Almost from the get-go, Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker’s Naomi has set out to make a profound impact on the DC Comics world — and it looks like that has officially been set in motion.
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Spoilers for this month’s issue, Naomi #5, below! Only look if you want to know!
The issue opens with Naomi coming to terms with the first details of her origin story, which she begins to process by visiting her best friend, Annabelle. Naomi begins to explain what readers learned in the previous issue — that her adopted father is a Rannian soldier, who, alongside the Thanagarian refugee he was initially keeping tabs on, accidentally found Naomi as a baby. Naomi also revealed that the black box that had been with her when she arrived on Earth was able to meld with her in some way, giving her powers and a suit of armor.
After displaying these powers (which courts a delightfully-millennial response from Annabelle), Naomi reveals that she began to hear a voice in her head after first merging with the box — an audio message from her birth mother. Naomi’s mother explains that her home planet is similar to Earth, other than that it was bathed in a slew of radiation and energy due to a hole in the ozone layer. This radiation gave 29 random people on the planet superpowers, including a mass murderer named Zumbado. Zumbado quickly used his powers to rule over the world, and Naomi’s mother and father were both sucked into the ensuing battle.
Most of those on the planet weren’t able to have babies, but Naomi’s parents managed to give birth to her. They quickly suspected that Zumbado would see this as a threat, and sent their friend Akira to take Naomi to safety, which led to her ending up on Earth. At the end of the message, Naomi’s mom asked her to promise to use her powers for good.
Back with Annabelle, Naomi began to wonder exactly what to do with her newfound powers, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Zumbado.
For those who have been keeping an eagle eye on the series, the notion of Naomi suiting up as a hero probably isn’t too much of a surprise, especially as she was shown in costume in one of the covers for Issue #6. Still, it’s interesting to get some pretty deep context to Naomi‘s central mystery, especially as the series begins to wrap up its first arc.
Naomi #5 is available in stores now. The series’ sixth issue will arrive in stores on June 19th.
