If you follow new releases, or keep up with sales of new comics on eBay, you may have run across a title called Naomi. This comic, printed under the DC Wonder Comics imprint, has gained a strong following with individual issues selling out since its debut and then back issues surging in price online.

Is this the beginning of a sure thing, or a fad that you’ll regret paying too much for?

To answer that question we have to be clear about what this new comic offers, besides the debut of a brand new character.

Written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and with art by Jamal Campbell, Naomi is definitely a step up from previous work done by Bendis for DC. The art, by Campbell, is also solid. So, if you like Bendis you may want to check this out. However, if you are not fond of Bendis (and I prefer his early work on characters like Miles Morales), or don’t care for his work these days, that may be the biggest initial hurdle to betting on this book.

Long term prospects for Bendis’ work at DC may not be favorable. Personally, I think most of his recent work is not at the level of his previous writing for Marvel.

The initial appeal of Naomi beyond Bendis, however, is that she is written as a mystery story and takes a down to earth girl who we learn, in the course of the story, has an important connection to the wider DC multiverse.

The enigmatic connection of Naomi to DC history is what made the early issues of the series so compelling. Is she Kryptonian? Does she have a relationship to an existing DC hero?

As the series goes on, we learn that she is an orphan from an alternate earth. The big reveal is that she has connections to epic events of the DC past, such as the Rann/Thanagarian war (for fans of Adam Strange, Hawkman, etc. this is a must read!). We also learn that her birth parents were superheroes of sorts, with a mortal enemy who now wants to destroy their daughter. Currently the series is on issue #6. I have little doubt that it will be collected as a trade paper back soon.

Naomi #1 (January 2019) – First Issue of Naomi

It all starts here, and this issue begins with a fight between Superman and Mongul. Set in a small Northwestern town in the US, the series starts by showing the fallout of this epic battle. 463 copies of this comic can be found on the CGC census. Yes, it’s a first issue. Yes, it’s popular. But let’s look at this from an investment perspective.

If you paid $3.99 to buy this when it first came out. Congratulations, your purchase surged in value almost immediately. A few months ago would have been the best time to sell, but there’s still time if you’re interested in quick profit from a flip.

For the rest of us, there was an original print run of about 25, 000, there are still copies out in the wild so you can buy issue #1 raw on eBay for around $60.00. How are the returns looking at this point?

From highs of almost $600.00 dollars (eBay sale auction on 04/23/2019 for $587.77 [!]) a few months ago, to depths of less than $130.00 today, the bad news is that the ride to the bottom may not be over. I would not purchase this book today even at its lower value of $130.00 range- I think it will drop much further.

Will it return to higher values? Well, as I write this, Naomi #1 is showing strong negative returns across the board. Over the last 12 weeks, the data is as follows:

9.8 show negative -40.7% returns after 59 sales. Last eBay auction ended on 06/24/2019 ended at $122.50.
9.6 returns negative -17.6% after 14 sales. Last sale = eBay auction on 06/25/2019 for $79.99.
9.4 are negative -25% after 3 sales. Last sale = eBay auction on 06/11/2019 for $69.99.
A single 9.2 sold on eBay on 06/02/2019 for $67.00.

The plans, over at DC, seem to be to finish the original intro series and then relaunch the book as a proper superhero title with (you guessed it) a new number 1. However, it’s a sure thing that, unless a movie comes into being, this will drop in value. The trends are as clear as possible. Definitely wait for further drops if you’re a Naomi/Bendis fan.

For those who have spent upwards of $500.00 on this book. I’m puzzled. What possess fans to spend so much on a flash in the pan new hero? I don’t know, but again don’t do it! Naomi, even if a decent comic, is a hard pass as an investment.