This Annual took me completely by surprised! I’m not sure when Issue #11 is due to hit the stands but if this had been it I would not have minded ONE iota! and if #11 is coming within the next week or 2 it can’t come fast enough! I mean WOW! was this a fun book or what. I’ve never really been that big of a Nova guy, I started reading with #1 of this new series, I didn’t really get into Annihilation, picked up a few random issues, but nothing really caught my fancy, I mean I do enjoy far reaching Space Operas…. but I didn’t know who any of the characters were and wasn’t dragged in enough to care about them or the space faring bugs they were fighting. I’ve heard good things about the original Nova series, but I’m not sure I want to try and find them, too many new books each week to worry about something that old…. in saying all that… ! I’ll step into Paragraph 2:-

Story – 5
The story for this issue came straight from the pages of the continuing series, but with a twist, it seemed to focus on what drives Richard Rider (feels like it should be ‘Ryder’, much cooler last name), starting from how and why he first became a Centurion to his reasons for continuing and ultimately wanting to continue the Nova Corps legacy. The story in this really told me, as someone who knew virtually NOTHING about the guy prior to Issue #1, all I really needed to know about him, I’m not sure how well a jump on point it would be, but the overall story of it, his internal struggles against the tides that turn against him, and the continuation of the main plots all melded so perfectly together, I loved it. Continuity wise…. Richard know Caps dead right? why was he? oh who cares…

Art -3
The art this issue was not the greatest, some of the faces did seem a bit off, mainly when someone turned their head, just didn’t sit right somehow *shrug* Some of the closeups looks great, but those halfway shots felt a little…. what’s the word…. stiff? and what was with the house made of…. well…. lots of lines…. but, c’mon, you’ll see, it really had no character to it. The colours however, mmmm, niiiice, I like me a good touch of colours, and that be what we got, mind you, he was working with some odd looking lines at times, but I think he did himself a great job.

Overall – 4
Go. Now. Pick up this book. If you have yet to read a Nova book, pick up the trade and a few issues if need be, but GET TOO THIS ISSUE! the emotional impact on my adrenaline was so good I was smiling and gleeful the entire way through, like some sort of hyper roller coaster ride; YES, that much fun, I had to stand up and walk around I was so happy and excited for the next issue. Issue #11, hurry.

IMO.

+H this time.

LB.