Review: Naomi- Season One
Quick Summary
Pros: The main narrative centers around a mystery that is highly satisfying to see unravel. The introduction to Naomi is great. The volume’s conclusion builds even more excitement for Naomi’s future appearances. The artwork is gorgeous throughout the book.
Cons: The volume focuses less on the personality of its stars than preferred.
Overall: This is an incredible book on its own and a wonderfully effective introduction to a new DC Comics character. This volume lays out a mystery that hooks readers in from the start and somehow manages to get even more interesting as it progresses. This journey introduces readers to Naomi and gets them even more excited about her future appearances. Plus, the artwork is incredible the whole way through. Anyone interested in meeting a new DC Comics hero or who is looking for a solid origin story for a young, new character should read this book.
Story
Naomi: Season One, by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker, is an awesome introduction to a new hero. This volume details Naomi’s origin story through a series of mysteries that are interesting from the start and only get more interesting as the story progresses. Discovering each new twist and turn to this mystery makes for a great read. It also provides a solid introduction to a character that is already fun to have around. Plus, the entire volume concludes on a note that leaves plenty of potential open for the future. All in all, this is one seriously successful origin story.
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Naomi: Season One is a relatively straightforward but excellently executed origin story for a new superhero. The bulk of the volume focuses on Naomi as she attempts to uncover the secret behind her birth. Then, she learns that this secret has secrets of its own, as she discovers her adopted father and one of their neighbors are both aliens. Then, she learns that she is from an entirely different dimension, that she has superpowers, and that her home dimension is ruled by a powerful despot who is attempting to invade Earth. The constant mix of intrigue and discovery is perfectly balanced throughout this book and helps make this read incredibly compelling.
As an origin story, Naomi: Season One is also wildly successful in building up excitement for Naomi’s future adventures. The volume’s final chapter sets up the potential for an entire story arc about a return to Naomi’s birth dimension or about Zumbado’s future attempt to conquer Earth. The volume also barely scratches the surface on the extent of Naomi’s powers or what she is capable of. All of this helps ensure Naomi’s role in the DC Universe has the potential to be truly worthwhile.
The only downside to this volume is that I felt like I didn’t get to know Naomi as much as I would have liked. The volume spent plenty of time detailing her current situation, her origin story, and her transition into the world of superheroes. However, it spends far less time depicting her personality. In a book this decompressed, I would have loved to have seen more about her relationship with her adopted parents before the reveal of their secret or more of her relationship with her friends before Naomi became hyper-focused on uncovering mysteries. This isn’t a big complaint, as I’m sure future comics will explain more, but is simply something that could have made this volume a bit better.
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Art
The art throughout Naomi: Season One is gorgeous all the way through. Jamal Campbell’s work is beautiful and provides a beautiful introduction to Naomi’s story. The visuals have a level of detail that allows characters to display a range of emotion and allows the environments to feel lived in. The stylized presentation also sets the comic apart from most mainstream books while also infusing it with a heroic energy. Then, the colors kick things up even further by bathing the world in shades that set the tone of each scene. There is also a ton of creativity to be found throughout this book, from the character designs to the powers on display. Overall, the visuals in this book are seriously impressive and add a lot to the book’s appeal.
Continuity
Naomi: Season One is the first volume in a new series and does not continue the storylines from any other comics.
Naomi’s next appearance is in Action Comics #1014, collected in Action Comics Vol. 2: Leviathan Rising, and then in Action Comics #1015-1016, collected in Action Comics Vol. 3: Leviathan Hunt.