Originally posted by 753It just doesn't work that way. And your actual thoughts (while perfectly fair given any other situation) have been noted by characters within the comic on-panel and proven to just simply not apply to him and his shield.
I think that's how the need to keep a character alive works. The shield does not propject a force-field arround him and on some occasions he can be seen suffering the environmental effects of the area attacks even if the blast does not touch him directly.The fire from the nova blast wouldn't bend behind the shield, but the hot air should still have harmed him.
Since he isn't deafened by use of the shield I stick by my point, sound can still reach him behind the shield.