Naomi Season 2 Reviews & Discussions

[Ascended]

The long awaited season 2 of Naomi has begun!

Issue one came out on the 8th or 9th or something, about a week and a half ago, and I finally made it down to the LCS. Noticed a disappointing lack of conversation about it here. I know Naomi has fans here so where y'all at? Did I miss a thread? Or is everyone just too distracted with the upcoming Dark Crisis?

In any case, the sequel mini starts off with all the promise and potential of the original.

Spoilers are welcome, so reader beware, but I myself will pass on a detailed review in favor of a few random thoughts. My posts are long enough without a deep dive into literary analysis!

First off, Campbell's art is as incredible as always. If anything, the man is getting better and I found myself studying each panel like a display at the Louvre. His facial expressions are some of the industry's best, and he manages to convey a sense of power in Naomi even when she's just standing still. I swear, the book is worth buying for the art alone.

The writing is just as good as last season too. Bendis' dialogue is recognizable a mile away, but I think Walker must rein in some of it because it's less....Bendis-y....than in his other work. Plot and pacing moves slowly, with lots of page space to explore small emotional moments, just as with last season. But despite moving slow, the pacing is consistent and steady, something else I suspect Walker is responsible for. Regardless of who writes what, it's a well crafted piece of literature that keeps the focus on character, and not spectacle. It's slow, but satisfying.

The first few pages do a lot of the heavy lifting to catch people up on what Naomi has been doing since the end of season 1. It's only been a few weeks for her, but in talking to her therapist we get the basics on her joining the League, and while it's a big exposition dump, it doesn't feel cumbersome.

I'm digging the changes to the McDuffie household. The tension is palpable and uncomfortable; her father Greg has become angry and harsh, treating Naomi more like a soldier in boot camp than a daughter, and they argue even when they're in agreement. Naomi's mom Jen is....concerningly quiet. Not sure if she even says anything in the whole issue. Nobody is talking to each other, the marriage seems rocky, and Naomi doesn't know why things are so rough, or what to do about it. It's an interesting twist to the healthy family dynamic we saw last season, but with everything that's happened in such a short amount of time it doesn't feel forced or unnatural.

I like that she seems to be confiding in Dee more. What we see here makes it sound like Dee has been brought fully into the family action, coming around for dinner and training, and Naomi appears to spend a chunk of time with him. Her other friendships, far as we see here, are still intact but it appears to be Dee that she's talking to most. She's even considering leaving therapy because of the secrets she has to keep (Greg and Dee's status as aliens, for one thing), making Dee all the more important. We see Naomi's BFF Annabella for a panel or two, but that's it.

We get another dreamscape sequence, presumably showing Naomi's homearth (which still looks like the ruined hellscape of a dystopian urban fantasy novel). I'm still wondering what these dreams are. Are they just dreams? Does Naomi have a deeper, more subtle power we're mistaking for dreams? Is someone on "earth-N" sending these to her? In this issue it happens while she's awake and I don't recall that happening before.

The final scene is....something. Dee goes missing and it appears that someone is gunning for him; there's signs of a struggle at his garage when Naomi shows up looking for him and she finds her father already there, and armed. I doubt anyone is meant to believe he's the culprit, but given how he acted in the rest of the issue as well as his rough history with Dee, it'll probably cross Naomi's mind.

I was worried that season 2 wouldn't manage to capture the magic of the first series. After all, that mini was built on mysteries that have largely been answered (at least in the broad strokes) and with her joining the heroic community I feared the series would lose it's way and become a more standard kind of comic. But one issue in, and Bendis/Walker/Campbell are bringing back all the things that made this book work the first time around.

Quality start to a new season. Can't wait to see where it goes!

[Twice-named]

The long awaited season 2 of Naomi has begun!

Issue one came out on the 8th or 9th or something, about a week and a half ago, and I finally made it down to the LCS. Noticed a disappointing lack of conversation about it here. I know Naomi has fans here so where y'all at? Did I miss a thread? Or is everyone just too distracted with the upcoming Dark Crisis?

In any case, the sequel mini starts off with all the promise and potential of the original.

Spoilers are welcome, so reader beware, but I myself will pass on a detailed review in favor of a few random thoughts. My posts are long enough without a deep dive into literary analysis!

First off, Campbell's art is as incredible as always. If anything, the man is getting better and I found myself studying each panel like a display at the Louvre. His facial expressions are some of the industry's best, and he manages to convey a sense of power in Naomi even when she's just standing still. I swear, the book is worth buying for the art alone.

The writing is just as good as last season too. Bendis' dialogue is recognizable a mile away, but I think Walker must rein in some of it because it's less....Bendis-y....than in his other work. Plot and pacing moves slowly, with lots of page space to explore small emotional moments, just as with last season. But despite moving slow, the pacing is consistent and steady, something else I suspect Walker is responsible for. Regardless of who writes what, it's a well crafted piece of literature that keeps the focus on character, and not spectacle. It's slow, but satisfying.

The first few pages do a lot of the heavy lifting to catch people up on what Naomi has been doing since the end of season 1. It's only been a few weeks for her, but in talking to her therapist we get the basics on her joining the League, and while it's a big exposition dump, it doesn't feel cumbersome.

I'm digging the changes to the McDuffie household. The tension is palpable and uncomfortable; her father Greg has become angry and harsh, treating Naomi more like a soldier in boot camp than a daughter, and they argue even when they're in agreement. Naomi's mom Jen is....concerningly quiet. Not sure if she even says anything in the whole issue. Nobody is talking to each other, the marriage seems rocky, and Naomi doesn't know why things are so rough, or what to do about it. It's an interesting twist to the healthy family dynamic we saw last season, but with everything that's happened in such a short amount of time it doesn't feel forced or unnatural.

I like that she seems to be confiding in Dee more. What we see here makes it sound like Dee has been brought fully into the family action, coming around for dinner and training, and Naomi appears to spend a chunk of time with him. Her other friendships, far as we see here, are still intact but it appears to be Dee that she's talking to most. She's even considering leaving therapy because of the secrets she has to keep (Greg and Dee's status as aliens, for one thing), making Dee all the more important. We see Naomi's BFF Annabella for a panel or two, but that's it.

We get another dreamscape sequence, presumably showing Naomi's homearth (which still looks like the ruined hellscape of a dystopian urban fantasy novel). I'm still wondering what these dreams are. Are they just dreams? Does Naomi have a deeper, more subtle power we're mistaking for dreams? Is someone on "earth-N" sending these to her? In this issue it happens while she's awake and I don't recall that happening before.

The final scene is....something. Dee goes missing and it appears that someone is gunning for him; there's signs of a struggle at his garage when Naomi shows up looking for him and she finds her father already there, and armed. I doubt anyone is meant to believe he's the culprit, but given how he acted in the rest of the issue as well as his rough history with Dee, it'll probably cross Naomi's mind.

I was worried that season 2 wouldn't manage to capture the magic of the first series. After all, that mini was built on mysteries that have largely been answered (at least in the broad strokes) and with her joining the heroic community I feared the series would lose it's way and become a more standard kind of comic. But one issue in, and Bendis/Walker/Campbell are bringing back all the things that made this book work the first time around.

Quality start to a new season. Can't wait to see where it goes!

I didn’t realize it came out. I’ll probably buy the digital version tonight. Do I need to know anything about her time in Young Justice and Justice League?

[Ascended]

I didnÂ’t realize it came out. IÂ’ll probably buy the digital version tonight. Do I need to know anything about her time in Young Justice and Justice League?

Nah, you can jump right in. Naomi's adventures between seasons appear to be a major point of contention between her and her dad, but all you really need to know is what the issue itself tells you (which is basically just that she joined the League and Greg thinks she needed a lot more training).

But if it helps?

Immediately after fighting Zumbado, she found Superman hoping he could help her get a grip on her powers and origin. That led to her meeting Batman, the Wonder Twins, and a few other Leaguers, and she helped Clark a bit with the Invisible Mafia (an organized crime ring in Metropolis). That's all contained in Action Comics, I think.

Young Justice showed up literally at Naomi's door shortly thereafter. She got roped into some action with them, mostly dealing with a corrupt STAR Labs researcher who was messing with the multiverse.

Then another villain from her homearth, Brutus, showed up. He doesn't work for Zumbado, and seems to maybe represent another faction on earth-N. Where Naomi and her birth parents have a white power signature, and Zumbado has a black/purplish one, Brutus and his people have a red energy. We don't know why, or what that means (I don't think?). We did learn that the physics on Naomi's earth have weird effects on the Leaguers; some of them are weakened on her planet, others have their powers enhanced. Naomi and the League deal with Brutus, and she joins the team afterwards.

And now you're basically caught up. I don't think any of it is essential reading, and if any of it becomes pertinent to the season 2 plot I'm sure we'll get a recap. That said, the opening JL arc with Brutus might be worth grabbing. We don't get any real answers in that arc, but we do get some details and clarification on a few points. Plus the art is by David Marquez, so it looks incredible. If you're interested that collection is called Prisms, and according to Amazon it comes out May 10th.

[MickTheNerd]

Kinda glad Naomi finally has her own series again, like, I don't MIND her in Justice League but SO much of her appearances after Naomi season one are cross overs where she barely shines on her own.

[Twice-named]

Nah, you can jump right in. Naomi's adventures between seasons appear to be a major point of contention between her and her dad, but all you really need to know is what the issue itself tells you (which is basically just that she joined the League and Greg thinks she needed a lot more training).

But if it helps?

Immediately after fighting Zumbado, she found Superman hoping he could help her get a grip on her powers and origin. That led to her meeting Batman, the Wonder Twins, and a few other Leaguers, and she helped Clark a bit with the Invisible Mafia (an organized crime ring in Metropolis). That's all contained in Action Comics, I think.

Young Justice showed up literally at Naomi's door shortly thereafter. She got roped into some action with them, mostly dealing with a corrupt STAR Labs researcher who was messing with the multiverse.

Then another villain from her homearth, Brutus, showed up. He doesn't work for Zumbado, and seems to maybe represent another faction on earth-N. Where Naomi and her birth parents have a white power signature, and Zumbado has a black/purplish one, Brutus and his people have a red energy. We don't know why, or what that means (I don't think?). We did learn that the physics on Naomi's earth have weird effects on the Leaguers; some of them are weakened on her planet, others have their powers enhanced. Naomi and the League deal with Brutus, and she joins the team afterwards.

And now you're basically caught up. I don't think any of it is essential reading, and if any of it becomes pertinent to the season 2 plot I'm sure we'll get a recap. That said, the opening JL arc with Brutus might be worth grabbing. We don't get any real answers in that arc, but we do get some details and clarification on a few points. Plus the art is by David Marquez, so it looks incredible. If you're interested that collection is called Prisms, and according to Amazon it comes out May 10th.

Thanks for the recap! Just bought #1. I’ll post my thoughts after I’ve read it.

[CellarDweller]

I hadn't realized Season 2 had started, thanks for the heads up!

I read it, and it seems to fit in right with the prior season.

The scenes of Naomi with her therapist were a good way to give us glimpses into her family life, their current state of dysfunction, and how Naomi is trying to deal with everything. I think she makes a valid point about therapy being useless for her, as it's a place to be truthful, and she can't be truthful there.

Not sure what's going on with her dad, but curious to find out.

[Twice-named]

I read #1, went back and read Season One again, and then re-read #1.

So, in Season One, was that Brutus' people chasing the person carrying Naomi to Prime Earth or whatever the designation is?

Naomi's family's dynamic in Season Two made me think of couples who lost a child. And, in a sense, I guess you could argue her parents did experience a loss. They lost the life they had before that night in the cave. While I haven't read Naomi in Young Justice, Action Comics, and Justice League, I can imagine the speed with which she's gotten involved in superheroics has been hard on her parents. They thought they would adapt to their new reality as a family. Her dad would train her, etc. Then, before you know it, she's a member of the Justice League and presumably being mentored by Superman et al. and her dad is angry. Probably because he feels cut out of the equation to some part even if that's not the case. He may not realize he has some anger toward Naomi but his reaction to finding Naomi at Dee's betrayed that fact.

Some people like mostly action with little focus on a character's personal life. While I like action, I very much like seeing a character's personal life explored. And this delivered on that front just as it did in Season One.

Campbell's art is amazing. No surprise there. As someone who collects original comic art, I wish he did his work on paper. If that was the case, I would've scooped as many Far Sector covers and pages as I could.

[Twice-named]

We get another dreamscape sequence, presumably showing Naomi's homearth (which still looks like the ruined hellscape of a dystopian urban fantasy novel). I'm still wondering what these dreams are. Are they just dreams? Does Naomi have a deeper, more subtle power we're mistaking for dreams? Is someone on "earth-N" sending these to her? In this issue it happens while she's awake and I don't recall that happening before.

I don't think Naomi was dreaming in Season One #2. The panel right after the double-page spread showing her "birth Earth" has her saying she sees that image every time she closes her eyes. And the panel after that has her frustrated that she can't sleep. So, she skateboards to Dee's and confronts him.

The final scene is....something. Dee goes missing and it appears that someone is gunning for him; there's signs of a struggle at his garage when Naomi shows up looking for him and she finds her father already there, and armed. I doubt anyone is meant to believe he's the culprit, but given how he acted in the rest of the issue as well as his rough history with Dee, it'll probably cross Naomi's mind.

I have no idea what happened to Dee but I wonder if agents from Rann or Thanagar caught up with him after all these years.

[Korath]

Man, this issue was stellar ! Can't wait to have it printed... I won't say more no, I need to get back to reading it.

[Twice-named]

Another good issue. I guess we know where Dee went now. So, did Cyborg follow Dee and, upon arriving on Naomi's birth Earth or shortly thereafter, haul ass out of there?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Campbell is easily one of the best artists working in comics right now. And those colors? Wow.

[Ascended]

Got to the LCS finally. Had some of my favorite titles in the pile but I mostly stopped by for Naomi.

Damn good issue. I figured it'd take most of the season to iron out the family drama and reveal what was going on with Dee, and I'm super thrilled to be wrong about that. Something actually got resolved quickly! Mark your calendars!

I think we can make some really safe assumptions about where Dee went, and why. But if I'm right, and Dee went to Naomi's homearth to deal with Zumbado, how did Dee get the multiverse coordinates? Far as I know, even the League isn't sure exactly where earth-N is (despite going there, that's how hard it is to find) and I don't think multiversal scanning equipment is part of the standard Thanagarian military kit. I love it when answers raise more questions.

The League cameos were well done, and I really enjoyed Hawkgirl's scene. I find myself wanting Bendis and Walker to do a Hawkworld book now. They manage a great balancing act of making Naomi feel like part of the wider DCU without losing their focus on Naomi and her own setting/supporting cast. If all of Bendis' books were this good, the man would still be the sales powerhouse he was back in his Ultimate Spidey and Daredevil days.

The montage of her beating up villains was cute, and actually impressive. There were some heavy hitters in there. And one of them....well it's a minor spoiler, but....Hank Henshaw. Hot damn, if Naomi has the raw power to stop him despite how inexperienced she is, then she's gotta be as powerful as Clark at a bare minimum. Crazy.

We got more Annabella, and I can't read anything with her and *not* think of a modern day Etta Candy. Loving it. And I think her scene here is meant to play against the one with Black Canary earlier in the issue, where she warns Naomi that all her relationships will change. On one hand, Annabella is Annabella, and doesn't seem to be acting any differently...but on the other, she's recording this rather dour and sad conversation, even mentioning something they *didn't* record as kids, and you gotta wonder if this is just her, or if this is some of what Dinah was talking about.

Anyway, another great issue. Maybe I'm just happy that stuff actually happened here, and seemingly fast for a change, but this might've been a better issue than usual, which is saying something.

Oh, Campbell deserves all the praise in the world, as always. This title wouldn't be half so good without him.

And I'm thrilled that Walker will be writing Cyborg again next issue. Feel like DC did him dirty on Vic's solo title, and even a small cameo will be cathartic and redress the balance some.

[Twice-named]

Damn good issue. I figured it'd take most of the season to iron out the family drama and reveal what was going on with Dee, and I'm super thrilled to be wrong about that. Something actually got resolved quickly! Mark your calendars!

While I didn't expect the family drama would get sorted that fast, I have no problem with it. Assuming they do a Season 3 (I hope so), there will be a long wait. So, let's pack in as much as we can without compromising quality.

The League cameos were well done, and I really enjoyed Hawkgirl's scene. I find myself wanting Bendis and Walker to do a Hawkworld book now. They manage a great balancing act of making Naomi feel like part of the wider DCU without losing their focus on Naomi and her own setting/supporting cast. If all of Bendis' books were this good, the man would still be the sales powerhouse he was back in his Ultimate Spidey and Daredevil days.

I haven't read anything from Marvel since 1992. So, I missed all of Bendis' stuff that people praise. I've read some of his DC stuff and found parts of it cringey. I think Walker is likely moderating some of Bendis' tendencies.

The montage of her beating up villains was cute, and actually impressive. There were some heavy hitters in there. And one of them....well it's a minor spoiler, but....Hank Henshaw. Hot damn, if Naomi has the raw power to stop him despite how inexperienced she is, then she's gotta be as powerful as Clark at a bare minimum. Crazy.

I had the same reaction when I saw her standing over Cyborg Superman.

[CellarDweller]

So, I just finished reading issue #2, I really enjoyed it. If the rest of season 2 is like this I can really see her becoming one of my favorite new characters, and I would be hoping for a season 3.

While I want to see how Naomi develops both as an adult and a hero on a solo level, I'm enjoying seeing her interacting with other heroes here, as it helps cement her in the DCU. Her interactions with Black Canary and Hawkgirl were stand outs to me. And while they were only in the background, it was good to see Zan & Jayna there. They may not be JLAers, but prior to Naomi being in the JLA, the Wonder Twins interacted with her the most, both in her season one series, and in the Young Justice series.

Damn good issue. I figured it'd take most of the season to iron out the family drama and reveal what was going on with Dee, and I'm super thrilled to be wrong about that. Something actually got resolved quickly! Mark your calendars!

While I didn't expect the family drama would get sorted that fast, I have no problem with it. Assuming they do a Season 3 (I hope so), there will be a long wait. So, let's pack in as much as we can without compromising quality.

I don't believe the family dynamic is sorted fully, her father did say: "We'll figure it out. We'll get there." That suggests there is more work to be done. However, I was glad to see the recent tensions get smoothed over. With everything going on in their family now, they need to not be sniping at each other.

The montage of her beating up villains was cute, and actually impressive. There were some heavy hitters in there. And one of them....well it's a minor spoiler, but....Hank Henshaw. Hot damn, if Naomi has the raw power to stop him despite how inexperienced she is, then she's gotta be as powerful as Clark at a bare minimum. Crazy.

I had the same reaction when I saw her standing over Cyborg Superman.

I enjoyed that montage too, and I was quite surprised to see who she had taken on. I get that they are trying to show Naomi as a powerhouse, but (just my opinion) she shouldn't be able to do that yet. She may have the power, but she doesn't have the skill-set yet. However, it is way better than seeing her constantly talking about how she's new and has no idea about what's going on. At least she's taking initiative in the development of her powers.

[Ascended]

I don't believe the family dynamic is sorted fully, her father did say: "We'll figure it out. We'll get there."

Oh I'm sure. But they still acknowledge and tackled the problem faster than I thought they would. The issue goes out of its way to mention how relationships change, I expect that to be a core theme of the season, I was just pleasantly surprised at the speed the subplot is moving.

I enjoyed that montage too, and I was quite surprised to see who she had taken on. I get that they are trying to show Naomi as a powerhouse, but (just my opinion) she shouldn't be able to do that yet. She may have the power, but she doesn't have the skill-set yet. However, it is way better than seeing her constantly talking about how she's new and has no idea about what's going on. At least she's taking initiative in the development of her powers

I agree, Henshaw should be out of her weight class. Even if she has the raw power to overwhelm him directly (which would be wild), she lacks the intelligence and experience to outsmart him. I can roll with the others, even Grundy. Usually, Grundies aren't smart enough to require tactics if you can just just out-punch them, and most Grundies aren't on Clark's power level, which Naomi is.

But yes, it's a nice shift from all the "rookie" talk, and it's badass and Naomi is new and needs a few things she can brag about, so I'm cool with Henshaw...even if she really shouldn't be capable of taking him down. And who knows, the Metal Men were in that panel, maybe they're the ones who provided the brains to match Henshaw's? Those guys know their science well enough to maybe cook up a plan capable of beating Henshaw, and if Naomi provided the raw power.....? Either way, I'll allow it just out of personal bias.