Nova: Return of the Rings #1
"Return of the Rings"
Writer: Josh Trujillo and Rafael Loureiro
Artist: Bruno Abdias
Colorist: Jao Canola
"Shining Light"
Writer: Juan Ponce
Artist: Andy Pereira
Colorist: Jao Canola
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Nova Centurion Sam Alexander returns—but so does the first of the Mandarin's Ten Rings...
Return of the Mack
In our main story, Sam Alexander wakes up in an alien prison cell with no memories, and a Nova helmet lying on the ground nearby. He soon meets his jailer, King Arasmer, who wields one of the Ten Rings of Power—the one that controls the mind (and memories). Arasmer wants Sam to put on the helmet so that he can access the Xandarian Worldmind and locate the other nine rings, but Sam is resistant...
In the backup, Sam is with his family watching his sister Kaelynn's dance performance when he's called away to stop a black hole from ending all life on Earth...
Safety First
I missed Sam Alexander.
I've always been more of a Richard Rider fan, but Sam grew on me over the years. It was nice to see him again here, and hopefully this is the start of him playing a bigger role in the Marvel universe going forward.
The main story is a little confusing at points, but I think that's deliberate. Arasmer has used his ring to take Sam's memories, which should make him easier to manipulate. Those beings that are chosen to join the Nova Corps are pretty tough, though.
I have to say, Arasmer didn't try real hard to come across as a little more friendly and trustworthy here. Right from the start, he was doing a bad job of hiding that he was responsible for Sam's predicament, and it just got more obvious as he went along. He might as well have had a neon sign above him that said "Bad Guy," really.
When Rich showed up, I was wondering for a minute if he was real or not. Since the last Nova series got cancelled, I'm not sure what Mr. Rider is up to. Once he tried to get Sam to put the helmet on, I knew he was fake. Now, the helmet thing, I do have to admit to being confused: I thought Rich was the one who carried the Worldmind in his helmet, so how would Sam have any kind of connection to it that the baddie could exploit? Even after Sam puts the helmet on and Arasmer somehow accesses the Nova database, I'm confused on this point.
As far as the Ten Rings go, they're all still out there, and Sam is on the trail of at least the mind one.
In the backup, it's a pretty straightforward tale showing how Sam balances superheroics with his family. It's quite refreshing to see an actual functional family in comics; so many of them put the "fun" in "dysfunctional" and are hard to spend too much time with. The actual world-ending threat almost doesn't matter in the end; it's all about Sam and how his family handles his Nova-ing.
Designated Wingman
Josh Trujillo and Rafael Loureiro write the main story together, while Juan Ponce writes the backup. Both stories are well paced, with the main tale having a few more pages, so it's just a little bit slower. Sam's characterization is handled well, and the scene in the main story where he draws power from his family and all the people around him feeds very well into the family focus of the second story.
Bruno Abdias handles the art for the main story, and Andy Pereira takes care of the backup. Both stories are well rendered, with Sam and his uniform looking great in both. Each has different kinds of action—the main story involves Sam fighting Arasmer and his soldiers, while the backup involves fighting a warped act of nature. Both men have clean styles and handle the kinetic movement needed for a character like Nova well.
Jao Canola colors both stories, and his work blends well with the different art styles. Everything is brightly colored, with a bit of that "clean" look that most Big Two titles have. The deep, deep blue of Sam's helmet and Nova uniform looks great, as does the brief appearance of Nova Prime Richard Rider. Between the ring and Nova himself, there are plenty of power effects here, and all are interesting to look at.
Two-Handed Grip
Nova: Return of the Rings #1 features two enjoyable stories, one of which looks to have larger implications for the Marvel universe. The end of the issue promises a continuation of the Ten Rings storyline in the pages of Iron Man, so I think it's safe to say we haven't seen the last of Sam Alexander for the time being.