NOVA: CENTURION #5 (MARVEL COMICS)
An old “friend” has returned to Richard Rider’s life.
STAR-LORD is responsible for Eden Rixlo trying to steal from Nova and his crew. Peter Quill and Rider’s lives have gone in opposite directions since the Imperial War. Quill’s scheming has brought them back together for an uncomfortable reunion.
NOVA: CENTURION #5 by Jed MacKay, Álvaro López, Mattia Iacono & Cory Petit (Marvel Comics) reunites The MCU’s most infamous “bromance” for an all-new adventure.
Let’s take a closer loom at how this reunion goes.
NOVA: CENTURION #5 by Jed MacKay, Álvaro López, Mattia Iacono & Cory Petit (Marvel Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
MacKay gives the reunion a brief moment before the fists start flying. Rider clearly has some issues with Quill. The banter between blows covers much of this territory. Once the fighting stops, the plot starts developing. Mysterium is the key to this latest issue. Quill’s speech comes off with the charm of the con-man fans know from his movie persona. There is a bit of uneasiness with his plea for the highly-valued cargo.
Readers watch as there is no “honor amongst thieves.” MacKay throws in more twists in play, adding more weight to the story. There’s a fair share of humor involved with Quill seeing his plans go up in smoke. Once the jokes pull back, the main problem sets up to bat. It is an unexpected move which dives back into Rider’s noble persona. Even as he’s tried his best, he’s still a hero through and through. This sets up the close with a solid point to leave on. A much better issue than last one.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW HERE!
López & Iacono delivers on the comedic aspects of this pairing to start events. Four pages of fighting follow suit. It never seems to be a serious moment, more of humorous anger. The panels play into the “bromance” area with each line delivered. Once the punches stop being thrown, the art has more room to work. Quill’s selling of the scheme works to shadow his true feelings. It comes at a perfect time with a full page of starships ready to take out Rider.
The moment sparks a call to action. One of the crew unfortunately has more problems unfolding. A full page image shows the real threat exposed to the masses. It counters the demands of the Kree-Skrull War. The serious tone is upended with a full shot of what’s been unleashed. This moves into a breakdown of what Nova and company are facing now. Using this method helps give the threat more relevance to defeat. Rider’s reactions fit his real identity here. The final full page is fantastic for where this story needs to speed into it.
FINAL GRADE: 8.4
The reunion of old allies spirals into a much larger problem than expected in Nova’s latest chapter. MacKay taps into an MCU feel for the interactions with Star-Lord and Nova via the writing. The art team hits strides once the main threat is revealed. This was a much stronger issue than the previous one with even more space to soar in.
Let me know your thoughts on NOVA: CENTURION #5 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
