Now that was something completely different.
What They Say:
It’s not easy being Jaime Reyes. He has to deal with high school, family and all the drama that comes with being a teenager. Also, he’s linked to a powerful scarab created by an alien race known as the Reach who seeks to subjugate planets–or annihilate them!
The Review:
I have heard the name Blue Beetle before in other comics but have never read a comic that included Blue Beetle nor have I even seen this character. I went into this completely blind and while I wasn’t blown away, it has my attention.
The story starts off in the past, an undisclosed time period presumably in the first millenia, in space sector 2 where an entire planet is being destroyed by a single enemy. This enemy turns out to be a blue beetle like creature by the name of Khaji-Kai. Kai doesn’t remember who he was before he transformed but is quickly greeted by a commander of The Reach, an unknown force that conquers and consumes worlds. We are shown a blue scarab floating through space on its way to Planet 3 to attach to someone and conquer the planet. The scarab is spotted by a Green Lantern and escapes destruction by entering sub-space. The scarab later lands on Earth amidst a Mayan civilization.
The story then jumps to “Not so long ago” present day El Paso (I can only assume El Paso, Texas). Here we are introduced to multiple Hispanic American kids who frequently speak in Spanglish and show a strong camaraderie towards each other. These scenes are good as they introduce us to the main characters and handle their ethnicity well. There is some slang being thrown about but none of it comes across as stereotypical or offensive. Sure there is one character that appears stereotypical and offensive but he is really just a character that has lead a different path than the others. The story continues to build on the world and introduces some very different metahumans. I have never seen these metahumans before and they are very different from what I have seen in other series. They are a welcome addition to my comics vernacular and really puts this comic in a world unto itself.
This issue provides a complete introduction to the character Blue Beetle and requires no previous knowledge going in. This makes it a good entry point for new readers and the characters are sympathetic enough to create interest while the metahumans introduced are really interesting and cool. It ends on a good note that is logical but I feel as if the book could’ve been more. Granted you can only put so much in 20 pages and what is put in here is well crafted and leaves the world open for some really big possibilities, It just didn’t grab me fully. A couple more issues to really get the story going and it may have my full attention but until then this is simply a good introduction that establishes the world and starts the plot rolling.
In Summary:
Blue Beetle is off to a good start and I really don’t have anything that can really be called a complaint. It isn’t “Oh my God!” amazing but there are no problems with the book. I recommend this book be checked out but only after another issue or two is released so we have more of a basis to go on.
Grade: B
