Nova #38

This is only tangentially a Realm of Kings tie-in, since Darkhawk and Nova were blasted out of the Rift last issue. It seems they were rescued by old Nova villain the Sphinx, who is assembling and eclectic crew on an odd-shaped planet. He's out to do something; I'm just unclear on what. I liked Reed Richards and Nova discussing Sphinx with names like Kang and Immortus, it certainly makes the Sphinx seem like a more intimidating baddie. There's not a lot of violence this issue, the combat is mainly Darkhawk and Nova vs. some fairly generic sand beings. After the high-octane horror of some of the other Realm books, this one seems positively subdued.

DnA have pulled characters from different points in history, so we get a younger Reed Richards, a still-living Black Bolt, and at the end, the cliffhanger!!! I'd love to see this gal brought back in a permanent way, and I think there might be a chance here. DnA seem to respect secondary characters, so I'd say at least she's got a chance.

Andrea DeVito's pencils look great, as usual, but the colors are so bright they seem a bit out of place in a gritty space book. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing Nova operating in daylight, but the colors were really popping off the page.

Good