Nova #1
Published and © by Marvel, September 1976
Title: “Nova”
Synopsis: When a Nova Prime Centurion finds himself dying, he passes his powers on to Earth teen Richard Rider.
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Review: Take one part Green Lantern and two parts Spider-Man. Mix, but not too much. Spice with Silver Age simplicity and art from fan favorites of that foregone era. The result: Marv Wolfman’s Nova, a competent but surprisingly uninspired offering from Marvel, circa 1976. By Wolfman’s own account, Nova was meant to be “a throwback.” That’s fine, but what made those early Marvels work were their originality and energy – elements noticeably missing from this tale. The art from John Buscema and Joe Sinnott is serviceable, but also lacks that spark that the best books of the Bronze Age share.
Grade: B-
Second opinion: “The new superhero from the old school. It’s alright, it might even last, but can it be developed, is it a step forward? Or is it just a strip for those who bemoan the present, dread the future and find solace in the past?” – Richard Ashford, Comics Unlimited #46, August 1977 … “The first few issues were very nice.” – Frank Plowright, FantaCo’s Chronicle’s Series Annual #1, 1983
Cool factor: Well, umm … . Hmm. Nope, got nothin’.
Notable: First appearance of Nova. … Nova began life as the fanzine character Black Nova, created by Marv Wolfman and Len Wein.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 10p British variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Zorr will kill you again! As easily as Zorr destroyed your PUNY WORLD!” – Zorr, generic space villain (Has anyone else noticed how often Marvel’s baddies: 1. Refer to themselves in the first person, and 2. Like the word “puny”?)
A word from the writer/artist/editor/creator: “Nova is a throwback to the days of Spider-Man, of the early Fantastic Four, of Iron Man and the others. The days when heroes fought the bad guys, and there weren’t as many questions as to who the bad guys were.” – Marv Wolfman, in an essay on the “Nova Newsline!” page in this issue
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Dec. 10, 2009.
