Since his helmet was damaged by Hulk, Nova Sam Alexander has
been searching for someone who can fix it; several options have failed so he
visits the Baxter Building to see Reed Richards. He walks in and the first
person he sees is Hulk, in his guise as Doc Green, and he panics and blasts
Hulk. Unharmed, Doc Green offers an apology as he was under the power of
magicians in Genosha. Doc examines the helmet (after Sam puts a paper bag over
his head to hide his secret identity) and discovers that the damaged components
include several non-Earth metals; Sam knows a place where he can find
replacement parts. With great difficulty Sam persuades Doc to accompany him
into space in a borrowed spaceship, despite the record of bad things happening
to Hulk in space. They launch….
Light years from Earth, the helmet starts emitting a garbled
call for help. They land on a planet which has a Nova bunker but Hulk
determines the parts they need are not there. Sam uses the helmet to show them
the way to a fallen Black Nova and a star map lights up. They travel to Xandar,
the devastated home of the Nova Corps. They encounter Zarish Didisqui and his
family, scavenging for artefacts to fund their way off the planet. Sam shows
him the Black helmet and learns that the local warlord Gron is looking for one;
Sam offers to give them the spaceship if Didisqui will take him to Gron (Hulk
does not approve of Sam giving away his spaceship). Gron, a Dakkamite, has enslaved the planet’s refugees, forcing
them to dig for treasure for him. Nova and Hulk confront him, Hulk takes away
the Black Nova helmet Gron wears on a chain and punches him into the sky. The
helmet has the parts they need to fix Sam’s and Hulk puts it together and Sam
has all of his powers back. Since Didisqui and family have already blasted off in
Hulk’s ship, Nova flies Doc Green to Knowhere (and Hulk enjoys the unfamiliar
experience of flying though space. They visit Nova’s pal Cosmo who has a
teleporter that can return them to Earth. Sam has arranged for Doc Green to
land in an active volcano in retribution for hitting him all those months ago.
Nova then takes off into space and is finally able to hear the full distress
call, which is from the Guardians of the Galaxy. He travels to the Haunted Moon
and finds the Guardians and the X-Men waiting for him….
Story continues in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE
BLACK VORTEX ALPHA.
“Leggo My Nova”
Writer: Anthony Holden. Art: Anthony Holden. Colors: Jordie
Bellaire.
Synopsis: Sam can’t find his Nova helmet; he discovers his
Mom is using it as a mixing bowl. The next day his kid sister has made it into
Barbie’s Dream Igloo. The following day, a stray dog finds it in the trash,
crawls inside it and is transformed into Nova, flying across space and meeting
Rocket Raccoon and Gamora who aren’t sure about the change in Sam.