After five issues this new Nova is back up to speed with the House of Ideas, but is this title good enough to carry the human rocket forward?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• Now that we’ve seen his origin, there’s only one thing standing between Nova and being an Avenger…

• He needs to ask his mom.

I have to say that after such a strong origin, I wasn’t sure if the series could stand on its own in the age of Marvel NOW! and actually be something that fans should be following considering the track record with cosmic books. Well after this issue I think it’s safe to say it is, and trust me even though we have a different duo behind this outing they still bring the core mechanics that have made this re-invention successful.

Zeb Wells pens the script and the author understand the characters well enough to play up something that the prior iterations of the franchise were honestly missing: family.  That’s not to say that Richard Rider was an orphan, far from it, but we never really got to see him in the prior volume be on Earth with them dealing with teenage issues as he accepted the mantle before him.  And that right there is where this new saga excels, but there are some missteps along the way as off dialogue leads to a forced interaction that honestly left me a bit underwhelmed.

One of my favorite artists, Paco Medina, steps in for this release and he lends his pencil brilliantly to the property.  He uses what’s been established to create what can be described as a believable extension.  His depictions of Sam Alexander and his primary co-stars blend seamlessly with detailed backgrounds that are befitting this burgeoning series.  I was especially impressed with a splash-page near the start of the issue that encapsulated our heroes adventure during Avengers vs. X-Men.

Nova #6 is in all honesty a really good issue that has the wit and charm to earn a place on any fanboy or fangirls pull-list.  Recommended.

4/5