Naomi: Season One

Naomi

by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, Jamal Campbell (Illustrator)

When a fight between Superman and Mongul crashes into a small northwestern town, Naomi begins a quest to uncover the last time a super-powered person visited her home--and how that might tie into her own origins and adoption.

DC's biggest, newest mystery starts here!

Follow Naomi's journey on a quest that will take her to the heart of the DC Universe and unfold a universe of ideas and stories that have never been seen before. Join writers Brian Michael Bendis, David Walker and breakout artist Jamal Campbell in Wonder Comics' massively ambitious new series and star...Naomi!

Aimed at providing readers with honest and innovative reading experiences, Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics is a celebration of the moments of in life when discoveries are made - when purpose and meaning are revealed and destinies are defined. Featuring the young heroes of the DC Universe as penned by all-star creative teams in exciting new adventures that will celebrate the wonders of life, love and comics.

Collects Naomi issues #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Young Adult, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2019

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

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/

[Tresha Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do something that makes someone feel better or do better or just help.
Just pick someone up.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Não é por acaso que David F. Walker é um dos melhores amigos de Brian Michael Bendis, podemos sentir isso em Naomi, quando ele pega todo aquele estilo bastante marcado de escrever que Bendis tem e transforma no seu próprio. Quando falo no seu próprio quero dizer que Walker se apropria do bendismo e a inda acrescenta os seus próprios elementos. A história de Naomi vem na melhor tradição dos super-heróis adolescentes, para não dizer dos super-heróis em geral, sejam da DC Comics ou da Marvel, complementando nesta Primeira Temporada um verdadeira Jornada da Heroína, com todos os seus passos bem definidos. Duvida? Então leia e coloque os passos da Jornada do seu lado para entender, estão bem ali. Outra coisa que precisa ser falada sobre Naomi é da estonteante arte de Jamal Campbell que nos brinda não apenas com characters designs fantásticos, mas toda uma ambientação bem realizada através de desenhos e colorizações. Somos apresentados por Bendis, Walker e Campbell para um pequeno novo universo (ou seria multiverso?) dentro do Universo DC Comics e, como BMB fez com o Homem-Aranha Ultimate, o ritmo do primeiro encadernado é sempre mais lento, para deixar a origem bastante clara na mente do leitor. Naomi tem um lindo caminho a percorrer dentro do Universo DC. Isso, claro, se a editora permitir.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Dimitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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."

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Lucas Savio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplesmente ameii. Uma trama que ao final da edição tem o Bendis falando o quão íntimo e familiar foi realizar essa história com certeza deu mais intensidade na história, mas tanta afinidade que to até afim de ler a liga do bendis que la fora n está bem elogiada. Sobre a história é como se fosse o primeiro filme de Duna um prequel gigante e emocionante cheio de multiverso e com peso, vilão de peso (diferentemente que a série da Cw mostrou, sério foi difícil) mas a arte também só tenho elogios a fazer para ela, confesso que foi uma leitura lindamente divertida e mt pessoal. AMEII!!!’

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the final issue had not been such a let down after a really good fifth issue the rating would have been higher. A surprise in my opinion, as Bendis' writing while he was Marvel never really held my interest.

Which makes me wonder how of much what kept me around after the first issue, and through the, for now, final issue, is David Walker's work. Until the last couple of issue I liked what he was doing on Catalyst's Superb (the company appears floundering as are some of the titles).

Naomi is, gasp, an original character. Yes, one of the Big Two is actually not re-booting another name or character.

The key to this story arc is who are Naomi's real parents, and what is her potential. As usual no spoilers.

(read as digital floppies)

[Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going to make a big pass on this series, it simply does not bring anything new to the table. A super powered being, left on Earth as her parents battled on a doomed planet, to be raised by other super humans and humans alike. Not its not about Superman or Supergirl because...well Naomi is black and has dredds, so you know, she is like tons different. So so story and no originality which is surprising and disappointing considering its Brian Michael Bendis at the helm. Nope this character is destined for junior justice league material.

[Ramon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant enough debut. A scooch padded. And has that problem where everybody talks the same even though there at least two aliens from massively-different cultures but hey, I guess they were all watching the same sitcoms in their 15, 16 years on Earth?

[Jason Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I need more!

[L. McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not quite what I wanted...

What’s it about?
In a small town an incident occurred where Superman briefly ended up there. To everyone’s surprise there’s nothing about it to be found online. It’s been said however that years ago another space related event happened there but when Naomi asks around most people are saying it’s false... but she knows something different is up and she finds out some surprising things that may reveal some more surprising things about her.

Pros:
The story is alright. Admittedly it’s your standard superhero stuff but hey, there’s a reason I read so many superhero comics, it works.
The art style is pretty cool, we get quite a few impressive panels.

The characters are interesting. There’s more emotion and things that make me care about them than many superhero comics have.

Cons:
This book does not have as much action as I had hoped for. There’s a bit but it’s mostly family drama which is an interesting attempt but I will admit I ended up feeling slightly bored.
The dialogue is poorly written. Admittedly dialogue was never quite Bendis’ strong-suit and it fortunately doesn’t go into a “fellow kids” category that I thought it would (for the most part) but is still iffy at best.
The humor attempts in this book are kinda weak.
There’s some political commentary about politicians ignoring climate change which without going into a political debate, it seems out of place. If I’m not mistaken (I may be) this comic is intended for young readers more than adult readers which... what do you expect them to do? You’re just making the future seem bleak to people who can’t do anything about it, especially if you’re somebody who legitimately believes the world is ending and/or that it’s already too late.
So unless I missed something there’s no explanation on why nothing was reported on Superman in the small town this story takes place in. It’s weird because they had it act like it would be one of the biggest parts of the story for 2 issues then nothing.
The cover is very misleading. The cover has a big bunch of popular superheroes surrounding Naomi which leads you to believe these characters are probably gonna show up somewhere in this comic... yeah only one (Superman) does and even then it’s like a couple of panels in the first issue. I know some may argue “oh it’s meant to be symbolic that she’s the next big superhero with these characters.” but that’s no excuse IMO, it’s a cash-grab.
The costume design is terrible but I didn’t notice until the bonus material. It’s like most of Naomi’s feet are bare for no reason and it just looks super silly, not to mention her feet will get very dirty and sore when doing superhero stuff like that. Seriously she may wanna get some shoes that go with it! Power Girl’s boob window is less silly than this (at least that sells comics).

(Above: best pic of her costume I found for reference)

Mixed thoughts:
This book’s predictability. I saw pretty much most of the entire story coming right when I opened the book but it was done in a way that was different from what I expected.

Overall:
This comic isn’t terrible but it’s still in the end not a good one, at least to me. Admittedly yes, I kinda nitpick things but despite a decent plot, some good artwork and interesting characters there was still a lot more to this comic that I disliked than liked.
Maybe this one will work for those previously mentioned younger readers, many of whom may just be getting into comics but for me, I’ll pass on the second book of this series.

2/5

[Scott Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a practical reason that so few new superhero characters survive their initiation and first years to become truly classic, always-there-always-on regulars in either major mainstream comic universe: it's really hard! Think about all the characters that are mediocre, that for all that they've been around FOREVER have never had their own book and probably are never going to. Or, a rarer number, the number of characters who have been lifted out of obscurity by a beloved creator who loves them and makes them awesome for a while--until they fade into obscurity again as soon as that creator moves on.

Why all of that? Because Bendis is trying something really difficult here a brand-new, apropos of nothing, superhero character for the DCU. He does a pretty good job. It's a mash of a number of comic origin elements that gives us a new, young hero with a lot of the classic elements, and one who checks all the right boxes for a protagonist in 2020. And he tells a good story. The artwork is solid. But one volume doesn't a series make, and I wasn't blown away. Still the best stories I've ever read, the best heroes, rise over time from the accretion of layers. Naomi has (and deserves) as much a chance as any character I've seen lately. I hope Bendis pulls it off.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this right after a Miles Morales collection and it's fairly obvious that Bendis is trying to re-capture that same "lightning in a bottle" that he did the first time around. And, in some respects, I think he does. It's still too soon to really get a good sense of who Naomi is or what her everyday life is like, though she does have one staunch friend/ally. The origin stuff is interesting and unusual. I thought the artwork throughout was really strong. But the main villain is not that original and some of the stuff that went on here just got rushed-through and glossed-over (such as the origins of Naomi's adopted father and town mechanic Dee). But there's enough here that I'll definitely be interested in reading the next collection to see where all this goes. Naomi's got potential, but she's not quite as fully-formed out of the box as Miles was.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was FUN! Rarely do super hero comics actually get me excited, especially about a new character, but DC/Bendis finally found a way to do so.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this was so bland and lifeless. Naomi has no personality and she’s a total cliche. I love seeing a Black, female hero, but this ain’t it. The plot was a mess and the pacing was horrible. Art was pretty enough though. 2/5.

[The Fizza · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 STARS - I wanted to like this but unfortunately Bendis wrote this book sooooo nothing memorable and of course:

1) Everyone has the same voice and none of those voices fit the characters.
2) It starts off decently enough with everyday things to 'ground' the story then it's takes a turn and goes heavy-handed through the most obvious well trodden ground in the YA genre.
3) Not quite bad though not quite good, finally it settles in as a middling, sometimes trite, book.

All of which is sad because, say what you will about BMB's formulas today he can do 'hard-boiled' quite well and still knows how to come up with a fun concept for his tales... the unfortunate thing being, he doesn't know enough to pass those ideas off to fresh talent with some skills but trods on with his own brand of Stan Lee style shtick. Even though that gag's got whiskers on it.

If you want to read the same thing you've read a thousand times before in comics about the misunderstood youth, with the quirky friends, who finds out they're not just special, because all life is unique and each person can be their own hero, but is an actual "super" kinda special. The kind with the obligatory 'they only just need some training to save the universe'... Soooo, you know it's a meeh kinda book... So far.

Maybe volume two will take a turn for the better, though I doubt it, as so far Naomi is just some Miss America knock-off with the usual Superboy style origin.

What I'd give for another YA series from DC like Young Justice or the post-Zero Hour Legion or, gosh forbid, The Ray!

RECOMMENDATION: If you've read all the best Ms. Marvel and Spider-Gwen stories or maybe Moon Girl and Miles Morales stories and you simply can't find something else to read... give it a shot, but don't say I didn't warn ya'

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this. Bendis and Walker deliver a great mystery and Campbell's art is breathtaking.