Geekout: Blue Beetle
This is what comic books should be. DC Comics’ Blue Beetle is fresh, exciting, funny, and smart. Major kudos to writer John Rogers (who also co-penned the Transformers movie and TNT’s upcoming Leverage miniseries) and company for taking what could have been a small-scale project and turning it into one of the best books on sale right now.
The hero of the title, Jaime Reyes, is in many ways a modern day equivalent of Peter Parker when that character first appeared in the sixties,–a neophyte hero going up against all sorts of menaces while trying to find time for high school midterms and household chores. But instead of retreading the whole superhero teen angst, Rogers opts instead for the right balance of light and dark. The result is a comic book that isn’t afraid to explore the darker aspects of superheroing, but finds comfort and reassurance in family and friends.
The short version: El Paso teenager Jaime Reyes gains possession of an alien scarab that bonds with him, granting him the ability to armor up and deploy all sorts of cool weapons. Jaime’s discovery of how the scarab works, as well as why the hell it chose him, is half the fun of this inventive title.
The other half of the fun comes from the engaging supporting cast, who rally behind Jaime as he embarks on his journey of discovery. In addition to some awesome parents who bend the curfew hours for superheroics (”Let’s say, when it’s a natural disaster, not school hours, you can just go.”), Jaime is blessed with best friends Paco and Brenda (see bickering kids below), who are as loyal and resourceful as they are snarky and funny. This is the kind of posse every newbie superhero should have.
Another reason Blue Beetle is so enjoyable is because it provides the new reader with a side door entrance to the DC universe of superheroes. Jaime is actually the third person to bear the name Blue Beetle, which means he’s a legacy hero, something the folks at DC love to do (To date: at least four Flashes, three Robins, two Batgirls, and a host of Starmen). The last Blue Beetle, the late Ted Kord, ran with the Justice League and was well-liked by superheroes and comic geeks alike.
But Rogers plays it smart. Rather than have Jaime run off and join the superehero set right away, he sets the bulk of the stories close to home in El Paso (with the occassional jaunt into outer space or Gotham City) as a way of distancing Jaime from that crazy world. Of course that doesn’t mean that he’s ignored by the superhero community. Various capes drop in on Jaime, curious to see who’s taken Ted’s place. But Jaime’s got his head screwed on right– his family, friends, and community come first.
I can’t recommend Blue Beetle highly enough. In an era of Super Mega Event comic books, this title manages to score points consistently just by telling good, engaging stories that have heart. The first three trade paperbacks are out now. I encourage you to pick them up before they disappear.
