Nova #8 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Mondays

That’s Me in the Corner

Written By: Sean Ryan
Art By: R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, Andres Mossa
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 20, 2016
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed By: Dan Mayhoff

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

*Due to this being a Civil War II tie-in, there will be SPOILERS for Civil War II #1 in this review*

So I’m not going to speak about it directly but those of us who follow comic book news have seen quite a lot from Marvel this week about what is going to be coming out in the aftermath of Civil War II. I won’t go into it, but this book has so far done an amazing job at setting up what is to come in the future. I’m sure that we will be seeing the same thing in many other books as the event continues, but this book has decided to get ahead of the pack (at least, in that one regard). So what happens in Nova #8? Let’s find out.

The issue begins by dropping the reader into the major attack on Earth that we read about in the main Civil War II book. We follow the young Avenger as he seems to be a bit out of his element. He’s flying through the battle doing what he can, but it all seems to overwhelm him quite a bit. We reach the climax of the battle almost immediately and we see the aftermath. Sam seems very relieved that they were successful as he has a quick discussion with Steve Rogers in which he is informed of Tony Stark’s after party (after the clean-up, that is).

Sam seems to be enjoying himself initially, but that ends rather quickly. Nova attempts to talk with those that he knows but comes to the realization that they either don’t remember him, or are enjoying their own insides jokes that he is not a part of. I think most everyone has been in Sam’s situation. No matter how much fun you usually have, or how close you are with certain people, there will always be that one party where you just felt out of place and like you didn’t belong there. During his talk with Miles Morales and Jean Grey, Steve Rogers comes around and asks Jean to come with him. There’s a serious meeting going on (the one we saw in Civil War II #1) and the younger heroes are being kept out of it.

Sam returns home after the party to find his mother waiting for him. He tries to play it off but his mother is concerned. She isn’t sure that he knows what he’s doing or what he’s up against. Sam swears he will do better but his mom decides to call it a night, clearly unsatisfied with Sam’s choice to remain as Nova. Nova decides that he should become more familiar with his own abilities, so he calls up Tony Stark to help him. 

Tony tells him that he’s far too busy right now (Civil War II stuff) and that he should call back in three weeks. We see Sam struggle a bit as he waits those three weeks before he calls Tony again. This time, Tony doesn’t pick up and Sam is instead met with a recorded message. Sam decides to investigate and he goes to Stark Tower in order to find Tony. Sam gets frustrated when he doesn’t find anyone and screams about how they are supposed to be a team and he punches Stark Tower. Suddenly the ground begins to rumble and from below the streets emerges Mole Monster and Sam quickly flies off to fight him. This is where the issue ends.

There’s honestly quite a lot that I like about this issue. First off, I want to give a lot of props to the art team because honestly they draw Nova so well as well as the many other heroes that he comes across in this issue. We keep getting all this set up for Civil War II in this issue but the thing that separates this issue from others is that we don’t know where it is going yet. The reader is completely ignorant to how Nova will act in this event and that is very exciting. Ultimately, not a whole lot happened in this issue but the setup that we have gotten is very promising and I, for one, am excited to read more.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue has incredible art and provides us with a story that, while not giving us a whole lot, sets up a lot going forward. The dialogue is very sharp and believable and the issue is very welcoming to readers who are jumping on for the Civil War II tie-in. That said, there seems to be a few wasted scenes and ultimately the issue spends more time setting up a future story than providing us with a good launch point. Despite this though, I found myself enjoying this issue and relating to Sam quite a bit.

7.5/10