Marvel Comics Review: Annihilation 2099 #1 (Nova)

Editor’s Note: Timelord has written regular reviews of the Nova (2007) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) series and sent them directly to the publishers and authors of the books. Marvel has quoted Timelord’s reviews in blurbs, press releases, and advertisements.

Author: Steve Orlando

Artist: Ibraim Roberson

Colorist: Neeraj Menon

Cover artists: Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg

As a lifelong Nova fan and the opinion that Giffen’s original destruction series was the best cosmic story Marvel has ever produced, I approached another attempt, destruction‘s fame with some trepidation. I left reading this issue with some mixed feelings, but with a positive tendency

From the storylines in this issue and the hints for the upcoming 4 issues, it seems that this miniseries will pit various 2099 versions of cosmic and pseudo-cosmic characters against world-destroying villains and/or each other. A sequel miniseries to the events of this first issue, Conquest of Destructionin which Nova 2099 faces Dracula 2099, will be released later this year. It is not known whether this miniseries will be released in a destruction-like event where all the featured characters come together to face a common enemy.

If you expect something like Annihilation: Prologue or the first edition of Giffen’s original destruction event, you will be disappointed. If you resist the temptation to compare this issue with the original destruction Event, you’ll be entertained for at least a few minutes as it’s a reasonably compelling standalone story if you’re willing to look past the overused tropes from the Nova mythos and the borrowed Wild West tropes, and spare yourself the anger at Marvel for once again replacing Rich Rider in the Nova role. More on that later. For now, let me look past the overused tropes, put aside my anger at Marvel for once again replacing Rich, and tell you what I liked.

The character “Nova 2099”, hereafter referred to as “Noverine”, is obviously a Nova-powered future version of Wolverine who was badly wounded after a battle with some 2099 Hulks, recruited by the 2099 Nova Corps, and healed by Nova power. Putting aside my disdain for overused cliches and resentment at Rich’s replacement for a moment, I’ll admit that I begrudgingly semi-enjoyed Noverine’s origin story and his spaghetti western-esque first story. The origin story, told in a brief flashback, is actually the more interesting and entertaining of the two. I wish it had been the main plot with its intriguing big bad, the Exo-parasites, and the Nova Corps/Novarine’s battle with them in a much more relaxed presentation. The main spaghetti western style story about Clint Eastwood… er… I mean Novarine cleaning up Dodge City… er… I mean, a small alien town, from a group of three unruly cowboys… er… I mean, The Knull Set, was predictable but entertaining enough to be worth my $4.99 investment and could have been a lot worse (I’m referring to the chaos that is the current spaghetti western-esque GotG series). In fact, I found this short story of Noverine versus Knull’s minions more entertaining and better executed than the entire King in Black event, although I do gently poke fun at the Wild West tropes. I swear to you that as I write this review, an old episode of Smoking Colts is on the TV right next to me and the story is literally about Festus driving three unruly cowboys, feared by the gentle villagers, out of a small western town. There’s nothing wrong with taking Wild West tropes and reconfiguring them for the 21st century. I just feel that WWII and Cold War tropes generally work better for Cosmic than Wild West tropes. Does anyone seriously want to argue that sci-fi/sci-fantasy franchises that use WWII tropes are like Battlestar Galactica, war of starsAnd Star Trek are less successful than Wild West themes Firefly“I grew up in the 60s and 70s when Westerns dominated television and movies. Yellowstone as a possible exception to the rule, today’s entertainment-seeking audience has outgrown Westerns and I don’t see a return to anything even remotely close to the enthusiasm of the 60s and early 70s. It’s a mystery to me why today’s Marvel Cosmic keeps on using Wild West tropes for GotG and Nova. Were today’s writers simply superfans of Firefly? Firefly was admittedly a great show, but it just couldn’t reach the mass audience because the Wild West tropes are passé. Seriously, Marvel editors, go back to the WWII tropes and you’ll see Cosmic flourish again.

Just as I can hardly stand Frank Castle being Cosmic Ghost Rider, I reluctantly can hardly stand Noverine being the last “Lone Ranger” Nova. That’s just not the characterization and storyline I want for a destruction series. In general, I prefer street characters that stay on Earth and in the streets and are not spruced up and replaced by real cosmic characters just because that street character is popular and/or appears in a current movie or TV series and/or, worst of all, to pander to one side or the other in the culture wars. What’s next? Novapool? She-Novulk? Captain Novfalcon? Please God, no! Quite simply, there is no reason why this story couldn’t or shouldn’t have been told with an aged Rich Rider in the lead role. In fact, it would have been better that way, as this series at least pays lip service to paying homage to destruction. Please, Marvel editors, either use the cosmic characters that made the character the legend that he is, or create an entirely new character.

As for the tired old Nova tropes I’ve been complaining about, we once again have the lazy and overused “Destroy Xandar and the entire Nova Corps and leave only one Nova alive to travel the cosmos as the Lone Cosmic Ranger, leading the fight for truth and justice, law and order, etc., etc., etc.” just like its 19th century counterpart, the Lone Ranger. I’ve criticized the tired “Destroy Xandar and the Nova Corps” plot device and the “Lone Ranger” trope countless times in past reviews and commentary. It just needs to go away forever. Nova, regardless of the iteration, works best with an ensemble cast. Enough of the “Cosmic Lone Ranger” nonsense — and please, Marvel editors, do away with the “Destroy Xandar and kill all the other Novas except one” plot device once and for all. Genocide shouldn’t be possible at all in a star-traveling species. There would be too many of them, too scattered throughout the cosmos to kill every single one. That’s one of the main reasons why it’s a star-crossing species. Don’t believe me? Just ask Elon Musk.

Roberson’s art was a showstopper. He has a penchant for the cosmic and brings the kind of detail and energy needed for a cosmic comic. It has been said that Noverine’s look was an homage to the legendary John Buscema’s portrayal of Nova. John and Sal Buscema’s 1970s depictions of Nova in Nova Volume I remain my favorite depictions of Nova to this day. In fact, several of them hang framed on the wall next to me as I write this review. It was nice to see the Buscemas’ work given the honor and respect it deserves. Menon’s colors complemented Roberson’s art perfectly, treating fans to some pleasant eye candy before this short story abruptly came to an end. The cover by Bradshaw & Rosenberg was enticing and succinctly captured the mood and main plot.

The second short story in this issue involves Dracula searching for his vampire homeworld in space, accidentally awakened too early by some space pirates, and crashing on an unsuspecting remote planet where he and his newly-turned-vampire pirate crew will no doubt wreak havoc on said planet’s population. I felt like I was transported to classic Vampirella reading this story, and was half-hoping she would show up, for no other reason than the eye candy she always brings and a surprising plot twist that brings new life to plot elements we’ve seen in far too many vampire stories and movies. Noverine will apparently be joining Dracula in the Conquest of Destruction To be continued. I’m not too keen on this particular science-fantasy and horror mashup, but we’ll see if Orlando can pull it off and change my mind.

So, dear Novaphiles, if you’re in the mood for a good Rich Rider Nova story, you’ll be as disappointed as I was. But as far as non-Richard Rider Nova stories go, this one is better than any NINO (Nova In Name Only) story by Sam Alexander and any other non-Richard Rider Nova stories produced in recent years. NINO and the other NINO-like characters were admittedly a low hurdle, but at least Orlando cleared it.