DC Comics reviews 5/10/22 – I Am Batman #9, Blood Syndicate #1

Naomi Season Two #3

I hadn’t been keeping up with Naomi, a character who’s been around for three years and still is a relatively blank slate. Despite bring the character onto Young Justice and Justice League, co-writer Brian Michael Bendis hasn’t done enough to establish much of an identity to Naomi preferring to keep her in a constant state of shellshock as she encounters everything.

At the midway point of Naomi’s second season, Bendis and co-writer David F. Walker are still content to have Naomi’s progression advance at a snail’s pace. The main lure for me this issue was seeing Cyborg on the cover. Bendis shows an amazing disregard for whatever’s happening in the rest of the DC Universe on most occasions. In this instance, that was a good thing.

Over in Teen Titans Academy, Cyborg has been merged with Beast Boy to phase out one of DC’s most recognizable black heroes. It’s a stupid decision and it was nice to see Bendis and Walker ignoring that status quo change. On paper, the idea of Cyborg mentoring a young black hero is a great idea.

Unfortunately, the Cyborg/Naomi interaction is written just as convoluted and chaotic as most Bendis stories. It’s hard to say exactly how much Walker and Bendis collaborate on the script, but it was no question Bendis made sure to have Naomi say “I’m still new.” That’s a gag he’s run into the ground, razed and built a mixed-use property over at this point.

Hawkgirl also has a cameo prompting a moment for the writers to have her question if she should call herself Hawklady. The needless, repetitive dialogue has been a hallmark of Bendis’ DC tenure. Despite the trail of cancelled books (Young Justice, Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman), Bendis continues to write this sitcom style that isn’t engaging and feels written solely for his enjoyment.

At least the artwork from Jamal Campbell is sensational. Campbell’s energetic style is so lively and full of character that each page is a treat. He’s such an engaging storyteller that it almost makes the eye-rolling dialogue worth enduring.

Naomi hasn’t advanced much as a character since her debut and as long as Bendis and Walker stick with this methodical pace, it’s not a title worth revisiting.

Rating: 6 out of 10