Naomi #1

A few weeks ago I was in my local comic shop and noticed a copy of Naomi on the wall going for an eye-widening price. I asked the owner why it was so expensive, and he replied that the title was extremely popular. He then said he liked it himself, so when a reprint of #1 came out, I picked it up.

After reading it, though, all I felt was annoyance.

Now, I understand that Naomi is part of DC Comics' Wonder Comics imprint, aimed at a teen audience. I am at least three decades from being a teenager. Still, Brian Michael Bendis is shepherding this endeavour, a writer that I have often enjoyed, so what could go wrong?

Well, a few things. Let's put them in order.

1. This book cost me over $5 Canadian, taking into account the glories of the current American exchange. For five dollars I received very little in the way of story.

2. The selling point of this new series is 'the biggest new mystery' of the DC Universe. But we are given no reasons to care what this mystery may be, other than Naomi's own interest, which isn't about the DC Universe at all but only her own teenage, self absorbed interest.

3.Naomi herself. In any mystery, the reader should have some interest or connection with the investigator (the lead character). But we learn nothing really about Naomi.  Well, we did learn that she's 17, she spends time on her phone (even when she's supposed to be working), she has a Superman obsession, she's in therapy because of issues and oh, yes, she feels special in some undefined, but probably awesome, way.

4. Her friends are equally annoying and undefined. One friend dresses like a goth but totally really thinks Superman is cool. Another friend is just constantly giddy. She dances around for no reason, and likes to hug Naomi.She also has pink hair.  When Naomi is upset, she suggests they eat, undoubtedly before she bursts into laughter again and spins a pirouette. Character work at its best.

5. The mystery itself is--shocking!--related to Naomi. And the only person who has any knowledge about it is someone who looks weird. Everyone else in this town is either giddy or clearly hiding something, but will still talk to a teenager about aforementioned mystery because adults don't have anything else to do.

6. The art by Jamal Campbell is beautiful. But he clearly uses cut and paste on one page, moving one image to another panel while using the same background over and over. It's a small thing, but I don't pay for comics for artists to take shortcuts. If an artist is taking shortcuts, then reduce the cover price.

7. Naomi reads like a checklist designed to attract younger readers, but for all the wrong reasons.  There isn't a focus to create characters as much as there is a need to have readers see themselves on the page. The idea that a teen reader would care about a mystery about the DC Universe is ludicrous. I don't see any teenagers buying comics in my store, only sad men in their thirties and forties. They care about stuff like the DC Universe, and characters, and good stories. You know, the audience Marvel and DC forgot about years ago. Oh, sorry, like, my cynicism totally slipped out.


While trying to attract teen readers is a good idea on paper--and probably sounds great in board meetings--the one thing DC and Marvel fail to acknowledge is that teenagers may be interested in books like Naomi, but they won't pay for it. They will download it off a pirate site, even if they think to look for the next issue, which is in itself a big ask.  They'll torrent manga and anime all day, but ask them to lay cash on a counter--virtual or otherwise--and they'll roll their eyes.

In the end, Naomi wasn't for me, and was never intended to be. If Bendis and co-writer David F Walker had spent more time building characters everyone could relate to, maybe I would have picked up a second issue. But as it is, this just brought the day I stop buying all American super hero books that much closer.