Marvel has revealed Nova: Return of the Rings, a Marvel’s Voices special for Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), starring Nova/Sam Alexander. Written by Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle) with art by Rafael Loureiro (2024’s Dazzler), the comic will begin “a major saga centered around the Ten Rings,” with a story involving the Mandarin’s old weapons returning to Earth after they were flung into space by Ironheart in 2024’s Invincible Iron Man #14.
Nova: Return of the Rings #1 cover by Humberto Ramos
“THE RINGS OF POWER RETURN TO EARTH!,” cries the official synopsis. “Deemed too dangerous to remain on Earth, the Ten Rings of Power were jettisoned off into the depths of space — but have since broken containment! Now one of the rings returns to Earth with a brand-new bearer hellbent on getting his hands on the sentient supercomputer, Worldmind, as his first step of galactic domination! His target? None other than Sam Alexander, A.K.A. NOVA!”
Trujillo comments, “It’s such a thrill to write for one of Marvel’s biggest teen heroes! With so many memorable stories behind him, Sam Alexander is uniquely qualified to take on this threat! This is a high-stakes adventure with a fierce villain, and huge consequences for the entire Marvel Universe. To save the day, Sam will be drawing inspiration from his fellow heroes, and also his familial roots.”
The comic will also include a bonus story by Juan Ponce (Redwing: Independence Day Infinity Comic) and Andy Pereira (Wiccan: Witches’ Road) that “explores how Sam balances his epic super hero adventures with being there for his family.” Trujillo adds, “I hope new readers give this Nova special a chance. He’s an iconic character who leads with courage and heart. But it’s gonna take a lot more than that to survive this experience! Good luck!”
Now it should be noted the apparent rebranding of the Mandarin’s rings as the Ten Rings of Power is a bit confusing: besides the overlap with the title of Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings prequel, a set of Ten Rings based on their cinematic counterparts from the Shang-Chi movie was introduced into the comics universe during Gene Luen Yang et al.’s 2020-2023 run. The movie-turned-comic Ten Rings have nothing to do with the Mandarin, as he and Shang-Chi’s father are different people in the source material.
Anyway, Nova: Return of the Rings will be released on October 14, with a main cover by Humberto Ramos, and a currently unrevealed variant by Phil Jimenez. Its announcement comes shortly after reports Michael Waldron is writing a Nova movie, which would presumably include Sam as a protagonist, and its release will mark 15 years since the character (who was created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, and named after Loeb’s late son) made his first appearance in 2011’s Marvel Point One.
