Marvel Is Teasing the Return of Richard Rider as Nova -- Here's Why You Should Care

[The Negative Zone]

And this is what I find sad. I am a Richard Rider fan since his first series. I was really bummed to his comic go away. He has been my favorite comic character since 1976. But I still gave Sam Alexander a chance. In a matter of fact, I still buy the title. But we have younger fans who will not even give Richard Rider a chance, even with a different series and a different creative team. I gave Sam a chance, even though I was not happy. And some Sam fans are pulling the rip cord even before a new title debuts.

I knew this would happen if a new series with Rich were to come about. By creating a different Nova character, the Nova fan base gets divided and we have "I'm not buying that if he is not in it, and I'm not buying that if he is not in it."

Nah, us Sam fans seem to be respectable about it. We're not prejudging the book without giving it a chance like how I see people all over this board saying negative things about books that haven't come out yet. Ex: Like how people are saying the Marvel NOW line up is terrible even though none of it has come out yet.

I'll probably still buy this even without Sam. Not entirely sure.

Though if it helps any I read and liked Richard Rider before I liked Sam Alexander. I've read the original Nova volume.

[chamber-music]

There is enough space for Rich and Sam.

Sam can be the mostly earth based teen Nova with the champions while Rider could be the space based hero in the against the odds cosmic wars he was before he vanished from the MU.

[Shinglepants]

I really hope this is Rich, and that his triumphant return is heralded by a great creative team.

[PeteAmend]

There is enough space for Rich and Sam.

Sam can be the mostly earth based teen Nova with the champions while Rider could be the space based hero in the against the odds cosmic wars he was before he vanished from the MU.

I grew up on Rich Rider but enjoy Sam as well. It would be like killing off all the Green Lanterns except for one (Hopefully they will not do that AGAIN).

[guardianofscrewingup]

I think it's about time Marvel stopped overlooking the potential of Sam and Rich coexisting side by side. Like everyone is saying, Sam can be the more Earthbound Nova, taking his place in team books and doing the things Rich did when he was younger, and Rich can be the more spacebound Nova dealing with cosmic threats and having team ups with the cosmic characters.

And then they can have adventures with each other. I'd love to see Rich taking Sam on cosmic adventures, trying to teach him how to deal with more and more complex space crises. To me, an ideal Nova book would be one where they both feature prominently and team up a lot. Especially since Rich only had a short time of training his probationers and has never really mentored before. I mean just imagine how it'd go, with Rich doing the seat-of-his-pants stuff he does, that would be really bad for a younger, more inexperienced hero to try to imitate until he's more experienced.

"Hey, Sam, did you see that thing I just did?"
"Yeah, and it was awesome!"
"Never EVER EVER do that thing I just did."

Sam sometimes has a rough time of things and I think it'd be really sweet if he found an understanding friend/big bro in Rich, who understands what Sam if going through with trying to balance a life with all the troubles of being a teen hero because Rich has been there. And after being the only Nova for so long and then having his probationers scatter to the winds after he died, having a sassy little Nova bro would probably do Rich some good. The sheer levels of "do as I say, not as I do, no really, please don't try to arrest Galactus, Blue Blazes" Rich would have to do would also be pretty hilarious.

I really don't understand why there's always been so much either/or, on the part of Marvel or the fans, when both Sam and Rich are great and we could have Novabros instead. Look at the great things we've gotten from DC in regards to the friendships between all the Earth GLs. Guy and Kyle and John and Hal being friends has only made the GL mythos richer, much better than if they'd been set against each other, used to replace each other, or kept apart. Anytime DC has things come between their friendships, imo the quality of the GL books falls.

Both the GLs and the Novas were meant to be a Corps and even if events make it so Rich can't rebuild the Nova Corps for some reason (something Marvel might have to do to avoid the Nova Corps being called out for being GL ripoffs), having Rich and Sam be a little Corps of two against the universe, helping each other so neither is alone now, trying to find Sam's dad/maybe Rich's lost brother Robby would be a great situation. I think both characters would be that much more endearing if we saw them occasionally being bros together. Nobody can tell me the mental image of Rich and Sam talking hero shop while sitting on an asteroid watching Earth, or Rich affectionately turning Sam's helmet around backwards isn't adorable.

[shibby]

Love Sam. Love Richard. Solution? Keep Sam on Earth and send Rich into space for his own adventures.

[arveg2]

potential?..yeah sam has potential..to stay in a saturday morning cartoon. keep him in champions, or whatever new kiddie group marvel starts up to make the 8 year olds happy. just keep that little turd off the new nova if it is really rich who will be coming back.

imho, the nova family featured way back in secret wars was infinitely much more interesting than budget nova.

[The Drizzt]

Marvel today has no idea how to handle legacy characters. They've taken the Ben Reilly/Kyle Rayner approach of denigrating their predecessor to make the legacy seem better.
...
Amadeus Cho replaces Bruce Banner - Okay, well, they didn't completely screw that one up. Yet.

Spoke too soon.

[danteipp]

That's not how you spell G'Nort.

G'Nort has fleas and drools! Ch'p and B'dg rule!!!

[MyriVerse]

G'Nort has fleas and drools! Ch'p and B'dg rule!!!

More freaking squirrels. Kill 'em all.

[danteipp]

Wow, I just finally read "Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Omega #1" and I saw what Marvel did to Wendell Elvis Vaughn and cannot believe they stripped him of the quantum bands and Quasar title. Quasar has always been one of my favorite under-the-radar characters and that 90's title was a great read, exploring so much of the cosmic Marvel universe with terrific characters and stories.

I was really hoping that if Rich truly returned, we would finally see him as Nova prime, Quasar, the Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Cosmo and maybe even Adam Warlock and the Guardians of the Galaxy get back out there and start exploring the cosmic marvel universe. But it looks like Wendell is just going to be a background piece now.

Terrible and clumsy hand off too. It was so forced and sad. I also liked Phyla too and, if they wanted to have a woman take on the roll of Quasar, it should have been Phyla. She could have been reconstituted, due to her use of the bands, like Wendell was. I still would like to see Phyla return as well, but that doesn't look like it is in Marvel's plans.

Now I am really worried about Richard's potential return. If they try to just make him a mentor to Sam (without any powers saying he burned them out or some such BA) or the Worldmind guiding Sam in a disembodied form, that would be a big mistake. There is definitely a place for both Rich and Sam and hopefully more Nova's and Quasar(s). And Quasar should be Wendell, Phyla or both. No need to create a new character when two (2) strong characters already exist and have a solid foundation in place.

Well, I guess I can hope that if Rich returns, he will be looking to rebuild the Nova corps and his first recruit will be Wendell. Just like when Wendell gave him the bands to save his life. Of course they could just have Wendell tap into the Quantum zone without the bands, since he has wielded the Star Brand and been a being of pure energy before. At this point, maybe he is superhuman without needing the bands. C'mon Marvel, please give us more cosmic characters.

[PeteAmend]

C'mon Marvel, please give us more cosmic characters.

I grew up on Nova, Quasar, Adam Warlock and the original Captain Mar-Vell. Hopefully they will keep Wendell around instead of just replacing him with another PC character. Someone joked that Marvel should just change their name to PC but it may not be a joke if we lose Wendell to another PC character. He can exist along side some new PC character.

Well, until they replace Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain Mar-Vell and other main heroes... just for the sake of being more PC, make mine Marvel. Drat, too late.

[kevlon]

I literally cannot wait for Rich's return.

[50yearoldNovafan]

Something just hit me. I did not think about it until now. But now it seems a bit odd to me.

This promo for Nova's return is done in a manner in which Marvel is stating "this is the biggest news in comics. Stay tuned." Now don't get me wrong, Richard/Nova has been my favorite hero since I was a kid in the late 1970s. This IS them most important comic news to me. But to Marvel, I'm not quiet sure.

We don't know which character will be under this helmet, but Nova has never been THAT important to Marvel, has it?

I am waiting with baited breath to find out why this promo, and what is really coming to the Nova-verse.

[Noodle]

And this is what I find sad. I am a Richard Rider fan since his first series. I was really bummed to his comic go away. He has been my favorite comic character since 1976. But I still gave Sam Alexander a chance. In a matter of fact, I still buy the title. But we have younger fans who will not even give Richard Rider a chance, even with a different series and a different creative team. I gave Sam a chance, even though I was not happy. And some Sam fans are pulling the rip cord even before a new title debuts.

I knew this would happen if a new series with Rich were to come about. By creating a different Nova character, the Nova fan base gets divided and we have "I'm not buying that if he is not in it, and I'm not buying that if he is not in it."

Actually, I did give Richard a chance. I read both Nova Classics vol. 1 and the first volume of his Annihilation series when I picked them up at a used book store after I became a fan of the Nova brand with Sam. I didn't like either of them.

Taste is subjective. I know what I like others might not, and what others like I may not. Again, I reiterate "If you're a Richard fan, I'm glad you have him back." Comics ain't cheap, and if I have no interest in the character I'm not wasting my money on the book unless it has an amazing hook. If this has it, I'll give it a shot. But right now I'm not interested.