- Written by: Jed MacKay
- Art by: Alvaro Lopez, Matteo Della Fonte
- Colors by: Mattia Iacono
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: January 7, 2026
Nova: Centurion #3, by Marvel on 1/7/26, throws Richard Rider into a match against an energy vampire who’s about to discover that an Earther with nothing left to lose is the worst kind of opponent.
First Impressions
The opening moves feel deliberately tense, watching Nova and his ragtag crew realize they’re outmatched against a force that literally feeds on cosmic power. What hooks you immediately is how the comic treats Ravenous not as a villain monologuing about his plans, but as a genuine predator who studies his prey through taste. The visceral element turns what could have been generic space combat into something genuinely unsettling.
Recap
In Nova: Centurion #2, Richard Rider accepted a job from the Kree-Skrull War crime family to track down a thief who stole their precious metal, mysterium. The job turned personal when the trail led to Ravenous, the general from the Annihilation Wave who personally orchestrated the extinction of the Nova Corps. Alongside his old friend Cammi (now a seasoned criminal), his combat accountant Aalbort, and Yr-Kett, a Kree Sentencer enforcer hired by his employers, Rider confronted Ravenous but found himself badly overpowered in direct combat. Despite managing to recover the mysterium and get paid his fee, the encounter ended with Ravenous still alive and still dangerous, setting up the events of this issue.
Plot Analysis
Nova finds himself pinned down on Tarvistaai II as Ravenous systematically drains the power reserves from his position, cutting his energy access to dangerous lows. When Yr-Kett tries to intervene, she gets blown back, dismissing her debt to Nova as paid and stepping out of the fight. With his team faltering and Worldmind warning that direct combat against an energy vampire using the Nova Force is suicide, Richard makes a tactical retreat. He pulls everyone into the Boneyard, a simulated conference space where Worldmind can accelerate thought at ten thousand times real speed, giving him time to strategize. In this accelerated space, Worldmind confronts Richard about his limitations, reminding him that he wasn’t just some random teenager before receiving the Nova Corps mantle. His resourcefulness and determination had always been his real power. Richard listens, and a plan crystallizes. He can’t fight Ravenous while channeling the Nova Force because that’s exactly what the monster feeds on. So he needs to become something else, something deadlier because it can’t be drained.
The execution is pure Earther thinking. Richard gets Cammi to steal a ship parked at the salvage facility. He gets Aalbort positioned on the ground. He removes his helmet so Ravenous can’t lock onto his Nova signature. He borrows Yr-Kett’s hammer, a weapon that’s useless in her hands but deadly in his. Then he meets Ravenous face to face and forces a confrontation, but this time Nova fights like a salvage worker using industrial equipment. When Ravenous mocks the idea that workplace safety regulations could stop him, Richard triggers the targeting beacons Cammi placed in the junkyard. The facility’s matter-energy conversion beam, designed to break down salvage, locks onto the now-exposed Ravenous and tears him apart, leaving him powerless and broken. Richard recovers the mysterium that Ravenous was carrying, fulfills his contract with the Kree-Skrull War by returning both the stolen metal and the prisoner, and collects his payment on time.
In the issue’s final act, Richard and his crew celebrate their victory. Cammi, impressed by how they pulled it off, asks to join the operation. Richard pushes back initially, but Aalbort and Worldmind point out that if they kick her out, she’ll just end up stealing from someone else and potentially getting herself killed anyway. So Richard cuts a deal. Cammi becomes part of the crew. Aalbort checks their messages for new jobs while Cammi makes an off-color comment about Flerkens in trees. The comic ends with Richard and his team ready to take on whatever comes next, but with a new member and expanded capabilities.
Writing
MacKay’s pacing in issue #3 is sharper than a razorblade, moving from desperation to strategy to execution without wasting panels. The accelerated-thinking sequence serves as both a real plot mechanism and a breather that lets readers catch their breath. The dialogue lands because it treats these characters as competent professionals with specific jobs. When Richard explains his plan, it’s not heroic speeches; it’s tactical and cold. Aalbort asking if this is wise gets shut down immediately because there’s no time for doubt. The back-and-forth between Richard and Worldmind about resourcefulness versus powers is the emotional core, and it works because it reframes who Richard Rider actually is. The pacing stumbles slightly in the post-victory section, which feels a bit rushed as Cammi joins the crew, but it sets up future stories efficiently.
Art
López and Della Fonte deliver some genuinely impressive compositions, especially during the fight sequence where Ravenous is visually treated as a force of nature rather than a traditional opponent. The early energy-drain sequence is tense and dynamic. However, the artwork gets busier during the plan-execution phase, making some of the technical details about the conversion beam harder to follow. Iacono’s colors do heavy lifting to distinguish between the practical salvage yard aesthetic and the cosmic threat Ravenous represents. The industrial beige and grays of the junkyard stand out against Ravenous’s violent purples and energy effects. The comparison works thematically, grounding cosmic stakes in industrial reality. The one weakness is that some action beats could be clearer; readers might need a second pass to understand exactly what’s happening when the conversion beam fires.
Character Development
Richard’s character arc in this issue is precisely calibrated. He enters desperate, becomes strategic, and exits confident without ever losing the edge that makes him interesting. His willingness to strip away the Nova Corps identity to win is the story’s real triumph. Worldmind gets a moment to humanize Richard by reminding him that his greatest asset was never the uniform. Cammi’s arc of going from reluctant ally to proactive crew member feels earned because Richard’s victory proves he’s not a liability. She saw what Richard could do and wants in. Aalbort remains perfectly characterless in the best way possible, a tool that gets deployed. Yr-Kett’s departure feels slightly abrupt, though her debt discharge is technically explained.
Originality & Concept Execution
The concept of using industrial equipment to defeat a cosmic threat is not revolutionary, but the execution is clean and satisfying. This isn’t a comic about Nova’s power; it’s about how an Earther thinks differently than a cosmic being. That’s fresh for the medium. The idea that Richard’s real weapon is problem-solving rather than firepower reframes Nova as a character. Jed MacKay and the art team successfully sell the premise that a salvage yard junkyard can be weaponized by someone with the right mindset. The originality lands harder because the comic doesn’t congratulate itself; it treats this as obvious once you step outside your assumptions.
Positives
The battle sequence against Ravenous is mechanically excellent. Every beat serves the larger strategy rather than existing just for spectacle. The accelerated-thinking sequence is both clever and functional, giving the comic a tool to pause and explain without feeling like exposition dumping. The character of Aalbort, the combat accountant, is a genuine invention that makes this crew feel different from typical space adventure teams. His role as sniper and calculator brings specificity to how this group operates. Cammi’s recruitment at the end expands the potential of future stories while staying true to her character. The thematic core, that Richard Rider’s Earthness is his strength not his limitation, is precisely what Nova fans have wanted to see executed, and MacKay nails it.
Negatives
The post-victory section feels underbaked, moving quickly through Cammi’s recruitment without much dramatic tension or negotiation. Readers expecting a real standoff might feel shortchanged. The conversion beam sequence, while visually striking, requires a careful read to fully understand the mechanics of what’s happening and why it works. Some panel clarity gets sacrificed for compositional style. Yr-Kett vanishes from the narrative after her debt is discharged, which is consistent with her character but means an ally built up over two issues exits without much fanfare. The ending doesn’t quite land with the punch that the Ravenous defeat deserves; the transition to job-hunting and Cammi’s jokes about Flerkens feels like it undermines the emotional weight of what just happened. Richard should feel more, even if just for a panel.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
The Scorecard
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [3/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1.5/2]
Final Verdict
Nova: Centurion #3 is a solid payoff that proves MacKay understands what makes Richard Rider work. A salvage yard industrial showdown against a cosmic horror might sound ridiculous until you read it, and then you realize it’s exactly the kind of smart, lateral thinking that separates Earthers from the rest of the galaxy. The comic earns its victory without overstaying its welcome, introduces a new crew member that expands future possibilities, and proves that Nova can compete with heavy hitters on his own terms.
7.5/10
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