The Good
I really really like Nova. Maybe I should clarify, I really like Richard Rider. When Nova died in THANOS IMPERATIVE, I wasn't thrilled. I figured it'd be a matter of time until he came back. Then in AVENGERS VS X-MEN, we got a glimpse at a new Nova, Sam Alexander. As a character on the animated Ultimate Spider-Man, his annoying personality put me at odds over the debut of this series.
Thankfully, Sam isn't quite the same character here that he is in the animated show.
A big question has been where did Sam come from? How could he be a Nova when the Nova Corps was no more? At the end of AVX, we found out he had been on other missions.
This series backs up a little. We get to find out who he is as a character before becoming Nova. We find out about his past and family and how it all fits together. Jeph Loeb does a good job in introducing us to the teenage character. Introducing a new Nova is more than just throwing a helmet on another person. He gives us the back story and gets us invested in the character. Even the numerous preview pages released for the first three issues don't tell the complete story. I may have had my doubts over this character but I do want to see what's to become of him now.
Seeing Ed McGuinness' art is a blast. There's a lot of variation in the environments from the far reaches of space to a small town in the middle of nowhere. His design on the other characters and their uniforms is enhanced by Marte Gracia's colors. The space scenes have a spectacular feel and those on Earth have a definite desolate one.
The Bad
There are a couple cliché moments. Nothing that causes huge discomfort when reading. There are some nice differences in Sam's 'origin' to set him apart from other teenage heroes. You can't help but feel this is all part of a bigger picture with the upcoming GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY series. That's not necessarily a bad thing either.
As this is the first issue and has to serve to set up who the character is, where he came from and how he came upon the role, it's not entirely clear on the direction of the series. That will be interesting to see but whether we get a space/sci-fi comic or adventures on Earth remain to be seen.
The Verdict
As a Richard Rider fan, I wasn't thrilled over the idea of a series starring a different Nova. Jeph Loeb does a good job in introducing who the character is and where he comes from. The version of Sam Alexander here is thankfully different than what is seen on the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series. As a first issue, we get the basics, we are introduced to Sam and get an idea how he becomes Nova. What we dont know is if the series will be based in space, on Earth or both. Ed McGuinness' art is great as he always manages to capture and depict big action scenes. We're off to a great start. I was hesitant about actually liking a Nova series with a different Nova but I have to admit I'm hooked so far.