Those of you who have read my columns for any measure of time know I’m fanatic about Nova. I just picked up the first trade of Nova’s relaunched series, which is sandwhiched between the first Annihilation maxi-series and the sequel Annihilation Conquest.

Needless to say, the first three issues of this book are the best post-Civil War offerings Marvel has ever made. Richard Rider - Nova - has just returned from fighting the Annihilation Wave, where all manner of intergalactic life - from Kree to Skrull - teamed up for fight off an insidious alien threat. Upon his return to Earth, he finds his favorite heroes have been pummeling each other from the past six months, are entirely ignorant of the war outside their planet, and worse, blame his former team the New Warriors for the tragedy which sparked Civil War. The first three issues are great as Richard struggling to reconnect with both father and his future as the Nova Corp’s last chance.

The next three issues, however, lead into Annihilation Conquest and are slightly weaker. Nova is infected by a new strain of the Phalanx by his ex-lover Gamora. The issues focus on the actions of a new Nova - a female Kree name Ko Rel - and how her actions lead to Richard escaping the Phalanx’s thrall. The rest of the story - which will be collected in August’s Annihilation Conquest Vol. 2 - is actually pretty inspiring, as Nova struggles against the still-present infection to find the origins of the Phalanx and a way to beat them. But you only see the tip of the iceberg - Nova’s escape - in the end of the trade, and while its worth every penny, its not as awesome as the three issues which preceded it.

Onward to this month’s comics. The writers of Nova release a new Guardians of the Galaxy this week. The first issue was great, but didn’t include nearly enough set-up for this current story arc, which revolves around some sort of alternate reality Captain America. But with characters like Groot and Rocket Raccoon, its hard not deny this story’s quirky charm not matter what the premise.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Incredible Hercules, which features the mythical hero now entangled in the events of Secret Invasion, and battling the heroes and gods the Skrulls hold dear. This is supposed to be a really great book, so I’d recommend at least picking up an issue or two.

Garth Ennis wraps up his run on Punisher with issue #58. The story finds Punisher on the run from a highly-trained special ops team just as qualified as he is, as the Punisher tries to shed light on the war crimes of the unit’s superiors. By the way, the new Punisher War Zone trailer is out now, and it looks bad - and no I don’t mean the good kind of bad.

Fantastic Four: Secret Invasion reunites Johnny with his ex, Lyra, a Skrull who once impersonated Alicia Masters.  Only this isn’t the tearful hugging reunion - its the scaly winged death kind of reunion, as Human Torch and the Thing battle Skrulls in the Negative Zone within the Baxter Building.

Ultimate Alpha Flight makes their debut in Ultimate X-Men, with the book now written by Heroes writer Aaron Eli Coleite. I’m curious to see what Ultimate’s take on the Canadian super-team is, and the cover shows Nightcrawler and several other new faces on the team’s roster.

Wolverine #66 is yet another dismal future for the X-Men, taking place fifty years into the future. However, the adventures of Old Man Logan, by the Civil War team Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, looks interesting as an older Wolverine must contend with “the Hulk gang” in order to help his friend, the now-blind Hawkeye. It seems interesting, though the dismal future is starting to wear thin in the face of Messiah Complex. Still, this one looks different . . .

On the DC side, the new Birds of Prey has the team running into a conflict with their former member - Black Canary. This is one book I’ve neglected to pick up - I just don’t know if DC can find someone to replace Gail Simone - and what I saw of their first attempt didn’t wow me. But maybe things have changed and the new team has improved with age.

Deadman and Green Arrow team up in Brave and the Bold #14 - still written by Mark Waid - as the mythical city of Nanda Parbat is under attack. Though the characters travel in largely the same circles of classic DC heroes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two team up. Given their personalities, I think this might make an interesting issue, so I’m going to recommend it.

Two generations of Teen Titans guest star in DC Special: Cyborg, as their chrome-domed member Vic Stone has started targeting STAR Labs. To see both the Teen Titans and the newly-formed Titans together in action is thrill enough, though I’d be worried the title’s star might get pushed to the background.

The eighteenth issue of the Spirit is written by an equally classic comic book writer who just might be weird enough to take over the reins from Will Eisner - Sergio Aragones. When I first saw this issue I thought I was seeing another trade cover, because Aragones’ style screams with the classic noir yet comical buzz of the Spirit - I just hope these elements aren’t missing from the upcoming movie.

That’s all for this week. Plenty of good stuff in a gentle week that goes easy on the crossover mayonnaise.

If you liked that, try...

1. Comic Book Rundown: Warlock, Winter and Winick
2. Comic Rundown: Mr. Freeze Strikes Midwest
3. Comic Rundown: Nova Still Rocks and Captain Marvel’s a Skrull
4. Comic Rundown: Conquest Scores a C
5. Comic Rundown: Skrulls Down Right

2 Comments »

1. 
   Shawn M.
   June 17, 2008 at 5:29 pm

   Thanks for the heads-up on Brave & The Bold. I’ve really gotten into DC the last few months (due in large part to just getting fed up with Marvel), and Green Arrow is far and away my favorite character right now.

   And Aragones on The Spirit? That’s so crazy, it has to work.

   [Reply]
2. 
   Richard
   June 17, 2008 at 5:47 pm

   Thanks for the reply, Shawn. I haven’t been following Brave & the Bold lately - gas prices have put such a crink in my trips to the comic store I’ve been following the trades lately, but I’m surprised Mark Waid is still writing it. Remember there’s also the Green Arrow/Black Canary series still running too. And you’re dead on about Aragones - he’s perfect for the Spirit!

   I’m on the opposite side of the comic spin - I’m getting tired of DC’s endless charge into all things Crisis and nothing Final! But both of these books look unconnected, so should come pretty recommended.

   [Reply]

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