Synopsis: As old tensions explode in the far-off Earth System, the political map of the galaxy is redrawn. Meanwhile, old friends and lovers must redraw the maps of themselves – or tear them up entirely. He used to be the Human Rocket. Now he’s the Human Wreck. Is there any coming back for Nova?
The Story
Nova blames himself for having got Peter Quill killed and at the insistent suggestion of Hercules, he engages in some talking therapy to try and get a handle on some feelings and the reasons why he finds it difficult to ask for help. The talk, which runs across the whole issue sees Nova go into his past and more specifically looks at his relationship with Gamora and why she blames him for Peter Quill’s death.
The Artwork
This is a rather intimate issue in that it really does a deep dive into the psychology of Nova and as such most of the emphasis is on Nova’s interactions with his therapist as well as a few flashback sequences. Artist Marcio Takara does a great job with the various facial expressions as Nova conveys how much he has been conditioned to operate independently and without help. The flashbacks to where we see Nova’s father telling him that he should not need help is used sparingly enough for it to prove pretty powerful and it is a well-drawn image. The panels where we see Nova talking to Gamora in the bar are really well-drawn and sort of important in a sense to Nova’s state of mind.
Overall
A really enjoyable character-based story, which explores grief and the taking of responsibility for one’s actions or inactions and how grief and feelings of guilt can often come into conflict and create an emotional pot noodle of a mess. It will be interesting to see how Nova resolves off of this baggage as the story moves forward.
- Covers9.4
- Story9.7
- Artwork9.6
- Lettering9.5
- Colours9.6
