The first appearance of Nova in Italy dates back to the late 70s, when the Editoriale Corno decided to launch an original, large-size Comics series devoted to Jack Kirby's saga of The Eternals and chose the character as the "sparring partner" of the new heroes. Actually, the readers’ attention was immediately catalyzed by this amazing hero, a sort of crossbreed between the Green Lantern and the early style Spider Man: the young high school student Richard Rider, in fact, is oppressed (like Peter Parker) from bullying of classmates and receives his supernatural powers from an alien, thus assuming (like Hal Jordan) the role of the defender of the galaxy. Over time, the character has repeatedly changed the identity and characteristics, within different narrative and stylistic resets, while maintaining intact its charm and contextualizing more and more often his adventures in the cosmic branch of the Marvel Universe. Sculpted by the Kucharek Brothers and released in 2009 with an edition size of 800 pieces, the Nova Modern Statue is no doubt of my absolute favorites in the vast catalogue of Bowen Design. Compared to the more traditional version, the costume of the Modern exhibits the same colors, but also a lot of differences, with deep streaks in the tissue parts and numerous rigid elements that, at least from a aesthetic point of view, enhance the aspect of an armored suit. The physique is sculptural, extremely elegant and slender, highlighted by the posture of the hero on a high rocky base, showing a background purple hue. The coloring is nothing short of extraordinary: the midnight blue tonality is vaguely metallic and enhances the light reflections, thus emphasizing the perfect sculpt and offering an exceptional chromatic contrast with the gold color of the rigid elements. The resulting perception is that of some synthetic, thick and impenetrable fabric, designed to protect our hero from the cold of deep space or the warmth of sun! Note the geometric engravings on the bust, the snug fit of the suit on the powerful quadriceps, the golden adornment centered on the back and the picturesque streaks in relief on both calves. Beautiful rigid elements also decorate (and protect) the hero's shoulders, shins and forearms: their curved shapes, full of edges and tips, adds an incredible appeal to the whole figure. The helmet is wonderful, characterized by a large, central red star with long rays on the nose, forehead and cheekbones and leaves uncovered only the mouth and chin of the character. The eyes are white (slightly outlined in blue) and the expression is proud and austere. And the extraordinary aesthetic impact of this piece is completed by additional details of great effect: on the back of the base, in fact, the head and a hand of Annihilus (the Lord of the Negatize Zone and archenemy of the hero) appear, well carved and partially enclosed in the rock. The market quotations of the the Nova Modern are always very high and its availability on market is rather poor. The elegance of the figure and posture, the perfection of the sculpt and the incredible aesthetic impact make this piece (in my humble opinion) a real gem within the Bowen catalogue, a must-have par excellence and an unavoidable prey for all collectors and Marvel fans!