Nova, Vol. 2: Rookie Season

Nova (2013) (Collected Editions)

by Zeb Wells, Paco Medina (Illustrator), Ed McGuinness (Cover Art)

Collects Nova (2013) #6-10.

Now that we've learned the origin of the all-new Nova, there's only one thing standing between Sam Alexander and being an Avenger...he needs to ask his mom. Marvel's newest, least experienced hero, takes on the Superior Spider-Man and encounters the madness that is Infinity! But can Nova handle his first taste of the power of a mad cosmic god? Sam may be well out of his depth, but he's about to get backup from some allies of the original Nova: that's right, members of the fan-favorite New Warriors! Will Sam help them put their team back together?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Fiction

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2014

About the author

Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot to like here, but my favorite part of this volume is the relationship between Sam and his mom.
Yes, I realize that this may not be the highlight for anyone else...Shut up!



A lot happens in this, but the main theme is that Sam is trying to find out where he belongs in the Superhero Community. He's riding the high of being asked to join the Avengers, and he doesn't want to waste his time 'heroing in his small hometown'. He tries going on patrol in several large cities, including New York. This leads to some funny moments with Superior Spider-man.



The New Warriors (Speedball & Justice) show up, and try to convince Sam to join up with them...while Speedball hits on Sam's mom.
That whole part of the story made me giggle, because I know how both of my boys react when confronted with any evidence that I was ever not JUST MOM. I can still hear my son in the back of the van asking in this squeaky pleading voice, "But you and Dad don't do that anymore, right? Mom? Do you...mom?"
Bwahahahahaha!
Anyhoo. Very funny stuff.
Then Thanos sends this little psychotic chick after Nova and his family, and...
Well, it's good.

Lots of comparisons to Miles Morales or a young Peter Parker when it comes to Sam. I can see why some people might be tempted to yell Rip-off character!, but I just can't see how it hurts to have more adorkable kids out there taking up the mantle of hero. Instead of crusty old farts with drinking problems and jaded outlooks on life, why can't a few of our comic book heroes be excited that they have these powers? Maybe even want to do some good?
I'm enjoying the lighthearted and friendly tone of this title, and I'm sort of surprised that I hadn't heard of it sooner.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this another shot thinking it might be more like Ms. Marvel. Hmm. It is better than the first book, but I am still not very impressed by this. It seems to be all over the place. It feels like they are still setting up the character so maybe the next one will be better. I might give it another shot later.

Thanos shows up sort of, but nothing every really happens. We see he has his eyes on Nova and that's it. He seems to big a bad to have eyes on Sam. I do like him hanging with the watcher on the moon. That was cute and I enjoyed that part of the story.

I'm sure this has it's merits as a comic and I think it is simply not for me. If you like action comics for a younger age, you will probably really enjoy this.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man Nova is becoming one of my favorite characters...who the fuck would have guessed? Maybe I have to read older stuff to after I catch up.

So this volume is pretty damn good (with the exception of the Infinity tie in. Thanos goon is lame, and the fight was corny as fuck. When Sam won with the word Bully I almost facepalmed) but everything else was enjoyable. Watching Sam try to keep his identity a secret, balance between being an avenger or not, and his life with his mom it all comes together so well. It brings me back to the days I read Ultimate Spider-man as a kid, and that's the best feeling.

The way I describe it is very Ms. Marvel like, but I don't feel like it's talking down to me or aimed at kids (Which I do feel Ms. Marvel is) so I'm really digging it. Hope the next few volumes hold up!

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun!

I loved this one as it focuses on Sam dealing with the fallout of last volume and well maybe ask his mom about joining the Avengers and a gf who might know about his identity and well he does a poor job hiding it and then there is the deal with Infinity tie-in as he has to fight Kaldera, a minion of Proxima midnight and the battle is so cute and fun and I really love how Sam puts it all on the line to save his friends and family and well also there is Justice and Speedball wanting him to recruit in New warriors and well he joins and some fun stuff in space and with the Watcher! Plus personal problems too!

I loved this one and its so fun and I have nostalgic memories of this run and wow it never fails to impress, the writing style of Zeb is just next level and the art is the best part of this run! Sam's characterization is right on point and insane adventures!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still having fun with this one. Sam is trying to find where he fits in with his new super powers. Too many heroes in NY. He goes to L.A. and helps a police chase just to find out they were doing a movie and he ruined the shoot. Then to top it off, Thanos learns there’s a new Nova on earth and sends someone to take him out. I feel like the outcome of that attack has set up a plot to come back around later. Looking forward to that. Plus you have Speedball and company trying to get Sam to join their New Warriors. Bring on vol 3.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm… I never thought I’d say this, but I miss Jeph Loeb (nose starts bleeding).

Sam Alexander, a 14 year old high schooler, is the new Nova, having activated his drunken old dad’s Nova helmet when his pop went AWOL. In this volume, Sam’s figuring out how to be a superhero in the Marvel Universe, going to NYC and meeting the Superior Spider-Man, before getting drawn into the latest Marvel Event: Infinity. Think Nova’s got the goods to can carry his own title solo? Think again, as Sam’s joined by a pair of obscure characters who draw him into a cosmic teen superhero group, the New Warriors!

I’m not sure if its Zeb Wells’s writing or whether the story Loeb set up just didn’t have enough steam to go the distance, but this second Nova volume is flagging pretty bad. It’s just really, really boring! I kinda like the concept: that they’ve got a cosmic character and have completely grounded him, and Wells is putting in the effort to make sure Sam’s ascent as a hero isn’t too rapid and is semi-believable, so we see him make a lot of mistakes (hence the subtitle “Rookie Season”); it’s just reading it the way Wells has written it is so dull. I think grounding Nova was an interesting angle for the character – I just don’t think that it’s worked.

Part of that is that Sam’s not an interesting protagonist; he’s your average kid reacting to fantastical life changes as you’d expect, and his supporting cast of put-upon single mom, generic lil sis, the impossibly hot emo chick who fancies him because they’re both “outcasts”, and the goofy new buddies, never really light up the page. This is all stuff we’ve seen before, especially that scene where the school bully picks on Sam, a scene that apparently every superhero has to experience to understand why they have to protect the innocent and powerless.

The Infinity stuff was pointless and predictable. Thanos makes a brief appearance before despatching one of his crap death metal band members to send an even lowlier runt to fight Nova. The runt coincidentally also happens to be a teenager like Nova and their fight scenes mirror the earlier one where Sam got beat by the school bully so that Sam can show how he’s “grown” as a character since then.

No part of the book is offensively stupid so I can’t say I hated it, and I do appreciate that Wells is going for a real character arc with Sam, but I wasn’t remotely interested in what was happening any point in the book. I want to like Nova/Sam but I think he’s too constrained by his age and all that it represents. Nova needs to be out in space having intergalactic adventures, not worrying about making it back in time to go to school, do his homework and work his part-time after-school job.

Maybe younger readers will enjoy Nova more but Ms Marvel is another teen superhero and her series is really something, so I think it’s just Nova’s character, or Wells’ rendering of him, that’s lacking. In taking a more grounded approach to Nova, the second volume has failed to take off.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of the new Nova series, featuring a teenager named Sam Alexander, continues to be a light-hearted superhero romp, even with Thanos showing up. Sam has his first "Oh no, a villain has kidnapped my Mom!" encounter, continues to be a little juvenile punk whose heart is in the right place but whose head is still a little soft, and discovers that his best (girl) friend is not fooled by a bucket on his head.

"Just how stupid do you think I am?"

There is a brief appearance by some of the New Warriors, but Sam has his sights set on joining the Avengers. I can't blame the kid for being disgruntled - it's kind of a bummer when Thor himself asks you to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and your mom won't give you permission.

The Watcher continues to appear in the role of silent "mentor" to the young Nova, who in the absence of a father has taken to unloading his problems on the giant bald man on the moon.

Much fun, with a few nods to the rest of the Marvel Universe but still entirely Nova's comic.

[Andrómeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desde que Sam se enteró de que su padre era parte de los supernovas su vida ha cambiado, ahora intenta llevar una vida “normal” mientras triunfa en sus aventuras salvando a los necesitados. Me gusta la importancia de la familia en estos cómics y me gusta que la mamá de Sam siempre esté aconsejandolo y diciéndole que es demasiado joven –tiene razón- para tomar tan grandes responsabilidades. Pero no es el tipo de mamá regañona sino de las que apoyan e intentan ayudar a su hijo. Es gracioso y los diálogos son fluidos, no aburre en ningún momento aunque los primeros 5 issues me gustaron más. Sin embargo, este volumen tuvo un gran final.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Nova is starting to grow on me. The first volume was decent, but I wasn't in love, and I wasn't sure if I was going to bother with future volumes. And then I sort of forgot about it. I feel a little bad about that now. I'm still not exactly in love, but this volume is indeed an improvement over the previous one. That may be because of the spotlight on Sam's relationship with his mother. She's a great character. And although I don't particular care for him, it was kind of nice to see Speedball recused from the bin of trashed and forgotten characters.

[Taylor Vessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so sad I didn't give this a chance when it first started, Sam Alexander is slowly becoming one of my favorite new Marvel heroes. He's just fantastic, as is his supporting cast! The dynamic between him and his mom is very fun and relatable.

It felt like they're could have been a little more to all of this though. 4.5!!!

[Charlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5: Liked this more than the first volume, but still getting the Invincible ripoff vibes, tinged with a hint of the Morales Spider-Man. Still, similarity doesn't make it a bad read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I’ve been reading a lot more than I’ve been reviewing… so knee-jerk reaction time!*

As I said last time, some of Sam’s youth-bravado can be a little annoying, but not so much that it takes away from the inherent charm in this story and with his character. Sam is learning his place, not just as a superhero, but in the world as a person—and learning that life moves fast and it’s okay to focus on the smaller things rather than the epic adventures. Heroes are needed even when the world isn’t ending—and Sam is learning that (while also dealing with aliens and normal growing pains). It’s a lot to balance—and that’s what gives this series it’s aforementioned charm.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this series.

It’s fun, action packed, fast paced, funny and has heart.

Zeb Wells takes over from Jeph Loeb for this volume, and the magic is still very much alive. This series clearly has a vision and I think new and old readers alike will love it.

Def a must read.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like and am annoyed at the same time.

This book keeps swinging both ways with me, it is simultaneously what I want it to be and exactly what I don't want it to be.

World: The art is good, it's not McGuinness but Medina did a good job at pretty much doing an approximation of the art from the last arc. I like his character models and the emotions expressed in the face, it's good for storytelling and the best when they are dialog scenes. The world building here is slow and steady and it bits and pieces. There is the cosmic picture with Thanos which is pretty much a tie-in for Infinity but also the home front which is the world building part I like the most. The half measure cosmic stuff is a problem because if the book needs to focus on Earth let's just ignore that for a bit, but it's done in such a sloppy way that it's much wasted.

Story: I like the Earth-bond story, that's the best part of the tale. The stuff with Mom, school and Cassie (is she a clone of Katie Bishop or do all Marvel non popular female character have dyed hair and leather jackets?) and Robbie is great, it grounds the story and sets this Nova apart. I like it when Spidey is dealing with the little stuff and I like it when Nova is also, he's a 15 year old kid, let him feel those things pushing him in different direction. The cosmic stuff is pointless and boring and poorly paced and written. The villain, already forgotten her name...Kamade...I think, is poorly written and pointless. Their entire struggle was inconsequential and also the resolution just half assed. If this entire storyline was not here it would have been fine cause the main focus of this arc was Sam growing up.

Characters: I like this new Nova, he's different and he's a kid and he makes mistakes. I like his bravado and pride and his assumptions, it makes him human, it makes him real. When he gets beaten down and denied it makes sense and it feels real. His arc and his realization this arc was great cause it was earned. I still think he's way to adept at being Nova and it came from nowhere but him pulling off the helmet kinda negated that for me which is good. Also him dealing with his secret identity was perfect, oh and the Mom grounded and contract stuff. It's great, I like this family drama stuff cause for him being that young it makes sense. The rest of the cast is okay, Robbie is funny and acts as a good difference and Cassie is a good story point at this moment, I'm looking forward to having them develop more as the series progresses. The villain, my god she was pointless and dumb and idiotic, this story does not need her and her entire arc was the worse thing about this book.

It is good, but it is also very flawed. It's a yo yo of good and bad at the same time and it's messing with my rating.

Onward to the next book!

[William Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeph Loeb just needs to go the f&$k away already. I mean, did you see what he did to the first volume of this book? Godawful. Probably turned off so many possible new readers with his ridiculousness that they didn't even want to wait it out until he was replaced by Zeb Wells.

Now, enter Wells and we get the book we should have had from jump street. Which, still, is pretty much just the Sturges Blue Beetle, but light years ahead of the first volume of Nova. And really mimicking the Jamie Reyes Blue Beetle is pretty much exactly what we want out of any all ages book with a teen handling a huge responsibility. Something with heart, huge obstacles, love interests, teen angst and confusion and the live and learn morality of a budding hero.

Worth buying? Meh. Get it from the library, enjoy it, give it back.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. So Marvel continues this great series by changing the writer. I was a little worried here about the changes, but Zeb really continues the story that Jeph created pretty. What I really like about this series is how Marvel has grounded an otherwise cosmic character. This book is really about a young teenage boy trying to discover who he is by searching for the father he thought he knew and discovering a whole universe not so easy to understand.

The artwork by Guinness is amazing to look at from page to page. I like the vibrant colors. I loved the introduction of the New Warriors into this series as well. For those looking for a kid friendly but often deep superhero book I highly recommend this series.

[Laura Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I loved the first volume of the new Nova - Sam is wonderful, and seeing his relationship with his family is really great. This series legitimately makes me laugh every issue, but it's also still exciting and gripping.
But here's the thing. Once they got us hooked, they kind of took us for a spin with Volume 2. All of a sudden we're thrown into the deep end of Marvel mythology, and as a fairly new Marvel reader, I could hardly keep everything straight. We've got Thanos and his pals, a brief Spider-Man crossover, introduction of The New Warriors, AND all that stuff that went down with the Avengers crossover. I can't keep track of it all. I feel like they're taking advantage of my love for Sam to make me buy all the other series to keep up with him. But that's comics, I guess.

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sam Alexander, but I was kind of bored by this. It wasn't awful or anything, and I was able to read it through to the end (maybe in part due to the brevity of it?) I think this is probably great for a certain audience, and that audience just isn't me.

What I did really like was Nova trying to help out in NY and LA and being told that he just wasn't needed, so he finds a place where he is needed. I think that's the whole point of this story, and it's a good thing, especially for young readers, to learn that just because the big guys don't need them, doesn't mean they can't help somewhere.

[Jeff Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nova feels the way comics used to. They are exciting and adventurous, but filled with fun. Marvel has managed to capture the old feeling of some of the best Spiderman stories. Nova treads familiar ground as a kid suddenly trying to balance school, a troubled home life, and the sudden realization that you are a superhero and the world needs you. But Nova also feels fresh and new. Sam is an endearing character with realistic flaws and problems. He is entertaining and a real joy to follow as he tries his best to be a good hero, but often just tries hard to clean up his own messes.

[Jon Tully · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the character himself is believable as a teenager, the story dragged for me.
Forced tie-ins with Thanos' minions, previous iterations of the character, and Uatu-as-plot-device left me disillusioned for continuing the series.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really love Sam as a character, he's such a funny kid. Art got a little weird in issue 10, but it seems to have worked itself out. He's still getting used to being a superhero and balancing school and space fighting. Eager to catch up and see where everything takes him. I appreciate his friendship with the Watcher, who he seems to go to when he needs to ramble. Also, Robbie and Vance are pretty funny. I also enjoyed their characters.

[Alex Firer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give these three stars because what, it's not Crumb? When I read these things I'm reminded of that scene in Kavalier and Clay when one of them is recovering from a near fatal wound and just sitting in the hospital laughing his head off at bad Archie comics, just thrilled to be reading them. And that's the spell these have on me. Life can be good life can be difficult but man. Don't worry. There will always be cheap superhero comics to act as balm to the wounds.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good light hearted read. Nova is still trying to find his identity as a superhero and has a lot of failings in that department. I enjoy the writing even if it is fairly predictable. I think moving him into the alien/space scene so early takes away fro, the drama he has at home and I feel it really rushes the story telling. I understand the reasoning but a lot of it seems gimmicky. Must work though because I want to read the next volume.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best part of this is the villain that was in the Infinity Companion. The rest of these stories are just OK. Maybe the most interesting moment is when the author shows that no one cares about Nova. I agree. Can you do something with that?

Also, what is up with this Vance Astro? It's kind of like, OK, you can mess with Speedball -- no one cares.

But there a couple of Vance Astros and they're pretty important.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still really enjoying this title. Not a whole lot of depth to it story-wise, but still fast paced and thought through well. Art is good too!
I think the main reason I like this book is because it makes me think about what it would be like for my son to be a superhero. :-)
Will continue to read this. Recommend.

[Arin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again another great installment with more development in the responsibilities behind being Nova and the importance of a secret identity, along with him interacting with other superheros. Good development with interesting villains and short interaction with the superior spiderman that had me chuckling.

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is up with the last panel of this story?

I am not going to give it away. It is not a shocking twist, or anything like that. The book's tone goes back and forth, between comical and slightly serious. The very last sequence was a bit more intense than the rest of the book has been, thus far.

I don't know, you will see. The book is a lot of fun, and worth picking it up.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Included Infinity tie-in.

There is a change of author that really was jarring for me. The story is so close to being like early Spider-Man that I want to like it. But I'm having a hard time feeling for Sam, but then I am an adult now!

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

May 2016

4.75

Nova is hilarious.
These comics are light and fun.
I need volume 3.


(Also Spidey was in this volume *cries* he's soo amazing.)

[Logan Schuneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like that Sam Alexander is relatable. I know many people like Rich Rider better, but I personally prefer Sam.