Marvel's Annihilation event titles continue to entertaining, and yes, this is an Annihilation book review. The label's right there on the cover; it seems the folks at Marvel forgot to include "Annihilation" as part of the book's title in the indicia, which serves as the official source of the book's name. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning provide a thoroughly accessible script that's full of personality. It gets to the human heart of the Annihilation Wave story without requiring the reader to follow each of the limited series. Walker's rough art is in keeping with the devastation that serves as the catalyst for the plot. I've never been a fan of the title character, but this is the best Nova story I've read.
Richard Rider lies under a pile of rubble in the ruins of Xandar, the last surviving member of the intergalatic Nova Corps. He is the only being left alive on the planet, but nevertheless, he is not alone. The Xandarian Worldmind, a super-computer that empowered the entire Nova Corps before its destruction at the hands of the Annilation Wave, is intact, but a degrading solar orbit and the approach of carrion creatures from the Wave threaten its existence. Nova must pull himself together and save the Worldmind, and in the process, he will be empowered. There are a couple of problems, though, not the least of which are the effects the exponential power boost will have on his person.
When I saw that Kev Walker was tasked with bringing this latest incarnation of Nova to life, I was skeptical. Walker's style doesn't seem like it would be suited to the sleek look of the character. He handles Nova well enough, but his style really serves the story well, given the wartorn nature of the galactic setting and premise. The new costume design is pretty sharp, but it looks as though it might be a bit more of a pain in the butt to draw over and over again. Overall, the art's pretty solid, though I think Walker portrays the other cosmic hero who turns up at the end of the issue as being too slight. He's supposed to be a big bruiser, after all.
Nova's recovery in the face of the onslaught that decimated every other living thing around him -- most of which were just as empowered as he was -- is a hard pill to swallow, but the writers make it easier to accept later in the book when they show us his rage, pain and guilt over surviving. Richard Rider goes from being a wise-cracking Peter Parker personality to a barely verbal powerhouse. It's a thoroughly effective scene, and it highlights the main conflict as Nova's own struggle with his newfound power as opposed to his one-man war with the Annihilation Wave.
The greatest strength of this book is to be found in the banter between the title character and the Worldmind. There's a cosmic Odd Couple vibe to the dynamic between these two characters, and it's thoroughly entertaining. Abnett and Lanning's establishes a fine balance between the Worldmind's cold, logical personality and the need for it to break out of that mode for comedic or dramatic effect. 8/10
