DC is DC Nation, and JC is Jamal Campbell.
DC: How did you get involved with the Wonder Comics project?
JC: Wonder Comics was initially put together with the help of editor Andy Khouri, with whom I worked on titles such as JLA: VIXEN REBIRTH and GREEN ARROW. Andy put me onto Brian Michael Bendis and David Walker, the writers on NAOMI, who then contacted me to work with them on it.
DC: What are you most excited about?
JC: What excites me most about NAOMI is how unique it is compared to other titles in DC’s lineup. NAOMI deals with a (seemingly) ordinary girl in an ordinary town in the Pacific Northwest that is usually on the margins of the world of superheroes. We get to show how the DCU seeps into the lives of regular people, and the threads that unravel as a result.
DC: Are you approaching this differently than your previous work?
JC: Compared to my previous work, there are themes in NAOMI that dictate a different approach. It’s a story set in an everyday town, with everyday people, so establishing a strong sense of place and making that interesting are extremely important. I’m putting a lot of effort into my environments to make them look believable and tangible. It’s also an extremely emotional story, so I’m putting more of a focus on faces and expressions and the personalities of the characters as a driving factor than I’ve had to in the past.
DC: How do you find the balance in keeping these characters fresh while sticking to their legacies?
JC: That’s the thing about NAOMI, we’re looking to create a new legacy. There are elements of the established DCU that pop in for a visit here and there (such as Superman), and it’s incredibly fun to work with how they interact with the people of Port Oswego. However, the center of the title is Naomi, a new character, with a new heritage, and how she learns of that heritage.
DC: Why should fans check it out?
JC: Fans should definitely check out NAOMI if they want to see the advent of something that hasn’t previously been in the DCU before. There will be a lot of world-building, a lot of mystery, but also a lot of emotion and introspection as to who Naomi is as a girl in the world of superheroes.
