Nova Prime Blog

Rocket Boosters II Update

2012-01-19T15:00:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update on Rocket Boosters II.

80 pages are done with just a few articles waiting to come in. I pushed the release date towards March to help promote Nova's new series supposedly in April.

It also gives the comic pros and fans who are contributing material to the fanzine a little more time.

The fanzine will be available as a free download on the Nova Prime Page.

Animated Nova!

2012-01-11T09:05:00.000-06:00

It was announced that Nova will be one of the teenage heroes in the new Ultimate Spider-Man animated series!

While I'm not a fan of Bendis's work, I will admit that he has done a good job with the Ultimate Spider-Man comic. And looking at the other comic writers involved with the tv series, I'm looking forward to seeing Nova done well.

Nova is getting more exposure outside of comics with can only mean good things for his comic relaunch in April. We've seen him on Super Hero Squad and in the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 video game! This new series will hopefully be even bigger!

The series begins April 1st on Disney XD.

The Return of Nova!

2011-10-11T14:28:00.002-05:00

Nova returns in the Point One one-shot in a few weeks (Nov. 2)!!! The Nova portion of the comic is written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ed McGuinness. Nova in November. Seems fitting. :)

I'm intrigued by the costume redesign. It'll be interesting to see if it's a new Nova or a story-driven uniform change. Personally, I think it's Rich in some new threads.

Personally, I'm just happy to see comic's greatest hero return (as long as it's Rich)!

New Nova Products!

2011-08-10T09:20:00.003-05:00

Even though our boy is still lost in space for the time being, we will be seeing a couple of new Nova items in the near future!

Bowen Designs is producing a Modern Nova mini-bust which will be available in October (most likely we'll see it around December, though). It is a really beautiful piece!

Hasbro is producing a new Nova action figure in 2012 as part of Wave 3 of their Marvel Universe set. No set release date at this time other than the year.

I have pictures of both products in the News section of the Nova Prime Page. It's worth a stop by!!

Devastation Aftermath

2011-01-12T10:47:00.002-06:00

I really liked this issue although most of it was set up for the Annihilators mini-series.

It certainly didn't go the way I thought it might. I was banking on the group discovering that Pete and Rich had made their way back to our universe.

I guess that will just have to be a story whose time will come...

Chatting with DnA!

2010-12-15T07:23:00.001-06:00

Hi, everyone!

The Nova Prime Page will be hosting a special live chat room session with Abnett and Lanning this Sunday (Dec. 19th) at Noon (Central Time in the U.S.)!! Everyone is invited to join in and ask questions of the cosmic dynamic duo!!

The chat function is pretty easy. On the Nova site, there's a tab called Groups. In its drop down is one called Chat Room (or just go to this link: http://www.novaprimepage.com/chat.asp )

Once there, just login with your name and it will turn on the chat function. No need to register or anything like that. Plus it's active all the time. Feel free to take a moment to go in and look around. :)

Hope to see you on Sunday!

Cosmic Future?

2010-12-02T10:31:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about it and I'm coming around to the idea that Marvel is trying to be more supportive of cosmic than we think.

For around four and a half years, we have had a fantastic string of cosmic comics from Marvel. And they have been successful in sales (always in the top 100) and, more importantly, we have been a constant and loyal group.

Marvel knows this but how do you get the readers outside of our group to notice? Marvel can mention it only so many times, the comic press can hail it and we fans can hype it to a certain degree but the numbers just weren't going up. A new strategy had to come around.

And I wonder if that's what Marvel is doing now. Marvel Cosmic went out on a high note with The Thanos Imperative. Marvel may have taken this opportunity to pause the cosmic line and promote the writers instead of the books to drive new readers to a cosmic relaunch.

The idea being: Let DnA finish their major storyline in big fashion for the cosmic readers. Go on hiatus for a short time. In that time, take DnA and give them a street level book since that's what most of the non-cosmic readers are reading.

The non-cosmic group will give Heroes for Hire a try because it fits into their current reading pattern. After a few issues and good sales, Marvel relaunches the cosmic line with Cosmic Avengers (draw in the Avengers crowd) and the first arc being the search for Nova and Star-Lord (the Nova Antiquus story hinted in Avengers).

Either way, readers of HFH will give it a try since they like DnA on the street level book, the Avengers fans will give it a try if it's a Cosmic Avengers book and the cosmic group of fans will be back because we love our Marvel Cosmic books. And the chances of bigger success are higher because it's a relaunch that readers can get in on from the beginning.

I hope that made sense. Short version is that Marvel might be trying to promote DnA with HFH in order to get a bigger return on a cosmic relaunch in a few months.

The Fate of Nova

2010-11-11T11:57:00.004-06:00

For those who haven't read The Thanos Imperative #6 yet, the follow contains spoilers...

I thought the entire series was fantastic! I really enjoyed it and it represented many of the things that I love in a comic book.

As for the ending with Peter and Rich stuck in the collapsed Cancerverse, I LOVED their Butch and Sundance moment! Going down fighting. That's how you want your hero to go.

But I don't think they're gone. I have a feeling they will be back by the end of Devastation.

I'm thinking that the key is the blast caused by the combination of the full Nova Force and the Cosmic Cube. So much potential to use that as the key to getting home.

Plus, based on the solicitation for Devastation, I'm guessing the issue will be mainly showing what happened during the Nova/Starlord fight with Thanos. Hopefully it will end with the boys showing up in front of their statues making some funny comments about how they look in sculpture. :)

The Devastation solicit:

-----------------------

Thanos Imperative: Devastation #1 - Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, pencils by Miguel Sepulveda with cover by Alex Garner.

THE THANOS IMPERATIVE is over...but who and what has survived?

What happened to Thanos? What about Lord Mar-Vell and the Cancerverse? Who rules the Kree and the Shi'Ar?

Is anyone left to guard the galaxy? And who will hold the shattered civilizations of the Marvel Universe together in this bleak new age?

------------------

I Interviewed Dan Abnett!

2010-10-19T17:56:00.003-05:00

I had the great opportunity to interview Dan Abnett this morning (along with my friends Matt and Ryan) for our Going Knowhere podcast!

And when I say morning - it was very AM - 3am in fact!

But it was so worth getting up for! He was very nice and took the time to answer a bunch of questions we threw at him.

You can hear the podcast at: Going Knowhere Podcast

Final Version of the Helmet!

2010-10-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

Just received word that the helmet is finished!

It looks spectacular!!!

Great job, Bo!

Helmet Update!

2010-10-02T11:08:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest photo of my custom Nova helmet!

According to Bo (the artist who is doing the incredible work), the clear coat is being applied this weekend!

Custom Nova Helmet!

2010-09-29T18:50:00.002-05:00

This is an update photo of my Nova helmet that is being made by a fantastic artist named Bo.

Based on photos he's shown me of other Nova helmets he's made, the finished one will be stunning!

If you'd like to order one, you can contact Bo at formosa_collection@yahoo.com for all the information. Or the info can also be found here.

A Bunch of Buckethead Books

2010-09-15T19:30:00.002-05:00

Nova was in a number of issues that came out today!

The 2nd printing of The Thanos Imperative #3 with a super cool wraparound cover.

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #6. Nova and the gang help Thor fight the Executioner and his gang of pirates. :)

MASH Nova also appears in a panel in Avengers & The Infinity Gauntlet #2.

Nova has an entry in Heroic Age: Superheroes #1. The entries are written from the point of view of Steve Rogers. Nova's entry is extremely well done and has super ratings on his chart. Gave me a BIG smile!!

Deadpool #27's Super Hero Squad variant cover is a totally fantastic homage to The Man Called Nova #1. I hate Deadpool so I won't even read the issue but the cover was sooooo worth the money!!

Cosmic Avengers

2010-08-02T07:54:00.002-05:00

In the previous post, I mentioned that I thought Andy Lanning was trying to rally support for a Cosmic Avengers title and not necessarily hinting at something was already approved and being put together.

In an article at Comic Book Resources, Tom Brevoort talked about Cosmic Avengers. His quote seems to give weight to the idea that it's only something being suggested and not in the works currently.

"Clearly there's been a lot of chatter over the idea of "Cosmic Avengers" since we released that teaser from "Thanos Imperative," and in that case, if we were going to do an ongoing series around a Cosmic Avengers, I would need a very good reason for why that book exists and what defines it and makes it different from all of the other books that we have. And yet, we'd have to make it an Avengers book and not a Starmasters book or a "guys in space" book."

San Diego Comic Con 2010

2010-07-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

I have to say that I was disappointed at the lack of cosmic news at SDCC. I figured we would get some sort of info that the Nova series was going to resume after The Thanos Imperative.

When it was said that Nova and GotG wouldn't "be back immediately. Maybe down the line", I have to admit that I'm not feeling that positive that we'll see the Nova series return.

When Andy Lanning asked the crowd if they'd like a Cosmic Avengers book, I thought it was going to lead to an announcement of a new book with Nova.

But now I'm thinking that it was Andy trying to get the crowd to show Marvel that the cosmic line shouldn't be given up on.

At least we still have him in Secret Avengers and MA Super Heroes.

Thanos Imperative #2 and Super Heroes #4...SPOILERS!

2010-07-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

I read both Thanos Imperative #2 and Super Heroes #4 last night and both were extremely good!!

TI #2 was just huge in scale! With Galactus, Celestials and the Gods from Annihilation, it would have been easy for the other characters to have become lost in the shuffle.

But DnA are so good at characterization that the moments with Nova, Quasar and the GotG keep the series grounded which (to me) makes the outside threat feel even more overwhelming.

The Guardians are shown as an extremely competent and downright scary team as they take down the Cancerverse Defenders. Nova and Quasar are fighting the outside threat the best they can along with the Silver Surfer. I love the outside space battles!!

And the ending make me go - BLUE BLAZES! When I saw the Galactus Engine, it made me wonder if the Celestial head that makes up Knowhere came from the Cancerverse.

Super Heroes #4 had the absolute coolest Nova cover!!!!! I'm not the biggest fan of Deadpool or Kraven (to say the least) so my enjoyment of the bad guys wasn't like it was last issue with Diamondhead and the Owl.

However, I really like every issue of this series so far! The characterization and general good feeling from the book is a real pleasure to read. I find that I relax when I read Super Heroes. Plus the one and done format is great for readers of any age.

Super Hero Squad Nova!

2010-06-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

I've posted a lot of new information about Nova's upcoming appearance in Super Hero Squad to the Nova site along with the first design sketch of Nova for the show!

http://www.novaprimepage.com/news.asp

The episode sounds great! I love the fact that Len Wein (co-creator of Black Nova) is writing the first Nova episode. I really hope they approach Marv Wolfman to do one as well.

Going Knowhere Podcast

2010-06-10T15:56:00.003-05:00

A new episode of the Going Knowhere podcasts is up on the Nova site!

Episode 3

I really hate the sound of my voice.

Secret Avengers #4

2010-05-20T23:20:00.006-05:00

With the release of the cover to Secret Avengers #4, there's been some question about what happens to Richard Rider.

I still have a feeling that the Nova we see in the beginning of this first arc might not be Rich. He may be Malik Tarcel posing as Nova for some reason. He has the uniform. Plus the solicits for SA #2 says someone betrays the team and #4 says the true enemy will be revealed.

The cover could easily be interpreted as Steve taking the helmet off of Tarcel to see it isn't Rich. And then he might even use the helmet to contact Rich. Otherwise, how is Rich even going to be aware of the Secret Avengers, let alone join the effort?

FCBD 2010 - Iron Man/Nova

2010-05-04T07:25:00.003-05:00

Picked up a copy of the Iron Man/Nova issue available on Free Comic Book Day! I thought it was a very fun issue!

I hope it will bring more readers to both the Super Heroes title and the Thanos Imperative. At this time, every new reader helps!!

Rocket Boosters II Cover!

2010-04-15T13:18:00.002-05:00

Coming in 2011!

Shhhh - Nova is a Secret Avenger

2010-04-15T13:04:00.003-05:00

With the reveal of Nova as a Secret Avenger, I (for one) am completely thrilled! I like Ed Brubaker's work and think he will treat Rich very well.

But here's another thought....

What if that isn't Richard Rider? What if it is SuperNova (Malik Tarcel/Garthan Saal) posing as Nova for his own agenda? After all, Tarcel had the same uniform.

It would also explain how Nova can be in Secret Avengers while being in The Thanos Imperative at the same time. And the solicit for SA #2 says the team will be betrayed by one of their own.

I can't wait for Secret Avengers!

Thoughts on Nova #35

2010-03-25T09:53:00.003-05:00

I thought #35 was a very good ending to the Riddle of the Sphinx storyline. My favorite part of the issue was the interaction between Rich Rider and Reed Richards.

Nova having Mr. Fantastic figure out the complex quantum calculations and getting impatient made me smile and showed some insight into Rich's thinking. The impatience shows two things to me.

One: Rich has the highest respect for Reed's intelligence. He had no doubt Reed could do it and was getting slightly impatience when the answer wasn't there right away.

Two: I think it made Rich appreciate the WorldMind a little more. Nova is so used to the WM making instant calculations that he forgot that Reed is a human and might need just a little more time to get it calculated.

And the solution itself was just brilliant. :)

Rocket Boosters II Update

2010-03-17T10:52:00.003-05:00

16 pages done so far! Pierre is almost done with the cover art. When he's done, I'll add the logos and text and post it here!

The Future of Nova?

2010-03-17T10:45:00.002-05:00

Still no news from Marvel about the future of the cosmic books (Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy) after The Thanos Imperative.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing at this point. However, some news either way would be helpful. It may also mean that Marvel hasn't finalized their plans yet. Which is understandable since the Thanos story will run until the end of the year.

I'm guessing that we'll learn more at the C2E2 convention in Chicago next month. I'll be there on Saturday and will keep my ears open. :)

The Cosmic Future

2010-02-23T08:27:00.003-06:00

In the newest solicitations for May, there is an obvious gap where the cosmic titles should be. In place of Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, we are introduced to the next cosmic event called The Thanos Imperative!

On a number of message boards, there has been speculation (and some borderline panic!) that the two titles are being cancelled. Personally, I think it's way too early to jump to conclusions.

Is it a simple hiatus for the books while TTI is going on or is it a sign of massive upheaval? We simply don't know what's going on at this point.

There's also a rumor that Nova will be joining the new Secret Avengers title by Ed Brubaker. If true, that would be awesome (imo)! I enjoy Ed's work very much and think he'd have a great take on Nova. As long as the current Nova title continues, I'll be one happy dude.

I expect Marvel will make some announcements in the next few weeks about the cosmic books. I do know there are big changes coming but how big and what shape they'll take, we'll just have to wait and see.

Thoughts on Nova #34

2010-02-04T13:13:00.004-06:00

I picked up Nova #34 yesterday and thought it was a pretty good issue.

To me, this is the first story from the current Nova series that will probably read best in the collected edition. The other issues felt more self-contained even though they were part of an overall arc. Again, to me, this one feels different.

Personally, I love 'two teams face off with individual characters fighting each other as part of a bigger game' stories. One reviewer on a popular comic news site complained that he felt it was cliched and hated the issue for it.

I guess my response to that is if someone feels that something is cliched in a medium as cyclic as comics, that's a sign that the someone needs to find a new hobby because they've been around too long.

The only drawback about the issue for me was Nova being taken out of the starring role in his own title. However, I do understand it due to the 'Contest of Champions' style story being told in this particular issue. I'm sure Nova will be front and center big time in next month's conclusion!

I really like Asrar and Hanna's art in this issue. Very nice flow and Asrar draws a fantastic Namorita. And Bruno Hang's coloring is always tops! For my money, Bruno is one of the absolute best colorist there has been.

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes

2010-02-01T12:49:00.004-06:00

I've really been enjoying Marvel Adventures Super Heroes!

The MA Nova is a teenage rookie who has been made a member of the Avengers. The character's interactions with the other heroes are a hoot!

Captain America seems to see Nova as having the potential to be a great Avenger. Black Widow seems to look at him as a kid but Nova thinks she's gorgeous. :)

I would highly recommend the title to anyone who wants to see a new interpretation of Marv Wolfman's version of Nova or anyone who just enjoys reading a good comic.

Nova #34 Deadpool Variant

2010-01-27T14:01:00.002-06:00

After taking a look at next week's variant cover to Nova #34, I have to admit that I don't like it all that much.

I guess it just doesn't do anything for me compared to past Nova variant covers. Those covers were great especially #20 with the Sphinx.

I know Marvel is trying to stretch the Deadpool theme across the titles with this variant but I think the Nova cover could have been done better.

Personally, I would have loved to see the Sphinx fighting Nova with the actual Sphinx tomb/monument in the background with Deadpool's head on it. :)

Realm of Kings - SuperNova Connection?

2010-01-20T10:36:00.002-06:00

I got to thinking last night about how the people in the universe on the other side of the Fault have red eyes and are basically evil folk.

Then I remembered that when SuperNova appeared to Malik Tarcel, he had red eyes. And we already know that he's evil. :)

Saal said that he heard Malik's torture and came to rescue him. Even though this was before the Fault was ripped open, it's possible that SuperNova could have felt his pain through the Nova Force.

In the past, we've seen that a Nova (under the right conditions) can open a portal into another universe. So it seems very possible that Other Universe Saal came through.

And the fact that he would possess all the Nova Force of his universe makes him one bad dude.

Nova In Future Marvel Media Projects?

2010-01-14T23:27:00.002-06:00

During the Planet Hulk panel tonight, Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada was asked about the cosmic line of comics.

His response was: "In publishing, we talk about Marvel Cosmic a lot right now. Generally what happens in publishing goes out into the rest of the business. Expect a lot more Marvel Cosmic in other aspects of the business in the next 2-5 years".

Sounds promising for an Annihilation or Nova movie of some sort in the future!...or maybe that's my wishful thinking. :)

United Front Podcast

2010-01-12T14:07:00.002-06:00

I was happy to be one of the participants in the first United Front podcasts last night!

It was the first time I got to actually talk to fellow Nova fans; Mike, Matt and Ryan. The podcast should be available on the Nova Prime Page and Cosmic Book News within a day or so.

Good times....good times. :)

Theory on Diamondhead

2010-01-07T13:38:00.003-06:00

Earlier today, I read a terrific theory on Diamondhead. Given the current story arc in Nova with the Lifestone Tree gems, it made someone wonder:

Since one of the Lifestone Tree gems created the WWII hero Blue Diamond, is it possible that another one of the same gems is what powered the laser that created Diamondhead?

I think that's a great idea!

The only tweak I'd make is that it might not be a second gem but a fragment of the original one that created Blue Diamond. In BD's origin, an explosion shattered the gem and the shards are what created BD. That would seem to indicate that there were chunks left over and one good sized piece could have been found and used to power the laser.

War of Kings HC

2010-01-04T12:57:00.003-06:00

I finished the War of Kings HC over the weekend. Wow, that was definitely worth the money! I already had Secret Invasion: WoK, the War of Kings mini and the WoK: Who Will Rule? one-shot.

However, with the HC, I not only got those in the bigger page size but I also got a bunch of issues I didn't read when they came out. Both Darkhawk minis are in there (those were FANTASTIC!), the WoK: Son of Hulk issue and the WoK: Warriors issues are also included.

Those definitely flesh out the main series and even help explain some events in Nova. Such as how Blastaar came to rule the Negative Zone and obtained the Cosmic Rod, how Blastaar agreed to side with the Shi'Ar and invade our universe, etc.

Highly recommended!

Promoting Marvel's Cosmic Books...

2009-12-29T21:17:00.004-06:00

As the cosmic titles get better and better, the sales are only holding steady at this point. To help promote the books, a group of us cosmic fans have joined together to form the United Front.

For more info, check out: The United Front website!

One way to help is to work with your local comic shop on ways to get more customers to check out the titles. I've created a 10% coupon sheet that you can download, cut into individual coupons and give to the shop owner.

To make it a little easier on the shop owner, you can offer to reimburse him/her for any coupons used. Which isn't too much to do. For example, if 10 coupons are used, that would cost you only $3.

To download the coupon sheet, go to: Coupon Sheet.

Nova on MSNBC...

2009-12-29T09:48:00.005-06:00

Wow! Check out the character they used for the Disney/Marvel story on MSNBC!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34611959/ns/business-media_biz/

Free Comic Book Day 2010!

2009-12-23T18:23:00.007-06:00

The Marvel Adventures Nova will be featured with Iron Man in one of the comics for Free Comic Book Day 2010!!!

For more info, check out the Nova Prime Page. This is fantastic news for Nova fans! This will give the character more promotion than he's had in some time!

Happy Holidays, Everybody!

2009-12-22T18:52:00.003-06:00

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and share a wonderful card from artists Wellinton Alves, Klebs Junior and Bruno Hang of Impacto Studios!

Rocket Boosters II

2009-12-18T15:25:00.004-06:00

Work on the second volume of the fanzine, Rocket Boosters, is going pretty well. Hoping to get some more pages finished this weekend. I'm planning to start off 2010 with a flurry of pages getting done.

Villain I'd love to see return...

2009-12-14T12:13:00.004-06:00

I'd really like to see the return of Megaman from the original Man Called Nova series. With the Fault opening a rift in space/time, I'd think it'd be easy to have him back.

The entity took him back to the future but perhaps the Fault caused him to reappear in current time. :)

hhhh....however, given his somewhat limited power scope, he wouldn't be much of a challenge to the current Nova. Not unless he got a power boost from the Fault! :)

New Modern Nova statue from Bowen Designs.

2009-12-12T22:45:00.012-06:00

This is the most amazing statue (imo) to ever be released!

I was unsure how the modern uniform would translate to a 3-dimensional format. But, Sweet Mamma Christmas, this is spectacular!

I was really surprised to learn that this statue has an edition size of only 800. Definitely get one while you can!