In regards to Rich Riders history being off-putting to new readers, would it really be any more so that Spider-Man, Iron Man or anybody else's? I introduced someone who'd never read comics before to RR Nova last year and she was able to easily follow along vol 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the major tie ins. She loved Rich's character, how fun they stories were and the character development. She even looked forward to the GOTG tie arc each month as it came out. She didn't find it daunting.
You can always find exceptions to any rule. But when you’re talking about a character like Nova, who has never found the sort of lasting success that Spider-Man or Iron Man have had over the years, clearly something is not working there. And so you try different things.