 50 more centurions at PEGASUS in #19. Saying "he's been crazy all along"... doesn't really work for me.

As for Quasar... well, he's not in this issue much (although Sharpe at least tries to draw his better costume, which is better than DiVito and the colourist being at constant loggerheads over what he's wearing), but it basically resets him to where he was at the end of GotG #12 (which took place during Nova #23), with the Q-bands and presumably his solidity back, and there've been hints from DnA that he'll be heading back to that book before the crossover is out. Not much to be said, really.

And Ego's now a lobotomised shell that the new WM can call a home. I wonder how Cobalt's going to like that one .

<span style="font-size: 6px;">[Edited to remove old spoiler tag]</span>

Hm, somehow missed 'Boot's comments above! I'll comment on latest and reply to those too:

In the latest, I think a major thing happened: Robbie Rider suddenly impressed me quite a bit! I've got to say I was hoping the entire Nova Corps exits the book in haste following WoK, but it is kind of cool to have Robbie around. I'm actually worried about how he'll make it out of this.

I really love the way DnA have Blastaar working with Vulcan and causing Ravenous to ally with the Kree. Especially because Ravenous controls Kree-Lar. DnA are able to just build on so many prior stories--if Ravenous does exit Kree-Lar, then there is a whole story there on the Kree returning to it and the problems that will develop.

On the art--agree with Reboot completely. We need Di Vito art every issue but if we have to get a fill-in, can't we do better?

On Worldmind...you know, I'm going to miss him too. I can't help but feel he'll be back though. I don't mind Ko-Rel, who I thought was a great character, but I also noted the over the top nature of her sarcasm thus far. I definitely do not want the "old grouchy guy is now a younger hot female" route either

As for Ego...well, he'll be back. But I really liked the entire usage of Ego in Nova, so I don't mind how it ended for him. I want Ego to be one of Nova's ongoing enemies from here on out--for years of me cheering at his return and then years of Reboot laughing at his subsequent lobotimization or worse. (you can never really beat Ego without doing something horrible to him, unless you're Thor).

Oh, and I really hope Nova will KILL, KILL, KILL the Imperial Guard Supergirl!

If Robbie's dead, I'll be cheering Rich on for sure--hell, maybe even if he lives! I've really grown to care about Robbie, so I hope it isn't curtains for him.

I love how both Nova and GotG are in the War of Kings melee, but still told their own, virtually standalone stories. Given that DnA are writing all three books, it's very commendable that each reads very well on its own. It must have been tempting to do otherwise.

This book really gets it! I'd put Nova and Herc right up there with Brubaker's stuff as among the very best Marvel has to offer. It's no coincedence that the stuff I like best is impacted by Dark Reign either very slightly or not at all.

The follow-up story to the War of Kings issues has wrapped up and it was another solid story but DnA. As usual there are several things happening throughout the story and here I thought they all were pretty good.

The new Nova Corps member Philo is a welcome personality to the series, as are all the various sci-fi bits to him (like his arm being rebuilt with three arms).

Also welcome was Monark Skystalker, a super-obscure character from the 1970's, whose presence added an additional dynamic to the story. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him interacting with Nova. Question for anyone who is familiar with the character: was he always not really a person but nanobots (or perhaps some 70's version of the same that DnA polished to make better)? Because that was a pretty cool twist I didn't see coming.

The exit of Worldmind from Ego was something overdue, as was Ego's exit from the series, and I kind of like how DnA did it. Rather than turn it into another story-arc that would have been walking the line on being predictable, DnA tied it into this seperate story that helped heighten the overall drama and gave Richard a chance to show some of his tactical brillance--one of the things he and Worldmind do that make them such an exciting combo to read about. Ego, as I've said, is a favorite of mine, so I like that he's become a Nova-centric character and look forward to his eventual return.

I did notice that Ko-Rel is starting to lose her appeal as Worldmind and I want the old Worldmind back. It wasn't distracting here, but it could be.

Definitely looking forward to the Darkhawk story-arc to come!

I enjoyed the issue in question (#30) a good bit and especially how effective Rich was solving the multi-pronged problem they were facing. Oddly, #31 came out, like, just a week later, but I haven't gotten to that one yet.

The only thing that bothers me is the Nova Corps is starting to look more and more like the Green Lanterns. Obviously, there are many points of comparison, but Philo really feels a lot like a Kilowog stand-in with his pending role as Nova Corps trainer. I like Philo so far a good bit, don't get me wrong, but I'd like Nova to emphasize differences more with the GLC, rather than similarities.

I also want Nova to be as different as possible so I hope the Nova Corps does not become something that grows over time. If anything, I hope somehow those characters evolve into something else and Nova (Prime) is the sole Nova once more.

That being said, its not the most pressing concern I have for the series and isn't something I really think about that often. But hopefully DnA has something in mind in the long run.

It's not that the comparisons kill the book for me or anything, but occasionally, they take me out of the story when something really hits me as very similar. Like Des implied, the book had much more of a unique flavor when it was just Rich and the Worldmind. It's still an excellent book, and it's nice to have a supporting cast now.