Nova #19

 

Comic: Nova #19

Where Purchased: Jeremiah's Antiques & Collectibles in Putnam, Connecticut

When Purchased: November 22, 2023

When Read: November 21, 2024

Nova is one of those characters that I've been aware of but never made any effort to collect.  Heck, for the longest time I only had one copy of this series in my entire collection and it has been a part of the collection for so long, I don't have any details on why it is in my collection.  I suspect it was part of a gift pack from Sears that I got one Christmas.

I can't really recall any significant story he was in or impact he made in the roughly two dozen appearances he has made throughout the 14,141 comics in my collection. 

I've now got 4 issues of this series which is still low enough that I am not feeling a need to complete the 25 issue run but it is an easy title to look for if I am in a store and need a sympathy buy.

The funny thing is that I had thought this issue was in my collection.  Blackout was one of the first villains to fight the Avengers when I first started collecting.  I was sure I had grabbed it at some point.  But I was wrong.

It is a decent little origin story.  Solid writing for the era and I like the combination of Carmine Infantino's pencils with Tom Palmer's inks.

This issue can also count as an unofficial Marvel/DC crossover based on the conversation on the left of this panel:

The implication is that is Wally West (Kid Flash) talking about Barry Allen (The Flash).  It is doubly fun given that Carmine Infantino is the long time artist for DC's Flash comic, including "Flash of Two Worlds," the story that introduced Earth-Two to DC Comics!

I bought this comic almost exactly one year prior to reading it in the nearby town of Putnam at J&S Collectibles inside Jeremiah's Antique & Collectable Shoppes.  It is worth a stop but give yourself some time.  The selection is mostly organized but requires some patience and a keen eye.