I believe that it is now clear to me, just as it was likely clear to many of you – Nova has entered the ranks of the consistently great cursed books. Cursed, because each of the issues is so good that it is hard to pick an individual issue as an outstanding one. This has been the fate bemoaned of Captain America, New Avengers (pre-Secret Invasion), and Justice Society of America (during the most recent Johns run), among others.

How can a book like this become a pick of the week? I suppose that it may be a pick in weeks in which all other books seem weak, or if a major plot occurrence is severe enough to make one jump. But I would ask why a book this good even needs to be a POW. Rather, it should be judged as a body of work for a year or more.

For those who are not reading this, Nova’s space adventures continue to revolve around rebuilding the Nova Corps with a small bunch of overconfident recruits, a newly added drill sergeant reclaimed from the old Nova Corps, and a sassy Worldmind to provide a constant counterpoint to Nova’s plans and devices. The re-introduction of the brilliantly remade Darkhawk, transitioned from brooding teenage second-rate superhero to reluctant intergalactic fugitive, in this issue was perfect.

I still love this book, and I know that as long as it belongs to AnL, it’s among the best series on the stands each month.