Nova #6

Nova #6 marks Sam's return home from his battle with Titus and fighting the Phoenix Force with the Avengers (which the comic alludes to but doesn't explain for those of us not reading whatever Avengers title this took place in). With an offer to join the Avengers and a new personal relationship with Thor, Nova returns home to a very concerned mother, school bullies, and the consequences of leaving his life behind for weeks at a time.

Zeb Wells does a pretty job stepping in for Jeph Loeb and keeping the tone and humor of the title consistent with the previous issues. Although I like Paco Medina's art (even if Sam appears to be a tad bit older for some reason) I'm definitely going to miss Ed McGuinness whose work on the first arc of the series did quite a bit to sell me on the character.

There's some nice moments here between Sam and his mother as well as the foreshadowing of just how screwed up the young man's life will become the longer he plays super-hero. It's a nice issue, but it's certainly not a must-read. For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]