"The End" Week: Nova #25!

He's had three or four last issues since, but let's look at his first! From 1979, The Man Called Nova #25, "Invasion of the Body Changers!" Script and edits by Marv Wolfman, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Klaus Janson.

The cover says "In Final Battle!" That is a damn lie. With some Xandarian heroes, plus the villainous Diamondhead, the mysterious Sphinx and the brain-in-a-robot Dr. Sun in tow, the young hero from earth called Nova is on his way to Xandar, home of the Nova Corps. Rich Rider has been gone for about two weeks, and apparently told no one he was going to be gone, since his family is pretty worried. Worse, before getting to their destination, they run afoul of a Skrull armada. With the Sphinx's aid, they manage to fight through, but worry the Skrulls could get reinforcements before they could reach Xandar...

The letters page cops to this being the last issue, due to "slow (though not necessarily poor) sales." It also mentions his upcoming What If? issue, and Nova's story would continue in Fantastic Four #206. It looked like maybe Richard's story was going to end, but he would return in New Warriors over a decade later, renamed "Kid Nova" briefly, which sounds like a cowboy name.