Previously on Nova, Sam Alexander has inherited the role and powers of his father and became one of the Nova Corps. However, there’s no training and the actual Nova Corps are still broken. Gamora and Rocket Raccoon have stepped in to help with his training but when he mentions he had seen a war fleet the training stops and they plan for him to do some reconnaissance.

He’s attacked and plays dead. His personal idea though has nothing to do with playing it safe and says that thanks to video games and movies that he’s got this.

In fact at first it appears that he really does have this. Until an ex-nova corpsman that was a close friend of his father named Titus knocks him down.

We get a back story of how Titus and Sam’s father parted ways. In the story Sam was told he left to be with his family and tried to send help. In the story Titus gave Sam’s father had abandoned them.

While it’s great for them to explain how Titus has switched sides and why the story line felt a bit off. It looks like The Chitauri were kind of shoehorned in without giving any real details about them past the fact that they were bandits just trying to get the ship.

I really feel that their involvement was rushed but knowing they probably won’t be a large influence until they probably won’t be too much of a focus until they appear in Guardians of the Galaxy and that the main character we’re going to be seeing is Titus I can overlook that.

Speaking of Titus, he and Sam’s father appear to have had with them a great source of information. A library that contained within it for a weapon we have not see on page in quite some time – The Ultimate Nullifier.

Titus has bargained his way into a position of power through his knowledge and working up the ranks in the Chitauri and will not let some upstart prevent him from his plan. While we’re unclear of his end goal at this time part of his plan is getting revenge on the position that he’s been put into by taking it out on Sam.

The rest of his plan though has something to do with The Ultimate Nullifier and may or may not be related to the Infinity story line that is soon to occur that will partially relate to The Mad Titan Thanos.

Young Sam is able to rest the Nullifier away and escape. Not only does he escape but he does a ton of damage in the process. After he does make his way off the ship he returns home due to being unable to find the Raccoon or Gamora and hides the Nullifier, takes off his helmet and calls it a night. His mother harasses him on where he’s been and what he’s been up to but the issue ends when he hears something outside and sees Titus holding his helmet and demanding his weapon be returned to him.

While one has to wonder where the two Guardians went off to the build up is still solid and there has been some great scenes and shots that lead me to ask how the hell he’s going to get out of this mess next issue.

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness