1st App. of Nova...?

[spidrvacc]

I think the last issues of Nova continues in Rom # 24 where Richards loses the Nova powers if I remember correctly.

[vaillant]

I think the last issues of Nova continues in Rom # 24 where Richards loses the Nova powers if I remember correctly.

 

As I said, the direct continuation of the storyline from Nova #25 is the Fantastic Four storyline where they are slowly dying as a result of having been exposed to the Skrulls' aging ray – I am not familiar with Rom but I am pratty sure that issue is from a later date.

[spidrvacc]

Sorry I didnt mean the continuation of the story line, my bad. I meant that the last time he was Nova after the series ended. Again my memory isnt great and my copies are not here with me. Cant check.

[vaillant]

If I am not mistaken (I go by memory as well) the first issue where Nova appears after Nova #25 is the third chapter of the 11-chapter epic Xandarian war is this one (although the storyline starts in FF #204 – concludes in FF #214)

 

 

The Sphinx (last seen in Nova #25) stars on the cover of FF #209.

 

 

Man, I love these issues, they were among my last readings of the FF before they stopped publishing them in Italy…

[spidrvacc]

I only have 2 sets of all issues in my collection. Nova 1-25 and all the Human Fly issues. Loved both of them. I also got the trade paperback of all the. Nova issues. Great read.

[vaillant]

If you have never read that Fantastic Four storyline with the conclusion of the Nova stories as a subplot, do it: they are among the best FF stories I have ever read.

I’ve read Nova when I was 11 years old, together with Omega the Unknown and Guardians of the Galaxy in an antologic publication where the leading feature was Kirby’s The Eternals.

 

[Mayor006]

If you have never read that Fantastic Four storyline with the conclusion of the Nova stories as a subplot, do it: they are among the best FF stories I have ever read.

I’ve read Nova when I was 11 years old, together with Omega the Unknown and Guardians of the Galaxy in an antologic publication where the leading feature was Kirby’s The Eternals.

 

 

issue numbers to get the whole story?

[vaillant]

issue numbers to get the whole story?

The events preparing the storyline are scattered among the later issues of Nova. In Nova #21 and #22 the Comet is introduced, in #23 Wolfman re-introduces Doctor Sun (from the pages of Dracula) while Diamondhead clashes with Nova and the Comet. The following issue (#24) has important developments for the characters, including the all-powerful Sphinx, and as uneasy allies they go into outer space (in the last issue, #25).

 

The story continues and concludes intertwined with the Fantastic Four "Xandarian war" storyline which I mentioned – I already posted the issues in my previous post: Fantastic Four #204-214 (although the GCD has the crossover with the Nova storyline ending at #209, but you really can’t drop the FF story with that as #214 is the climax).

[vaillant]

Also, as spdrvacc mentioned, after the FF issues the story ends in ROM #24 (which I still miss) where Richard Rider (apparently) loses his Nova powers.

[Mayor006]

Actually went to the LCS at lunch today and found a high grade copy of ROM 24 for $5 (probably paid too much : but I'm looking forward to taking a peek at the story when I get home tonight!

[vaillant]

Great. Some of the FFs have also great Byrne art. (thumbs u

 

I still miss a ROM #24, need to remember to pick it.

[Mayor006]

Surprisingly harder to find than you might think. It wasn't a very popular title back then (compared to ASM and X-Men) and has been in the dollar boxes for years. The one I picked up could seriously be a 9.4 or higher so I didn't feel too bad about paying $5 for it.

[vaillant]

Most of those toy-inspired or not-strictly-Marvel titles (like Micronauts) were originally never published in Italy.

Some ROM was published in the early 1990s, but I don’t think up to #24. Was the series popular?

 

I see the art is generally good (I love Sal Buscema), but it’s odd to have a character of which they did not own the copyright.

[the blob]

It's sort of amazing how Rom lasted as long as it did. The toy wasn't really a success. Micronauts were a little more involved in the Marvel universe I guess, plus they had good talent on board (honestly, didn't Micronauts sell pretty well for a while? I see a ton of them out there). I guess there were enough ROM die hards to keep it from cancellation for 6 or so years. Shogun Warriors is another one that probably lasted longer than the popularity of the toy (though Shogun Warriors were copied 606 different ways after that and were probably rip-offs themselves)

[vaillant]

Yes, they are pretty much surprising titles for me (they have never been published in Italy), mostly because based on toys.

 

There is to say Mantlo is a good writer, and most art was by Sal Buscema – what I mean is that most of these series feel "disconnected" from the Marvel characters and the Marvel age.

 

Shogun Warriors, from what I get, was generically based on the super-robot genre which blossomed in the early 1970s in Japan (and had its precedents in Tetsujin28) mostly thanks to Go Nagai’s work at Toei. As US americans you have had little exposition to those animated series (except "Battle of the Planets" from what I get) but they had been huge in Europe.

Probably Marvel tried to establish an interest in them, but it’s hard for me to believe a character can have a huge – and continued – success, based on a toy.

[AtlasFan]

Marvel would often cross-over their super-heroes into the licensed titles (like Shogun Warriors, Rom, Godzilla, Human Fly,Micronauts, etc.) in order to boost interest in the titles.

 

One of the problems with crossing over with a licensed character is that it will leave a gap in the continuity after the license expires. So, today Marvel can't mention any of the Rom or Godzilla story lines without heavily masking those key licensed characters.