The cover suggests that it's an Infinity tie in, but the only connection is Kaldera's master being Thanos; who requests Sam's head. This the strongest issue of the current Nova run, and I will continue to read for a long while if it continues this trend. I'm now even more excited for the upcoming New Warriors. Read Full Review

You can feel there are changes coming. Zeb Wells continues to flesh out Sam Alexander's character and having Robbie Baldwin and Vance Astrovik sets up the next chapter in Sam's life. While faced with a serious and deadly threat, Sam is forced to fight a battle he can't win. There is a quick resolution to it all as the stage is set for the anniversary issue next month. Paco Medina's art is great for the series. We can only hope that the creative switch coming next month will maintain the vibe of the series while continuing to delivering the fun and exciting adventures of the new Nova. Read Full Review

Overall, Nova has been an enjoyable book since it relaunched and I am glad I put my initial concerns aside and gave the book a chance. With each issue the creative team is rounding into form much like Sam and his newfound powers. It is good to see some Marvel Cosmic books back on the shelf and fans of that corner of the Marvel Universe should check out Nova if they were skeptical about the new series. Read Full Review

Nova #9 is an excellent entry that raises the stakes, enters an event and embraces the legacy behind this ongoing series. Recommended. Read Full Review

Unfortunately, the art continues to suffer from a few major flaws. Paco Medina's style is clean and sleek, certainly, but the complete lack of range in facial expressions is a significant flaw. Characters never seem to do anything but grimace, regardless of the context or emotion of a scene. Medina's relatively cartoony style also isn't terribly well suited for the darker cosmic villains. And somewhat less problematic but still annoying is the way Medina renders veteran New Warriors Speedball and Justice as if they're barely into their teen years. It's especially strange considering the extended character arc Speedball has been through in recent years. Read Full Review

The heavy bondage themes not withstanding, Nova #9 provides a good example at the type of hero the newest Nova is. Honorable, maybe not, but certainly willing to do whatever is needing to save the ones he loves. And despite his repeated refusals, it seems Nova may have found himself a pair of new teammates (which I would be more on-board with if they clad Astrovik in Vance Astro‘s costume). Worth a look. Read Full Review

Nova continues to be a great title, but Zeb Wells deserves a more interesting artist. Read Full Review

This adventure feels like a fill-in, but still has fun along the way. Wells and Medina remind readers that the character of Nova shares more than the first three letters with the word novice in his attempts to balance both aspects of his newly-powered life. I'm not sure what's next for Sam Alexander, but this issue will have a hard time remaining top of mind until the next installment of the further adventures of the human rocket. Read Full Review

In all, this book has not been the strongest in the latest run of Nova. But with Wells setting up for the New Defenders and the tie-ins to Infinity coming to an end, this may have just been a small bump in the road. Read Full Review