Sam Alexander has led a busy life as Nova, but after all of his intergalactic gallivanting, is it time to hang up the helmet?

I’ll confess I haven’t read the new Nova series and barely know Sam Alexander as a character. What little I’ve read I’ve enjoyed, but it’s never been a series that has really been one thats stood out in the avalanche of weekly releases. From what I’ve read, it’s completely enjoyable and there’s a niche it absolutely fills.

So, with that being said, I dove in to Nova #11 with a pretty clean state not going what was going on. There’s a lot in there that new readers will like and there’s a lot there for long time fans of the Nova character, especially with a twist and reveal at the end. I’m not going to reveal what that twist is, but it’s one aimed at fans of classic Nova… read between the lines with that.

Writer Sean Ryan has done a good job giving us a character who feels like he’s really struggling with his role. Sam is wondering can he balance being a hero, not having his mother worrying about him, and also having friends. It’s a twist on the same sort of angst that we’ve seen in classic Spider-Man stories. And that’s what this issue felt like, Spidey sitting down and talking things through with the ghost of Uncle Ben. In this case Sam is talking to the computer that houses all of the knowledge of the past Nova Corps. It’s a cute story, but nothing that feels really new, it’s just a semi-new thing for this character. And with how it’s presented it feels like it might be a good entry point for new readers.

The art by Cory Smith is solid. This really stood out to me. The art jumps and really takes on the youthful feel of the main character. There’s a certain energy about it that flies off of the page.

This one is definitely one for Nova fans, especially classic Nova…

Story: Sean Ryan Art: Cory Smith
Story: 7.15 Art: 8.05 Overall: 7.35 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review