Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
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Nova #20-21
Issue(s): Nova #20, Nova #21
Cover Date: Jul-Sep 78
Title: "At last -- the Inner Circle!" / "The shocking secret of Nova"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Carmine Infantino / John Buscema & Bob McLeod - Penciler
David Hunt / Josef Rubinstein - Inker
Review/plot:
Art credits for issue #21 list "J. Buscema, B. McLeod & J. Rubinstein" as "Illustrators". It's possible that Buscema did full art and McLeod and Rubinstein spilt the inking work, but the UHBMCC lists Buscema and McLeod in the pencils section. Looking at the art, definitely has a Buscema look to it but it's a little sketchy so maybe Buscema did rough layouts and McLeod finished them. Kind of disappointing because i love Buscema's art and thought i was gonna get a return to style of the early issues (oh, fine it was just the first two issues before Sal took over). It's still nice art; better than Infantino.
Rich follows his father on one of his mysterious trips and finds him working with some sort of secret society (there's an interlude with Nova getting information from a crime boss called "Shuffles", the less of which is said, the better).
It turns out his father was caught up in a scheme by the Corruptor.
Nova rescues his father and stops the Corruptor's current plans, but the Corruptor is still free.
Rich's brother Robbie has built a robot that looks like Sherlock Holmes...
...and it manages to follow Rich to the Corruptor's lair, so Robbie sees Nova standing over his father's passed out body.
Because of this, Rich decides to reveal his secret identity to his family, which i thought was a great and realistic move.
This really changes the dynamic of the series and breaks some new ground for a super-hero comic. They take the news well, which is also nice.
Meanwhile, Mike Burley finds a sick bum in an alley and takes him to the hospital. In the hospital the man is exposed to x-rays, which trigger a mysterious reaction. The man will turn out to be a (retconned) Golden Age hero named the Comet.
Buscema's art, the return of the Corruptor, and the fact that Nova breaks comic book taboo and reveals his identity to his family make this arc a better than average story for Nova.
Quality Rating: C+
Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Comet, Nova reveals his identity to his family.
Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushing this forward in publication time just a bit to make room for Nova's appearance in Marvel Two-In-One annual #3, which takes place after Fantastic Four #201.
References:
- Mike Burley has been missing since Nova saw him enslaved by the Yellow Claw in Nova #15. He also robbed a lab in Nova #15 after learning in Nova #14 that his brother was a prisoner of the Claw.
- The Corruptor first appeared in Nova #4.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
kinda too bad they couldnt have taken a real old timely character instead of making up the comet. wheres roy thomas when you need him?
#20 has a scene where Nova beats two guys up to find out information - usually when Spider-Man or Daredevil get info they threaten guys with violence but don't actually beat them up. Not Nova - he crashes through the apartment wall of two guys who are just minding their own business. When they object and try to call the police he destroys their telephone, then proceeds to throw them all around the room and into walls until they tell him what he wants to know. It's a pretty disturbing scene actually.
