‘Nova: Sam Alexander’ TPB is a classic coming-of-age story
Growing up is hard. There are new responsibilities, new challenges, and new people to meet, work with, and even fight. For Sam Alexander in the Nova: Sam Alexander TPB, all of those ordinary stresses are compounded by a cosmic helmet that grants him superpowers. Uh oh.
While Sam’s story has been collected before in Nova: Origin, Nova: Sam Alexander is the first time that Sam’s origin is getting the graphic novel treatment. As Sam comes to learn to respect his father’s memory after meeting his first individual villains, readers are invited to come take a look at the first adventures of the youngest Nova.
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The collection includes 10 issues of Nova, as well as selections of Point One and Marvel Now! Point One, as created by Jeph Loeb, Zeb Wells, David López, Ed McGuinness, Paco Medina, Carlo Barberi, and Rafael de Latorre. All in all, the book runs for 240 pages, meaning it contains a good chunk of Nova’s origin, and it’s more than enough to get Sam’s lovable personality across.
The first half of the story includes the first five issues of Nova‘s run, which gives more than enough information to get across the background of the Supernova Corps. The story is fairly simple, after all. Sam’s father was once a mighty Supernova, before he set down his helmet to become a father. Now, after his disappearance, Sam needs to live up to the legacy of a man he despised. It’s a somewhat cliche, if charming, development.
Point One and Marvel Now! Point One are sandwiched into the middle of Nova: Sam Alexander, which is somewhat jarring to read. After all, Sam is randomly thrown into battle with an alien named Diamondhead just after evacuating a planet from the Phoenix, and suddenly he’s back to being the friendly neighborhood Nova with little-to-no interlude between. There is never even any explanation as to how he found the Phoenix at all. The interaction with Diamondhead is even more bizarre since Sam laments that his family doesn’t know his identity, which is a lie from the start.
Additionally, for a graphic novel working hard to create a self-contained story, Nova: Sam Alexander fails to provide enough explanation for the massive Avengers vs. X-Men event that it spends an entire issue alluding to. While the book does recover, anyone who isn’t familiar with the event may want to pick up that omnibus first.
If anything sets Nova: Sam Alexander apart though, it’s the boy himself. Sam is the perfect example of a teenage hero who actually feels like a teenager. As he grows into the Nova moniker, he is given room to make mistakes along the way. At one point, he even takes off his helmet mid-flight, only to realize his error only a few seconds before hitting the ground. There is even an entire story dedicated to Sam realizing that he can’t always be a galactic hero.
Unfortunately, Sam’s realism isn’t exactly extended to his surroundings. His school is somewhat underdeveloped as a setting, and the students feel like cookie-cutter caricatures. There are generic bullies, who are immediately made laughingstocks by Nova. There is a principal who seems to be picking on Sam, but who truly has a heart of gold. There is even a love interest, who discovers Sam’s identity and has been secretly supporting him since they were in middle school.
In general, though, the school and its characters don’t receive nearly enough attention. Once Sam has the helmet, he spends most of his time shooting off to space and ignoring his responsibilities as a student. It makes for a lackluster environment whenever he does come to his rather generic classroom. Even his love interest leaves the book without much hint of a potential resolution.
All-in-all, the secret identity aspect of Sam doesn’t really work, while the superhero side is always fun.
Of course, not everyone in Sam’s life is ignorant of his identity. Unlike many other heroes, Nova: Sam Alexander allows Sam the opportunity to let his family know about his adventures. His mother is supportive, his father outright tells him to take the helmet, and Sam’s best friend — the Watcher — is something of a mentor to him. It’s a great twist that helps Sam’s story feel unique.
In some ways, his relationships carry the story. Anytime the Watcher appears, it’s an absolute delight, as the story shows a new side to Marvel’s silent sentinel.
The bubbly art is always engaging, and Sam’s design does half of the work. His suit is a brilliant reinvention of Rich Rider’s classic look, made better because that helmet is definitely a better shade. Sam is also allowed to look like a young teenager, which helps to sell the atmosphere of Nova: Sam Alexander. At all times, he truly does feel like a legacy hero trying to match his father, and it works very well. It works even better once the New Warriors arrive to teach Sam about Earth’s other Nova.
Nova: Sam Alexander TPB is a bright comic with smooth, bubbly art, and infectious energy. There are some parts of Nova #10 that Nova: Sam Alexander leaves out, which is disappointing. But it’s done in an effort to provide a completely stand-alone story that serves as a great first look into Sam’s life. At worst, it’s a fun adventure with a few holes. At best, it’s enough to make readers want to bury their heads into Sam’s other comics, just to see what other messes the kid is getting into. With Nova about to enter the MCU, there’s no better time to check out the youngest Nova, and Nova: Sam Alexander provides a perfect picture of his character.
‘Nova: Sam Alexander’ TPB is a classic coming-of-age story
Nova: Sam Alexander TPB
A bright comic with smooth, bubbly art, and an infectious energy. At worst, it’s a fun adventure with a few holes. At best, it’s enough to make readers want to bury their heads into Sam’s other comics, just to see what other messes the kid is getting into.
Reader Rating
0 Votes
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Sam Alexander is a great character who really feels like a teenager.
The art is always bright, colorful, and provides the sort of positive atmosphere that this book needs.
The fight scenes are incredible, and Nova’s powers make sense without needing to be explained.
Relies a bit too much on audiences already knowing about the Avengers vs. X-Men event.
Major settings and characters feel underdeveloped.
7.5
Good
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