GOING NOVA WITH DAN ABNETT AND ANDY LANNING

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

By Remy Minnick, Comixfan Staff Writer

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are no strangers to collaborating on cosmic stories. From the reinvigorating of DC's Legion of Superheroes to bouncing Wildstorm's Majestic through space and time, the writing duo have conquered their fair share of galaxies. Now that Annihilation is upon us, they're taking Marvel's own Nova into the heat of battle. So for Cosmic Month here at Comixfan, we managed to get Abnett and Lanning to take a break from their busy schedule of destroying worlds and rescuing alien princesses to have a quick chat with us.

Comixfan: How familiar with the character of Richard Rider were you before starting work on the Nova mini-series? With three cancelled series under his belt, what do you think it is about the character that never allowed him to break out into being an A-list character?

DnA: Very familiar. The original series was very much a part of our comic reading when we were kids. Maybe Nova’s never quite found the right place to be as a character. He’s always been fun, but not necessarily cool, not necessarily the hero you’d most want to be. We hope we’re shifting that perception in this mini.

Comixfan: Richard Rider has a large supporting cast based on Earth, from high school friends to his teammates in the New Warriors. As Annihilation seems to take place off planet, will we see any of them make an appearance?

DnA: Afraid not. This is very much an off-Earth, sci-fi saga for Richard. If it works, and more Nova is called for, there’s no reason why those old continuity strands can’t be revisited.

Comixfan: Recently, Nova was seen touring the country with his New Warriors teammates for their reality show. How has Nova gone from reality show to Annihilation?

DnA: Our series plunges you in at the deep end, so there’s no full blown segue. Keith Giffen’s Prologue issue establishes that Rich, like all the Novas, has been recalled to Xandar.

Comixfan: So tell me, what is the new Nova mini-series about and how does it tie-in with the other books involved in Annihilation?

DnA: War has exploded across the Marvel cosmos and, as some of the galaxy’s foremost peacekeepers, the Nova Corps is involved, Rich Rider with them. This will be the "battlefront" book of the Annihilation event, the footsoldier at the front line. We get to redefine, or at least sharpen the definition, of what a Nova is, and what this Nova is, and Rich Rider gets to take a long hard look at himself.

Comixfan: How did you get involved with the Nova mini-series and Annihilation in general?

DnA: Editor Andy Schmidt, who had liked our work on DC’s Legion, and who we’d been talking to about potential projects, was kind enough to invite us to do the series.

Comixfan: What has the experience been like working with Kev Walker?

DnA: Great. Kev is an old mate, and we’ve worked with him several times in the past. He’s a real visionary, cinematic artist, and perfect for this. The pages that are coming in are amazing.

Comixfan: You had pitched a Nova series to Andy Schmidt once before. What can you tell us about the series you had in mind and did any of it make it to the new mini?

DnA: The story didn’t make the transition, but the spirit did. Our original pitch was to clean up and refresh Nova as a character, and that’s what’s going on here, under different circumstances. We also included a bunch of ideas about the Corps itself which are no longer relevant.

Comixfan: The cover for issue one of the mini-series shows off a new costume for Nova. Was this something that came part and parcel with the new series or was it something you felt needed to be done for the character?

DnA: We wanted a slight refurbishment, not an out-and-out new costume. It’s part of the story and part of that "refreshment" of the character.

Comixfan: From Nova to The Man Called Nova to Kid Nova, who is Richard Rider to you?

DnA: He’s a lively but dedicated young man who has been granted amazing powers. While not forgetting the "great responsibility" part, he’s not afraid of simply enjoying the chances he’s been given. He’s also a real hero, and deserves to be an A-list hero. The main reason he isn’t... yet...is that he doesn’t think that way about himself. He still feels like a lucky kid who’s gotten to play with the big hitters.

Comixfan: What do you have coming up after the Nova mini-series finishes?

DnA: If you mean generally, Andy is inking Fantastic Four and DC’s Infinite Crisis, and Dan’s writing a novel - The Armour of Contempt - for Black Library and a Dr Who audio for Big Finish. If you mean directly, I guess that depends on how good a job we do of the mini-series.

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Annihilation: Nova #1 hits shelves April 19. Order it online from X-World and SAVE!

[wondercharlie]

yes, I was totally going to skip marvel's ANNIHILATION x-over, but then Dan and ANdy are writing a chapter so I believe that DnA are going to do a great job. I remember Legion of the damned x-over in Legionnaires & Legion and their 5 years with them, and those issues are CLASSIC. YEP, I 'm gonna holla at NOVA.

[nova64]

Yep, I am really excited about the whole event. I loved the Prologue and will be picking up all four minis and the 6 issue Annihilation mini after that. The one I'm completely giddy about is the Nova one, though. For me, he's the best Marvel character out there when written well. He has so much potential and it looks like it's finally going to be used by a great creative team.

[James Groves]

I really enjoyed their run on Legion of Super-Heroes, so I'll give this a try. Not too thrilled by their Majestic run, though - it's pretty ordinary, imo.

Art looks great on this, too.

[meta]

I have to confess, Annihilation has me far more interested than the Civil War stuff, but then I've always been a fan of the space faring stuff. I just think that Civil War is a rehash of all the old mutant registration junk, but Annihilation sounds like it's going to be something grand and cosmic. And of course if they can bring the Nova Corp to a more A-list position then all the better. I must admit I never really understood how DC's Green Lantern Corp was so popular and the Nova Corp. always over looked.

[dalunt]

Originally Posted by meta

I have to confess, Annihilation has me far more interested than the Civil War stuff, but then I've always been a fan of the space faring stuff. I just think that Civil War is a rehash of all the old mutant registration junk, but Annihilation sounds like it's going to be something grand and cosmic. And of course if they can bring the Nova Corp to a more A-list position then all the better. I must admit I never really understood how DC's Green Lantern Corp was so popular and the Nova Corp. always over looked.

Because it's a rip off?

Don't get me wrong, I love Nova, think he is a cool character, but there is NO way he is Green Lanter-worthy. The whole Nova Corp can't compete with the Green Lantern Corp. cause it's obviously the bastard step child.

[LikeAPhoenix]

She supposedly died in the later Silver Surfer series. Considering that she was a cosmic character and faithful herald of Galactus, shouldn't she be brought back and be a part of Annihilation?

[Chris Eight]

Originally Posted by LikeAPhoenix

She supposedly died in the later Silver Surfer series. Considering that she was a cosmic character and faithful herald of Galactus, shouldn't she be brought back and be a part of Annihilation?

i think you've got the wong nova there

[kidwithnoname]

Originally Posted by dalunt

Because it's a rip off?

Don't get me wrong, I love Nova, think he is a cool character, but there is NO way he is Green Lanter-worthy. The whole Nova Corp can't compete with the Green Lantern Corp. cause it's obviously the bastard step child.

Oh yes, because we should all cower in fear at Guy Gardner, G'nort and Mogo (himself a rip off of Ego the Living Planet)?

Besides, the Corps would wipe the floor with the Lanterns. Why d'you think they wear all that yellow?

kidiwithnoname

[Ryan Day]

Originally Posted by kidwithnoname

Oh yes, because we should all cower in fear at Guy Gardner, G'nort and Mogo (himself a rip off of Ego the Living Planet)?

And Ego was a ripoff of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris. Big whoop.

Anyway, Marvel is clearly big on the Lantern/Nova similarities - the Annihilation Prologue totally went that direction. No big deal - DC tried to replicate the GL themselves with the Darkstars, and it's not like "cosmic police force" is a completely radical an innovative idea anyway.

[meta]

Originally Posted by Ryan Day

And Ego was a ripoff of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris. Big whoop.

Basically if ya look close enough everything is a rip off of something. It's what happens when you've had centuries of stories, all the good ones get told.


Not read the Prologue yet, hopefully at the weekend, but I think Marvel could do far worse than sending the Nova Corp. down the same direction as the Lanterns, it's what they were originally designed for after all.

[MrGreen]

Originally Posted by dalunt

Because it's a rip off?

Don't get me wrong, I love Nova, think he is a cool character, but there is NO way he is Green Lanter-worthy. The whole Nova Corp can't compete with the Green Lantern Corp. cause it's obviously the bastard step child.

And the Green Lantern Corps was a rip off of the Jedi Order at first. Both are intergalactic keepers of the peace and not soldiers.
Anakin/Darth Vader = Hal Jordan
Maybe the Nova Corps are a rip off of the Green Lantern Corps but there are many differences.

1) Xandar was blown up, Oa still survives.

2) There is not one representative from each sector of the universe in the Nova Corps.

3) No Guardians controlling the Nova Corps.

And I am excited about the new series, I have never read much about Nova but this looks very promising.

[StarJammer]

Originally Posted by dalunt

Because it's a rip off?

Don't get me wrong, I love Nova, think he is a cool character, but there is NO way he is Green Lanter-worthy. The whole Nova Corp can't compete with the Green Lantern Corp. cause it's obviously the bastard step child.

And the Green Lantern Corp was a ripoff of the Lensmen.

[StarJammer]

Originally Posted by ShadowChaser

And the Green Lantern Corps was a rip off of the Jedi Order at first.

Actually the GLC came first (about 18 years earlier). Like I said in my previus post, the GLC is a ripoff of the Lensmen.

[Ryan Day]

Originally Posted by ShadowChaser

And the Green Lantern Corps was a rip off of the Jedi Order at first. Both are intergalactic keepers of the peace and not soldiers.
Anakin/Darth Vader = Hal Jordan

Except that the Green Lanterns pre-date Star Wars by about 20 years.

[MrGreen]

Originally Posted by Ryan Day

Except that the Green Lanterns pre-date Star Wars by about 20 years.

Crap I got my dates wrong again. Well hopefully someone else besides me noticed that Hal Jordan and Darth Vader have a lot in common. I kind of think of Nova as a mix between the Flash and Green Lantern not just Green Lantern. Novas are a lot more vulnerable and don't care much about colors.

[meta]

Originally Posted by ShadowChaser

Crap I got my dates wrong again. Well hopefully someone else besides me noticed that Hal Jordan and Darth Vader have a lot in common. I kind of think of Nova as a mix between the Flash and Green Lantern not just Green Lantern. Novas are a lot more vulnerable and don't care much about colors.

Well you can prolly keep your Hal/Darth Vader ideas in tact. After all Hal didn't turn evil right away. Not sure of the exact dates but I'm willing to bet he didn't turn until post Star Wars.

[gnosis]

Yes, Hal turned to the Dark Side (well, the Yellow Side according to Rebirth) way after Star Wars.

And yes, the Nova Corps are a rip-off of the Green Lantern Corps, but at least Marvel didn't copy the concept of a cosmic hero who wears jewlrey that can make various shapes out of energy! Looks at cover of Issue #3... Er, never mind.

Actually as a big fan of Quasar (please don't laugh) I might have to check this series out.

And please, no Mogo dissing.

[meta]

Originally Posted by gnosis

And yes, the Nova Corps are a rip-off of the Green Lantern Corps, but at least Marvel didn't copy the concept of a cosmic hero who wears jewlrey that can make various shapes out of energy! Looks at cover of Issue #3... Er, never mind.

*cough* Doctor Spectrum *cough*

[StarJammer]

Originally Posted by ShadowChaser

Crap I got my dates wrong again. Well hopefully someone else besides me noticed that Hal Jordan and Darth Vader have a lot in common. I kind of think of Nova as a mix between the Flash and Green Lantern not just Green Lantern. Novas are a lot more vulnerable and don't care much about colors.

Actually, Hal going bad/insane after his hometown was destroyed and most everyone who lived there killed, is a ripoff of what happened to Marvel Boy (Quasar's predecesor) in a 2part story in Fantastic Four back in the 70's. Not to mention that Hal going bad is a ripoff of the "Dark Phoenix Saga".

[StarJammer]

Originally Posted by gnosis

Yes, Hal turned to the Dark Side (well, the Yellow Side according to Rebirth) way after Star Wars.

And yes, the Nova Corps are a rip-off of the Green Lantern Corps, but at least Marvel didn't copy the concept of a cosmic hero who wears jewlrey that can make various shapes out of energy! Looks at cover of Issue #3... Er, never mind.

Like I said in my earlier posts, the GLC is a ripoff of the Lensmen from the Lensman sci-fi novels. In fact, the Lensman novels influenced a lot sci-fi and super hero novels, comics,cartoons,and movies. The Lensmen were an intergalactic police force made up of various alien races. Each Lensman wore an all powerful lens on their wrists/hands. The lens granted them superhuman abilities.

[nova64]

Originally Posted by StarJammer

Actually, Hal going bad/insane after his hometown was destroyed and most everyone who lived there killed, is a ripoff of what happened to Marvel Boy (Quasar's predecesor) in a 2part story in Fantastic Four back in the 70's. Not to mention that Hal going bad is a ripoff of the "Dark Phoenix Saga".

And those stories are "ripoffs" of other stories. Let's face it, there's only so many stories that can be told in fiction. It's the execution of the story that matters to me.