Okay, I just read the last two issues of Nova (#10 and 11). Richard Rider has been trapped inside the Worldmind, inside the pocket universe. Richard mentions he sacrificed himself to that condition to keep Thanos from escaping. I really liked that these two issues showed Richard's memories, including Richard destroying Annihilus, Richard and Starlord fighting Thanos, Queen Adora, Xandar, and images from Richard's older series. It was nice to see these things were not forgotten.
It appears the Worldmind is keeping Richard trapped, because it is usurping control. The only reason Richard came out is because when Sam mentioned Sam's mother, Richard thought of his own mother. So Richard forced himself to the forefront and the Worldmind image changed from something more robotic to more human.
Richard mentioned he was trapped forever but said he would do it all over again. But then, you see him go home.
Look, I liked it. And I am hopeful.