User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
One of those books despite what on paper looks like a great creative line-up makes one wonder was it written for a younger, children's audience? Not much else to add really, other than big wow she's African-American; but the story is not new at all, the artwork is just average if that, although it's good to see an artist drawing more real women body shapes. Feels like a book solely green lighted so that it could be used as a representative adaptation later on. 7 out of 12, mostly for the first half of intrigue and mystery.
Rating: really liked it
A kid, sent to Earth on a spaceship by their birth parents who’re left behind on a doomed planet, is raised by surrogate parents in a small American town and discovers they gots superpowers. Wow - how DOES Brian Bendis come up with such original ideas? Bendis - the dude also writing both Superman titles! But yeah this kid is Naomi, not Superpants - although he is all over that first issue to let you know this be a DC book and, y’know, parallels and junk.
I know I sound dismissive but actually Naomi, Season One wasn’t bad. There’s nothing about it that’s especially unique, particularly if you’re familiar with Bendis’ work, but it’s well done - the usual “Lil ol me’s a superhero waaaa?!” but slick and surprisingly compelling. Though I wouldn’t say Naomi is up there among them, read the first Miles Morales or Riri Williams books and you’ll know Bendis can write some absolutely cracking opening volumes in this vein.
Like a lot of Bendis books, Season One is a slow burn, though it’s enjoyable enough to see the mystery of who Naomi really is unfold. Where it kinda lost me was the third act when the fifth issue turned into one long artless info dump, all of which revealed Naomi’s secret origin to be, unfortunately, unremarkably bland by superhero standards. And the usual Bendis line of supporting characters - the ditzy bestie, the loving (but of course tough) parents, the troubled mentor - did nothing to show me any of this was fresh new territory for the Bendyman.
I really hate when the villain turns out to be this giant monster who wants to take over the world because it’s such a tedious cliche at this point but that’s precisely who the big bad in this story is. So of course things end with an uninspired and rote punch up - guess who wins? Exactly - we’re only on “Season One” member. Also, does Naomi have any weaknesses? She doesn’t seem to have a kryptonite. I hope she’s not some dull flawless protagonist because that will lead to some very boring stories very quickly.
Jamal Campbell’s art is a revelation. It’s very pretty and extremely polished whether he’s drawing close-ups, distance shots, splash pages, action or talky scenes - it’s never less than impressive. Some of the characters have that appealing Disney-esque look to their faces - very expressive, big eyes, dramatic body language - and the book has an appropriately cinematic look to it (“Season One” - it certainly looks like a big budget TV series). If you’re a fan of David Marquez’s art (he drew Bendis’ Invincible Iron Man and Civil War II), you’ll dig Jamal Campbell’s style.
It’s nothing that most superhero comics fans won’t have seen before but Naomi Season One is a decent read and another interesting addition to Bendis’ new Wonder Comics line. I’ll come back for Season Two but I hope Bendis and co. dare to stray a bit from the superhero formula they seem to be content chugging for the umpteenth time in Season One.
Rating: really liked it
This started out really well but petered out in the second half into a pretty generic superheroic punchy-punch thing with tons of awkward exposition dumps. Naomi is a cool new character that has that Miles Morales-esque feel to her, but her origin ended up being far too convoluted and hard to follow, and yet there is a lot of time devoted here to explaining how exactly she came to be. Otherwise it's an okay read, but could have been so much better. Kind of made me wish that Naomi wouldn't end up being a super-powered character at all, just remaining a normal teenager fascinated with superheroes like we meet her in issue #1, probably the best issue of the whole collection. Jamal Campbell's artwork is absolutely gorgeous though, the book is a total eye-candy.
Rating: really liked it
Naomi is an adopted teenager trying to find out about where she came from after Superman and Mongul passed through her town in the midst of a fight. One of Bendis's main strengths is writing believable and engaging teenagers, that trend continues. I like how Bendis layered the story, building on it with each issue. My only issue is how the later issues are static info-dumps. Naomi doesn't do anything, she just listens. All in all though, a great start and I'm ready to read more.
Jamal Campbell's art is tremendous. My one complaint about it is that it can get too effects driven at times, to the point where it's hard to make out the action in a panel.
Rating: really liked it
I'm a pretty big fan of Bendis. He is a huge reason I'm into comics (Ultimate Spider-man was my first major Marvel comic growing up) and so I will always give his work a chance. For the most part, all his Jinx stuff and DC stuff has been pretty entertaining, and I think Naomi follows in those footsteps even though it feels like it covers familiar ground.
We start with a everyday situation in DC. Superman comes crashing into town and Naomi, our main character, misses it. She seems to always miss the badass fights. But then she feels something is off and begins investigating the town and her past. What feels like a Nancy drew comic soon becomes a sci-fi adventure with tons of colorful fights and a ton of new lore for the DC Universe.
I personally enjoyed parts of this a lot, while others I was bored. I Like the cast, especially Naomi, her parents, and Dee. The girlfriend was okay but the rest worked well. I also enjoy the art a lot, it's really pretty and the fights are epic and fun. The pacing is solid up until issue 5-6 where they become HUGE exposition dumps. And while the lore could be interesting there's parts I was very bored learning about who Naomi is and the one dimensional villain.
Overall, the idea of this being season 1, makes me feel this might work out in the long run. Like most season 1 TV shows, it builds up a new universe I like and I'm involved with but didn't blow me away. It's good, especially for giving us a new hero, but I hope season 2 drops the heavy exposition for more natural storytelling while keeping this amazing art. A 3.5 out of 5.
Rating: really liked it
After trying his Superman books, I wasn't too hot about trying more of Brian Michael Bendis' DC Comics work, but this is considerably better as he, David F. Walker and Jamal Campbell introduce a new young heroine. Nice art and a fairly light tone make this a pretty good YA title.
I thought for a moment this was a reintroduction of the Milestone universe, as one character shown from the rear seemed to be sporting Static's original costume and Naomi's last name is a tribute to Dwayne McDuffie, but that just might be wishful thinking on my part.
Rating: really liked it
Naomi is a new character being introduced by Brian Michael Bendis into the DC universe. The character herself is an interesting addition, but this being a Bendis comic it's heavy on chatty conversations and light on action. The art is really beautiful, though.
Rating: really liked it
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
As part of creator Brian Michael Bendis’ Wonder Comics imprint, conceived primarily with the focus to reach out to a young adult audience looking to connect with heroes that are trying to find their purpose in the world, comes Naomi, a character co-created by writer Brian Michael Bendis, writer David F. Walker, and artist Jamal Campbell. In her stellar debut, this creative team introduces us to a cunning superhero that could take the world by storm if done properly. Collecting the first six issues, this first season invites fans to meet Naomi and discover her mysterious origins as she goes on to celebrate her hidden heritage through shocking revelations that will indubitably unlock new ideas within the DC Universe.
What is Naomi: Season One about? In a small northwestern town lives a local teenager named Naomi McDuffie. The one time Superman has an epic battle with Mongul right in her town, she, unfortunately, misses out on it. All she ever wanted was to witness the greatness of the Man of Steel right in the place where she grew up. What she doesn’t know is that the town where she has lived all her life has also known such a super-powered event in the past. As she begins to uncover this mystery, she embarks on a journey to discover her own origins and adoption. But by unearthing these secrets, she also draws the attention of dangerous threats that belong outside of their own universe.
This turned out to be much better than I thought it would be. What this creative team succeeds in doing is offering readers a refreshing and visually breath-taking origin story for a brand-new superhero in the neighborhood. Channeling his personal experience in adoption, writer Brian Michael Bendis also shapes his character into an inquisitive and composed young lady who’s thirst for the truth will lead her to slowly—emphasis on “slowly”—discover her true blood heritage as well as the very superpowers hidden within the palm of her hands.
Without any fear as to the story’s pacing, writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker take their time in building the suspense and reveal, since readers aren’t clueless as to what the end result will be, but struggle with the penultimate and final issue where they finally go on a test drive with their character’s newly found powers. Instead of maintaining the same pacing used to build up the story, they rush to the finish line with massive info dumps and a full-out fist-only brawl; I won’t lie that it was still awesome to see Naomi’s kick ass highlight moment (because she obviously has to have some of those, right?) but I wish they had taken the time to give us a cleverer denouement.
What also stands out from this graphic novel is the exquisite artwork by Jamal Campbell. It is absolutely gorgeous and I couldn’t note a single flaw in it even if I wanted to. From his use of nine-panel pages to strategic splash pages, he truly gives Naomi the chance to impress anyone and everyone throughout this journey. His character designs are also impeccable, giving us detailed insight into the tone of this story through their facial expression and body language. You can also bet that the science-fiction and fantasy elements were astonishing in the final act. The impeccable mastery of gradients in the colour adds significant pizzazz to the story as well.
Naomi: Season One is a promising and visually stunning origin story welcoming a brand-new superhero to the DC Universe.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Rating: really liked it
Kept me engaged The story telling was interesting. I enjoyed from beginning to end. I wasn't sure about how the Superman aspect was going to included. But the slip in was mild and sneaky.
Rating: really liked it
This second Wonder Comic has a lot of heart, but unfortunately it doesn't have the writing chops that it needs to succeed. It's a fun coming of age story, about a girl who wants to be a hero. And, the author(s) really place a spotlight on the fact that it's a wish-fulfillment story. Fair enough. Oh, and it's nicely integrated into the DC Universe, which is both to its benefit and its deficit.
Really,
Naomi: Season One has two big problems. The first is that it's almost all told, not shown. Throughout the middle issues, we get an endless series of infodumps as a sequence of characters each tell Naomi who she is. The author(s) try and play this like a multi-layered onion, revealing a new truth each issue, integrating into at least three different major DC elements, but in doing so they come up with a confusing and muddled story. Bit by a radioactive spider: that's a simple origin. This mixture of Gemworld, the Rann/Thanngar War, and the 52 is anything but simple.
Still fun, and without all this exposition the next volume might be much better.
Rating: really liked it
Do something that makes someone feel better or do better or just help.
Just pick someone up.
Rating: really liked it
"Promise me you'll make your world a better place. Any way you can. Your dad says: every day. You do it every day. Like breathing and eating. Do something that makes someone feel better or do better or just help. Just pick someone up."
Rating: really liked it
It's been awhile since I have read anything new by either Brian Michael Bendis or David F. Walker, so it was good luck to get them both on the same comic. This is almost my first read of any of Bendis' DC Comics works. He's been there for about two years now after a very prolific tenure at Marvel Comics (one of the longest in that company's history). Bendis is responsible for giving us Jessica Jones, Miles Morales, and Riri Williams and successfully rehabilitated the the reputation of Luke Cage and pretty much started the trend toward breaking the white hedgemony of comic book superheroes with Miles' debut in 2011. With all the success those characters have had in recent years, he has created a new character for DC Comics and she shows potential. David Walker was the standard-barer for black comic book writers between the death of Dwayne McDuffie (which occurred 7 months before the creation of Miles Morales; McDuffie plays an interesting cameo role in this book) until the hiring of Ta-Nehisi Coates to write
Black Panther in 2016, it is always good to read books that he writes (he wrote one of the most daring and relevant comics of the last 20 years with Nighthawk: Hate Makes Hate). I don't know much about Jamal Campbell, but his art here was decent.
The story has you thinking that it is going one way, but goes a complete other way...before going the way you thought it was going to go. I understand that it was meant to be a mini-series, but I wish they would have made it a maxi-series and give the story more room to breathe. It gets a little wonk-ish in the later chapters, but this volume acts as a good-enough set-up and gives me something to look forward to when/if the next chapter comes out. In the meantime, Ava DuVernay is planning to adapt the mini-series for television—so that's something to look forward to.
Rating: really liked it
Meet Naomi McDuffie. She might be a superhero. She might be an alien. She might be a multi-dimensional traveler. She might be a lot of things - but one thing she most definitely is, is going to find out.
This series (and the other Wonder Comics endeavors, although those weren't him specifically) is one of the few decent things Bendis has managed to pull off at DC. Naomi (the character) is a joy to read about, even if the rest of her supporting characters are a bit stick thin. There's a lot of patented Bendis dialogue, which devolves into pages of nothing actually happening as the characters all yell at each other about how confused they are, and I wish Bendis could name characters without them sounding like some strange new exercise fad (Zumbado? Really?), but these are typical Bendis complaints tbh. This whole story is really to introduce the DCU to Naomi, and it succeeds in that easily enough.
The artwork, which is the main draw actually, is by the incomparable Jamal Campbell, so every page is beautifully rendered. Who better to draw a character with light based powers than someone with such great command over colour? I want Campbell on another Green Lantern book ASAP.
Naomi flounders around a little, but it looks good, and its main character is immensely likeable, which goes a long way in its favour.
Rating: really liked it
Brian Michael Bendis became a superstar at Marvel Comics, creating small but indelible characters that grew bigger than any of us ever expected, characters like Jessica Jones and Miles Morales. He's a golden child over at DC now and he might have created yet another super popular character in Naomi. This "season 1" of her series (the only material thus far), though extremely popular as it was coming out, proves to be a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I think the concept behind her character is an interesting one: the exploration of what an origin story similar to Superman’s would be like if it was happening in the present day during this age of superheroes. On the other hand, it proves to be disappointing.
Naomi is an adopted teenager who, after the first superhero event happens in her small town, begins to seriously question her background and the history of the town. What follows is her gradual realization of who she is. The concept is a cool one but it just ends up being a standard and strangely convoluted superhero origin, where Bendis tries his best to weave in a number of big DC events into her history. So much of this is dialogue-based, that the book becomes a telling-instead-of-showing piece that just ends up being boring. And I wish it took its time a little more so we can grow with Naomi as she's making her discoveries. It all just seems so quickly developed, as she seems to become instantly comfortable with her origin and immediately jumping into a cosmic multiversal conflict! But the real stand-out here is the artwork. Jamal Campbell's colorful and dynamic work shines throughout! Here's to a new talent!
If you were a fan of this book or Naomi herself, her story continues as she travels to Metropolis in the final couple of issues in Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 3: Leviathan Hunt.
