The Old Man Nova

I like the addition of Zan Philo to Nova. He's another character to add to the supporting cast, which allows for more character interaction, which is good. Plus, he works as a reflection of Richard Rider in some ways.

Zan was lost in another universe for 35 years. No idea where he was, no idea how to get home, didn't know anything about the cultures he was going to run into. No backup, and except for his droid repair crew, no support staff. Then there's the fact that it's unlikely anyone he met had ever heard of the Nova Corps, which means it's likely they weren't inclined to respect his authority. Of course, you wouldn't expect the criminals he'd pursue to respect his authority anyway, but it probably helps if the average citizen does see him as law enforcement, since it might make them more willing to help him (since they'd recognize that he wants to help them). From Zan's description of the place he wound up, there is no centralized law enforcement, just lots of bounty hunters. So maybe a bit like a Sergio Leone Western, where sheriffs mostly concern themselves with paying bounty hunters for doing their job.

In a lot of ways, his situation mirrors Rich's for the first year and a half of the title. Rich was the only space cop in the entire universe. People might know who the Nova Corps are in the 616 reality, but considering they were almost completely destroyed, citizens might also be lacking in confidence in them. So it was up to Richard to show people the Nova Corps was still an active and useful force in the universe. Give them something to believe in. Rich did have the Worldmind, but half the time the Worldmind was berating him about not focusing more on protecting it, which is hardly helpful.

I'll be curious to see how Zan and Rich get along. Zan certainly seems committed to the Nova Corps, so I don't imagine he'll be retiring after this story*. He has considerably more experience than Richard at this point, but he's also out of the loop on the current state of the universe. Is he going to be surprised to see the Shi'ar battered as they are, or that Rich is allied with such an odd group of freelance do-gooders (the Guardians of the Galaxy), or that Rich should still be on good terms with Ronan the Accuser**? Is Zan going to be so glad to be back home that he's an eager team player, or will he instinctively be a lone wolf, since that's how it's had to be for so long? If so, is Richard going to be able to keep him in line, especially since Rich himself is often to prone to trying to handle things himself?

* Besides, why deprive yourself of a character with three arms, none of which match?

** Remember, back during Annihilation, Ronan at one point told Rich that if he were Kree, Ronan would call him brother. Or something to that effect. That's high praise.