The new series from Brian Bendis’ WONDER COMICS line introduces new characters and a brand new part of the DC Comics world, and I am absolutely into it.
Naomi 1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker
Art by Jamal Campbell
When he announced NAOMI, Bendis promised this was a completely new character that required no prior knowledge to understand the first issue. In an era where everything feels like a reboot or a “rebirth,” having a story about a completely new character is a refreshing change. Plus, outside of Oliver Queen in Seattle, you don’t get a whole lot of DC Comics books based out of the Pacific Northwest.
NAOMI is a teenager in Oregon who has an intense interest in superheroes, especially Superman. And when Superman battles Mongul briefly in her hometown, it sets off a desire for her to find out more about any super-battles in the area. While no one in the town seems to recall any other similar incidents, Naomi manages to find one guy who does. The date of that event was the day Naomi was adopted.
An adopted kid who has a fixation with Superman? Sounds so familiar.
You hear a lot about wanting characters that readers can relate to. I’m closing in on 40 and I had no idea it was something I could use myself. Bendis and Walker may as well have been using me as a template here (other than being an African-American teenage girl, I guess).
So, Naomi is on a quest to find answers about herself, and how it relates to the heroic side of the world she’s in. With that world being illustrated so beautifully by Jamal Campbell, I think NAOMI could end up being a modern-day classic, and possibly the standout book in the WONDER COMICS line. It’s definitely a book fans of fun comics should pick up.