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NOVA

Real Name: Richard "Rich" Rider

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-57780) human mutate

Occupation: Crime-fighter, high school student

Group Membership: None (see comments)

Affiliations: Ginger (last name unrevealed, likely Jaye), Nova (name unrevealed - see comments), Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (all Earth-57780)

Enemies: Doctor Octopus, Mike (last name unrevealed, probably Burley), Zorr (all Earth-57780)

Known Relatives: mother, father (names unrevealed) (all Earth-57780)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York, USA (Earth-57780)

First Appearance: Spidey Super Stories#41/1 (July, 1979)

Powers/Abilities: As a student, Richard Rider was barely average intellectually and athletically. Once imbued with Nova powers, Rider gained athletic prowess, plus superhuman strength and dexterity. He can also fly very fast. His brain has been enhanced to instantly compute maths (and likely received additional knowledge). Through unrevealed means, his helmet receives news of trouble.

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 145 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown

History:

(Spidey Super Stories#41/2) - Richard Rider contributed to his team's loss. He derided himself and was bullied by Mike from his high school. Meanwhile, Nova in pursuit of the villainous Zorr, found his foe hiding on Earth. Near death in his spacecraft, Nova considered Rider to be a suitable successor to acquire his Nova powers.

(Spidey Super Stories#41/1 / 41/2) - From his spaceship, Nova sent a force bolt containing Nova powers to Rider. The bright blast hit him.

(Spidey Super Stories#41/2) - Rider was knocked unconscious by the blast while at an ice cream shop with his friend Ginger. He was taken to hospital. While he slept, the original Nova linked with him telepathically and told him to serve justice with his new powers. Rider recovered when his parents visited and he returned to school, able to compute mathematics instantly due to Nova powers. He went home and saw Spider-Man swing by, and, idolizing the hero, wished he too could have super-powers. Suddenly he was transformed into the new Nova. He rocketed through the air and caught up with Spidey, who had caught a criminal. Nova and Spider-Man later chatted, but both received signals of trouble. Spider-Man held onto Nova as he rocketed to an energy plant at Storm King Mountain, where they found Doctor Octopus and his henchmen about to black out New York City. Although Octopus stunned Nova with a ray, the duo overcame the villains and Nova freed the scientists. Spider-Man introduced Nova to the ferry crowd and Nova carried Spidey back to the city.

Comments: Created by Mary A. Mintzer &/or Linda Karas &/or Michael Siporin (writer), Win Mortimer (pencils), Ricardo Villamonte (inks).

Physical stats are taken from his Earth-616 version, as they look very much alike (except eye color).

Presumably he's part of the Nova Corps in his universe, but their existence was not revealed.

I get the impression Nova was supposed to re-appear ("This is just the beginning" quips Spider-Man), but by the time of this SSS issue (July, 1979), the Nova comic of his Earth-616 counterpart had already been canceled (final issue: May, 1979). Nevertheless, it looks like the artist used a lot of reference material from the Nova #1 comic.

The original Nova appears to be the Earth-57780 counterpart to Earth-616's Rhomann Dey.

Zorr was never shown, but likely resembled his Earth-616 counterpart.

Although not shown, Nova (Rider) can likely turn back into his student form, but it may be that, like Earth-57780's Hulk, he's now permanently transformed.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Nova of Earth-57780 has no known connections to:

Nova

The original Nova had his planet destroyed by Zorr. Piloting a spacecraft, Nova sought justice for this atrocity, but was unable to continue as he was dying. He searched for a replacement, someone to pass his Nova powers to, on Earth, the planet where Zorr had escaped to. Nova deemed Richard Rider a suitable successor and linking telepathically, told Rider that he would receive super-powers, which were beamed via Nova's ship as a force bolt.

 

 

 

--Spidey Super Stories#41/2

images: (without ads)
Spidey Super Stories#41, front cover (main image)
   p5, pan3 (headshot)
   p7 (rocketing)
   p2, pan4 (original Nova)

Appearances:
Spidey Super Stories#41/1 (July, 1979) - Mary A. Mintzer &/or Linda Karas &/or Michael Siporin (writer), Win Mortimer (pencils), Ricardo Villamonte (inks), A.J. Hays & Deborah November (editors)
Spidey Super Stories#41/2 (July, 1979) - Mary A. Mintzer &/or Linda Karas &/or Michael Siporin (writer), Win Mortimer (pencils), Ricardo Villamonte (inks), A.J. Hays & Deborah November (editors)

First posted: 04/10/18

Last updated: 04/10/18

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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