With the presses temporarily on hold for new comics, I’ve taken the opportunity to grab some material I’ve been meaning to read and haven’t had the funds for. Blue Beetle, specifically Jaime Reyes, is a character that I’ve wanted to read more of since learning a little about him while playing Injustice 2, and I can safely say he met my expectations on page.
#spoilers
Now I know this isn’t the first Jaime Reyes story, so I’m sort of just dropping into the middle of it all, but I like the spin on the teenage superhero this book goes for. Not to say that he’s the first in the history of comic books, but I like that right from the start Jaime has about zero interest in being a super hero and just wants the alien scarab that has bonded with him removed from his body. He has school friends that are in the know of his alter ego, not to mention his parents also. He’s basically the anti-Spider-Man. Everybody close to him knows he’s Blue Beetle, and he hates it. I mean, Spidey kinda hated it to, but then he also embraced it a lot more than Jaime clearly does. Oh, and Ted Kord (the original Blue Beetle) is basically Jaime’s private billionaire financier who gives him a bunch of cool toys and tips and stuff. It’s got a Batman Beyond kind of vibe, but it also feels fresh and unique.
A lot of what happens in this particular volume is mostly character driven, which is nice for a new Blue Beetle reader such as myself. There’s a fair share of action, but what we get mostly is a look at Jaime’s relationship with Kord and his parents and friends, and furthermore the rising conflict over the scarab. The main threat that shows itself towards the end is a big bad green dude who clearly has it out for the scarab, but is allegedly working for an even bigger, faceless baddy (of course). I care less about the plot here and enjoyed the characters a lot more, and I think the creative team does, too which us important.
TL;DR Score: Oh yeah, and Doctor Fate has his hand in this one, too. Always up for more Doctor Fate!
TL;DR Comics 