Nova - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
- The Complete Collection Vol. 1 - This thick book contains Annihilation: Nova, Nova (2007) #1-15, the first annual and some origin material. Beginning from the destruction of Xandar during the Annihilation War, the story follows Richard Rider as he is infused with Worldmind, a sort of AI comprised of all the knowledge of Xandar, and boosted with the power of the entire (now-deceased) Nova Corps. Often at odds with Worldmind, who is more practical, Rider takes risks to save everyone he can. He meets a talking dog with vast psionic powers in Knowhere (a laboratory located in the head of a celestial at the end of space), tries to save the people on a planet Galactus is destroying, butts heads with Iron Man over the registration act, and spars with Gamora as she tries to have him assimilated by the Phalanx, a sort of Borg-like technological virus. It's cosmic super-heroics of the first order, very well written and paced. I love how the authors create vast new worlds while also putting Nova through his paces with established Marvel lore like the Surfer and the Kree. [4]
- The Complete Collection Vol. 2 - This is Nova (2007) #16-36. Here, Rider sets up base on Earth, but is taken aback by Worldmind's unilateral restoration of the Nova Corps, and when Ego the Living Planet is brought into the equation, he realizes things make not be as above-board as Worldmind says they are. Later, the reformed Corps responds to distress signals in space, and tries to restore order to some of the post-Annihilation skirmishes, facing Blastaar, the Imperial Guard, and other heavy hitters. Finally, in trying to track down Darkhawk, Nova gets caught up in a contest of heroes brought about by cosmic conqueror Sphinx, who is trying to defeat... his angrier younger self. Again, just a superbly-written cosmic soap opera, with suspense, action, great character differentiation, and fully fleshed-out arguments for antagonists and protagonists alike. [4]
