In these issues, we learn more about Richard Rider’s family (his brother is a high school genius, like Peter Parker without powers). Nova starts learning about his new abilities by stopping street crimes and a bank robbery. And then we get rapid-fire additions to his rogues gallery. First, Condor and his partner Powerhouse.
There’s not a lot of explanation for how Condor got his wings, but he “found” Powerhouse, who can absorb energy from others and has super strength, drowning in a river. We will later learn that Powerhouse is Xandarian and had amnesia.
And then issue #3 introduces Diamondhead.
Marv Wolfman was transparent in interviews that his goal with this series was to introduce a character the same way Spider-Man was introduced by Stan Lee: As a kid with a kid’s life, a fully formed family-and-friends cast, and a freak-of-the-month storyline. He does a good job with it.