At last: the secrets behind Earth’s original Nova Richard Rider’s survival in the deathless reality called the Cancerverse will finally stand revealed in May 3’s NOVA #6. The hows and whys of the original Human Rocket’s time on that horrible plane depend upon writer Jeff Loveness, so we braved a brief visit with him to ask for the terminal tour, one that may illuminate the secrets he’s about to unveil.

Cancerverse

Imagine untold stretches of corrupted space swirling about an unending radiance of expanding gloom.

“I love the notion of the Cancerverse, that there’s a realm without death,” says Loveness. “That’s so alluring and fascinating. And I love the deeper idea that life has become this rotting, corrupted thing.”

Cancerverse-Earth

Sometimes referred to as Earth-10011 and roughly corresponding to our own planet, the sick ball of rock and mud reflects the dark universe around it.

“Life without death has twisted itself into an endless, inescapable hell,” the writer notes. “I can’t think of a worse place to be trapped.”

Revengers

No gnarled version of Earth would be complete with out a topsy-turvy take on the mighty Avengers.

“Not only do you have these Many-Angled Ones and Cancerverse monsters running around, you’ve got twisted, rotted out versions of the Avengers trying to tear you apart…even though you can’t die,” Loveness explains. “It’s an endless spectacle of torture and savagery, just for the sake of it.

“I also love that the Revengers took the first thing that came to mind when they thought of a team name. ‘Hmm… what’s the opposite of the Avengers? Oh, the Revengers. Nice. Done. Good. Moving on.’ Nobody said the Cancerverse was full of geniuses.”

Ex-Men

Undead images of the famous mutants? Yes, the Cancerverse boasts that, too.

“Y’know, they don’t show up in this story…and I’m actually very upset about it,” says Loveness. “In my research, I think I missed the fact that there were monstrous, Cancerverse versions of the X-Men and I’ll never forgive myself for not including them. I am a lifelong X-Men fan, and the fact that I couldn’t include Zombie Cyclops or Zombie Maggott in a comic will haunt me to my dying day.”

All Else

“I don’t want to say too much, but there’s a big twist and a mystery Nova villain we haven’t seen in a while that’s been behind all of this,” the writer teases. “Someone who’s very close to Rich.

“It’s been really fun and tragic to write these chapters. Rich definitely went through a terrible time in the Cancerverse, and his torture isn’t over yet. But I don’t like stories that dwell in gloom for gloom’s sake. We also wanted to craft a story about hope and redemption and the beauty of rebirth. There’s always time to ask for help. There’s always time to reinvent and reinvigorate your life, even when it seems hopeless…especially when it seems hopeless. I’m the kind of guy who gets down on himself and mopes about all the time, but no matter what’s happening in your life, there is always beauty and life out there. It’s a hard lesson, but a useful one. The Cancerverse offers a distorted, ruined version of life—and it’s up to Rich to fight for life as it should be. Hopefully we can all do the same.”

Brave the Cancerverse with Jeff Loveness and Ramon Perez on May 3 with NOVA #6!