Nova: Where Do I Start?

Call him helmet-head all you want, but Marvel’s Nova is a force to be reckoned with.

Created in the mid-70s as a space age homage to the working-class hero Spider-Man, Nova was conceived by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema as the publisher’s next great teenage hero. Although his original series was cut short, the man called Nova reappeared in the early 90s as a founding member of the New Warriors.He’s been written as a hothead at times, but in recent years he’s matured into the de facto top cop for the Marvel universe at large, as the flag-bearer for the space police group the Nova Corps.

His recent appearance in Point One aims to carve out a new era for the so-called Human Rocket. But don’t fire your jets just yet — you need to know more, and we’ve got the books for you.

Nova, Volume 1 – Annihilation: Conquest: Although Nova’s had solo series before, it’s this 2007 relaunch that really positioned him as a key figure in the Marvel Universe. Set after the events of a cosmic war, the young Richard Rider is positioned as the first member of an all new Nova Corps. police force with the entire living database of the Corps in his head. This series shows Nova reconciling his outer space responsibilities with his ties to Earth, and really shows Nova as to be Marvel’s sentry of space.

New Warriors Classic: Volume 1: Showing that a cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts, this book shows the formation of the New Warriors as a Young Avengers-like team for the 1990s. Nova joins an enterprising cast of teen heroes from the time, banding together to follow in the footsteps of the Avengers. In this series, Nova really plays well off the other heroes, and also pits him against his Point One foe Terrax, as well as Thor himself!

Essential Nova: This expansive tome includes the full twenty-five issues that comprises Nova’s debut 1970s comic series, along with some fun extras. This run, by Marv Wolfman, John Buscema and others defines Rider’s youthful exuberance and his rogue’s gallery. This collection really shows how much Nova was intended to be a space-faring rendition of Spider-Man, complete with family problems and some self-esteem problems of his own. This book shows what its like to be a teen hero.

Nova, Volume 4 – Nova Corps: Four arcs into the ongoing series I recommended earlier, this one shows Rider dealing with the realization that the Nova Corps. Worldmind has recruited a full roster of Nova Corps behind his back, leading to some trust issues with his superior officer. This arc really forges the mettle of Nova, going from a hothead to a responsible member of something larger.