I’m so proud of him for getting therapy!

I was looking forward to this issue a lot and it partly delivered for me. As a counsellor myself, I enjoy these sort of issues but also have a bit more of a critical view then I might normally. Also, Nova is my favourite character in comics so I like when he treated well!

Art was decent. Nothing special and no problematic. It got the job done.

Regarding the therapy of this issue - not everything needs to be about childhood when it comes to therapy. There was multiple references to Nova needing to get things done by himself. I don’t take issue with this concept in general but what this guy needs is freaking trauma counselling! He clearly has PTSD after being killed who knows how many times in the cancer verse and again in the negative zone recently. Then Peter dies and he feels responsible. Being most recent it does makes sense to give that some focus. Convincing himself that he should have done it alone is the issue, it’s a defence mechanism.
Now writing out an entertaining super hero comic about a counselling session has its challenges and overall I enjoyed what they did. My point is, he needs trauma based counselling, not some Freudian childhood nonsense.

I also didn’t read Empyre (the first time in over 10 years I skipped a Marvel event comic since most of the time I’ve felt let down by them) so I don’t know what the cliff hanger is suppose to mean.

I really don’t mind the other characters not getting much attention. I also have no issues with Hercules and Marvel Boy getting together. Anyone who knows Hercules from Greek myth would know he’s bisexual even though as far as I’m aware this was the first time referenced in comics. Everyone in Greek myth was bisexual! If that bothers you, well, that’s on you.

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-Really love this grounded concept of a hero so pivotal to the galaxy doing something that seems out of the ordinary, especially for a whole comic. Usually with mental health we get characters talking to one another; i love seeing Richard in an actual session.
-Gamora had the best dialogue
-Biggest complaint is that there could have been far more involving Richard's younger years rather than only panels of his father. Missed out on showing the build up of his sole savior complex before he became a hero
-Also the ending left me in the dark more

I always liked these kind of issues (except when heroes in crisis does it for the entire series). A character being interviewed and replaying the events is fun. It harkens back to Abnett and Lannings early issues on their GotG run. I love that this series has brought back Nova as a leader, he seems to have taken a back seat at Marvel for a couple years now. I also like that it addresses the former romance between Nova and Gamora, which I like and buy a lot more than Star lord and Gamora, movies not withstanding. The slight problem id have with this issue is it just stays in place, nothing really happens, but it's just a slight problem since the characters are written well and the dialogue is fun. more

I hate the way the way the writers over the last two series have pissed all over Nova and his relationship with Gamora. The fact that Peter, his “best friend” would go and declare that he loved Gamora from the beginning, knowing full well what Nova’s dying words were to him as he sacrificed himself to save Peter. It’s just crap. Best friends don’t do that to each other. He took advantage of everything that Nova told him he wanted to do with Gamora about getting out of it and having a family and used it for himself to get with her.

They practically ignored addressing anything about Peter’s declaration of love right in front of him and their subsequent hooking up and happy bliss. They never had Nova and Peter talk about Gamora nor did they have Nova and Gamora talk about it until nearly a series later. Why have Donny Cates mention their love for each other, only to put her with Peter Quill? It makes ZERO sense.

Other than that, the whole PTSD / Therapy angle is outstanding. It was rough. Trauma is rough. The issues of whether or not one deserves to be happy or even loved is something that can resonate with a lot of people. It takes a lot just to hold oneself together under normal circumstances. The scene with Gamora was extremely powerful but did it run entirely true for me, as it seemed to follow Donny Cate’s and other writers complete dismantling of the Nova/Gamora relationship in favor of Peter/Gamora. She supposedly loved Nova with all her heart, but then Peter who has shown almost ZERO indications of loving her, all of a sudden has loved her since the beginning? And this, with both of them knowing how Nova wanted a life with her, she suddenly loves Peter with all her heart? Ugh.

I don’t hate any of the characters, I just hate them being portrayed so out-of-character. Gamora’s and Peter’s treatment of Nova is so beyond the pale right now. I really hope that they somehow can fix the Nova/Gamora thing and the Nova/Peter thing.

I hate that they destroyed a relationship and a friendship to fit the MCU. Other than that, Ewing knocked it out of the park for Nova( with the exception of an OOC Gamora, but even that scene was powerful) more