A remote town on a remote world is devastated by the ravenous, unforgiving KNULL SET, a gang of raiders and thieves obsessed with offering all life up to the darkness. But that all changes when a stranger comes to town, a stranger from the stars who answers to his own code. THE LAST SURVIVOR OF XANDAR… the LAST NOVA. Who is the Last Nova, and what great tragedy does he carry on his back? Is he the inheritor of the NOVA CORPS or its destroyer? Annihilation 2099 #1 carries the classic event name in the title, but feels a bit more like Old Man Nova in more than one way.

Written by Steve Orlando, Annihilation 2099 #1 features two stories and kicks off a series of one-shot comics that introduces the cosmic side of the 2099 world with new characters. Unfortunately, as far as a first issue, the comic feels more like other stories than the classic Annihilation events.

Orlando in “The Last Nova” introduces us to the last member of the Nova Corps. Who is he? Well, it becomes pretty obvious after a bit, well before the eventual reveal. The story is interesting in that it feels less like Annihilation, which featured a cosmic level event and invasion that was a real threat and instead is more of the western genre, like Old Man Logan. We get a sense as to the tragic story of this Nova member as he takes a stand against a gang in a besieged town. It’s a story we’ve seen so many times before and unfortunately features a character under the helmet that’s worn and overused.

SPOILER

The reason it feels worn is because it is. Under the mask is… Logan, yes Wolverine takes on yet another role. There’s the Phoenix infused future version. There’s the recent Ghost Rider version. Now, we get the Nova version in a story that is aspects of Old Man Logan reskinned. If there was another character under the mask, it might have worked for the better, but as is, it’s rather predictable with a character that’s overused.

SPOILER ENDS

The comic also features “Dracula Risen” with the classic Dracula found and terrorizing the crew of a spaceship. The comic has a B-movie horror aspect about it that’s fun in a goofy way and hopefully we get more of this but it’s a story that’s more potential than payoff.

Ibraim Roberson handles the art for the first story while Dale Eaglesham handles the second. The art is decent for both and visually they’re interesting. Nova embraces its western genre roots while the latter plays with its horror movie aspects. They’re joined by Neeraj Menon and Raul Angulo on color and Cory Petit on lettering. When it comes to the art, make sure to check out the notes at the end and the details of the Nova outfit. It made me appreciate the art a bit more than the initial comic.

Overall, Annihilation 2099 #1 isn’t bad but it’s not what’s expected concerning its name. If you go in think it’s a new take on the classic story, you’ll be disappointed like I was. But, it could be interesting to kick off an expansion of the 2099 universe, introducing new aspects and characters leading to… something. Overall, this could be one where the whole is better than the individual parts.

Story: Steve Orland Art: Ibraim Roberson, Dale Eaglesham
Color: Neeraj Menon, Raul Angulo Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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