Nova – Eulogy – MK Stangeland Jr.

The scene takes place within the relatively short span of time between the end of THANOS IMPERATIVE and the first ANNIHILATORS miniseries.

The location is aboard a large observation area on a starship that is currently orbiting the wreckage of XANDAR. Present are most of the members of the NOVA CORPS as well as a select group of other cosmic heroes.

(4 Panels)

PANEL 1: COSMO stands as best as a dog is able at a podium overlooking the crowd assembled on the observation deck.

COSMO: Richard Rider was good man.

PANEL 2: Panel overlooks crowd as COSMO continues to address them with his telepathy.

COSMO: He came from humble origins on planet known as Earth. It eez planet familiar to Cosmo. It has strange role of being both far from cosmic affairs and yet play big role in them.

PANEL 3: Panel shows the ship as it orbits the ruins of XANDAR.

COSMO: When given power of last member of Nova Corps, Richard prove zat great man can come from anywhere.

PANEL 4: Panel shows a distance shot of XANDAR and the ship orbiting it. Edge of panel should suggest that the following page will transition to a flashback or images of scenes that COSMO will be describing. As he continues.

COSMO (1): He show it eez not important where person come from zat eeze important, but what person do with life.

COSMO (2): Richard show one must seize opportunities presented in life and make most of zem.

(END PAGE)

Nova – What’s A Cosmic? – Ryan K Lindsay

PAGE 5 - 5 PANELS

1. We are in Mary Jane’s apartment. Nova is wearing his suit, but his helmet is off and underneath his arm. He looks down at the bench, Mary Jane stands next to him and also looks down.

NO COPY

2. Nova continues to look down. Mary Jane looks at him.

NO COPY

3. Nova looks up, Mary Jane looks down.

Nova: …

4 Nova and Mary Jane face each other.

Nova: You don’t really know what it is I do, do you?

5. Nova looks up at the ceiling, exasperated, Mary Jane looks down again.

Mary Jane: So ‘cosmic’ doesn’t mean you can hook my iPad up to my wi-fi. Cool, I get it now. Fine.

Nova - Up - Ben Rosenthal

1. The streets of Manhattan. Everyday citizens are looking up to a bright light in the sky. Some are pointing, while others look worried.

CIVILIAN 1

Look! Up in the sky!

CIVILIAN 2

It’s a Bird!

2. Still on the street, however the light in the sky has gotten much bigger, and looking rather ominous. The people in the street all look worried now, with some beginning to run away.

CIVILIAN 3

It’s a plane?

3. Inside an air born ship, in the control room. We see the back of a figure, but cannot work out who it is. They are standing with their hand to chin, observing the bright light from the control room window.

MYSTERY MAN

No.

4. A close up of the bright object. It is Nova, bursting with energy. His face is of intense concentration as he tries to contain the immense power that threatens to erupt from him, destroying the planet.

CAPTION: It’s a super Nova.

Nova - Just a Small Town Boy - Matt Duarte

Nova in “Just a Small Town Boy” by Matt Duarte

Panel 1

Description: Nova is flying through a gravimetric stargate (what he uses to travel around space, basically a giant wormhole). Behind him, open space flows by, peppered by hundred if not thousands of stars and other galactic bodies.

NOVA: You know, Worldmind, I still remember the first time my parents took me to Jones Beach to see the 4th of July fireworks.

NOVA: I was so scared, I asked them if those were the stars exploding.

Panel 2

Description: Nova coming out of the Stargate, rocketing across the vastness of space.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): That's ridiculous, Richard. If a star exploded in such close proximity to Earth, the planet would be decimated by its aftermath.

NOVA: I was just a boy, you know?

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): And they did not teach you this in your educational facilities? In Xandar, Space Geography was one of the earliest subjects we would teach to our young.

NOVA: I don't think that was in the curriculum, no.

Panel 3

Description: Nova flying past a planet with several large space ships flying around. They are evacuating this alien planet.

NOVA: By the way, Worldmind, you can tell them to call off the evacuation, and inform them that I am responding to the emergency.

NOVA: Anyway, what I was trying to say...

Panel 4

Description: A huge star is glowing an eerie and unnatural red. Wild lashes of fire are going off in all directions. Nova is dwarfed by its enormity as he flies towards it.

NOVA: Now that I'm actually preventing a star from exploding, I have to say that the fireworks were more impressive-looking.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): Why were you so impressed by simple explosive pyrotechnics?

NOVA: I guess you wouldn't understand, Worldmind. Back then I was just a boy from the unpopular part of New York. I would have never dreamed I'd eventually punch my way through a star.

Panel 5

Description: A close up on Nova's face. He is smiling.

WORLDMIND (CAPTION): We are not “punching” our way through it. We are tactically using gravimetrical force to release tension from the core of this very unstable star.

NOVA: Yeah, but my way sounds much more fun.

NEXT: What dangers await at the core of a star?

Why Nova?

Somewhere along the mid-2000's, someone at Marvel decided that the company should do a space-themed event series. It would include almost all of the companies cosmic heavy hitters. Popular characters like Galactus, Silver Surfer and Thanos showed up on it, but there was also some oddball choices and C-list characters.

One of them was Nova, also known as Richard Rider, who had his last solo series years ago and was in the popular-at-the-time New Warriors, but not much else. Under the dexterous hands of Keith Giffen and the duo of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, in the pages of Annihilation and later his most recent solo series, Nova flourished into a much more interesting character: a seasoned war horse that left his wide-eyed days in the past, but with a sense of humor nonetheless. His rise in status is perhaps summed up best by the time he ripped out Annihilus entrails from the inside, effectively ending a threat that killed millions of beings in the universe.

Nova went on to live a long and productive life as a space cop. That is, until (Spoilers from years ago) Richard died. A new one has recently showed up, but he is going to be written one by Jeph Loeb, so perhaps the dead one is better off.

So, in short, expect to see many space adventures, explosions, and "Blue Blazes!" this week.