By Keith Giffen, John Rogers & Cully Hamner (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-0965-0
There are precious few comic-books in the modern climate that combine action and adventure with fun and wit, so the new Blue Beetle comes as a delightful surprise to me – and I’m eager to pass on that feeling to all the other old gits and young know-it-alls who’ve missed out.
I grew up with the somewhat funky 1960’s Charlton revival of Dan Garrett, and was subsequently blown away by Steve Ditko’s re-imagining of the character as inventor/acrobat Ted Kord. So I approached the new series reluctantly and with the caution you’d expect when encountering something unknown that chittered and scuttled at the corners of your vision. But this is great stuff!
At the height of the Infinite Crisis (ISBN: 978-1-4012-0959-9) El Paso high-schooler Jaime Reyes finds a strange blue jewel shaped like a bug. That night when he’s asleep it attaches itself to his back transforming him into a bizarre beetle-like warrior. He’s quickly swept up in the chaos and joins Batman and other heroes in a space battle.
Now he’s coming home, terrified for staying out late on a school night, but isn’t prepared for the reaction when he discovers he’s been missing for a year! This is fast-paced storytelling, action-packed and stuffed with DCU guest-stars such as Guy Gardner, The Peacemaker, Oracle and the Phantom Stranger. Collecting issues #1-6 of the monthly series this book follows that tried and tested formula of a teenager suddenly gifted with great powers, as well as revealing those experiences everybody goes through eventually, and does it in a lively and moving manner.
By watching Jaime slowly put his life back together, seeing him discover how little he knew about his friends, family and sleepy old town, and most importantly by sharing in the learning experience of becoming a hero, readers of any age from six to sixty-plus can feel the buzz that only the very best comics can produce. Also, he purely kicks butt in that bewilderingly argumentative bugsuit!
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers, with art by Cully Hamner, Cynthia Martin, Duncan Rouleau, Kevin West, Phil Moy and Jack Purcell, this is a series firmly rooted in DC continuity that can be read by the freshest recruit without confusion or loss. So none of you have any excuse to miss this little gem…
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