Blue Beetle 10 and 11

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #10
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art and Cover by Cully Hamner

Well, Blue Beetle and Brenda have been sucked away to the worlds of the new gods. I think they are on New Genesis and not Apokalips, which is cool we do not get to see New Genesis as often. This issue was still not as exiting as I thought it would be and I think it is because I am not a fan of Hamner’s art at all. I don’t know.

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #11
Written by John Rogers
Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Alright! This was a much better issue than the last. The art is so much better and I am glad that this Rafael is the new regular artist! We still do not know about the scarab despite Blue Beetle trying to get that information out of Metron. Metron is a character that I am really interested in now. I love how he just flies around in a chair. Very cool. There were a lot of funny moments this issue. Especially this one comment Jaime makes about Lonar’s sentence structure. I enjoyed this issue quite a bit. Reccomended.

Scarabs= Extra Terrestrial Technology

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #9
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art and Cover by Duncan Rouleau

This was another fun issue of Blue Beetle and the art wasn’t too bad. I guess I am not one for cartoony art and usually this book has way too much cartoony art, but Duncan does a decent job here. This series never lets me down, it always has at least one fun part to it and this issue was all fun. The virtual “Beetle Cave” is a really fun and cool idea. Although, it does seem like a heck of a lot of people know that Jaime Reyes is the Blue Beetle. I guess it isn’t too bad though, I mean most people who know his ID seem trustworth. Brenda and Paco are great characters and I am surprised how fast the writers of this series have managed to develop a solid family of supporting characters around Blue Beetle. The idea of the scarab being alien in origin didn’t surprised me because it has been rumored for so long, but it still doesn’t quite explain why the Jaime Blue Beetle looks so different from the Dan Garret Bluee Beetle. I am itching to know the answer to that question. I look forward to the next storyline where Brenda and the Blue Beetle go to the worlds of the New Gods.

Learning about the Legacy

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #8
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art by Cully Hamner
Cover by Duncan Rouleau

The new Blue Beetle goes on a roadtrip with Brenda and Mr. Black to meet the granddaughter of Dan Garret, the first Blue Beetle. I enjoyed this issue because any use of history or continuity just gets my blood flowing. We are still not any closer to understanding why the scarab is so different from when Dan Garret had it. The scarab never spoke to Dan or created crazy ass armor but it is not. This is certainly a mystery and one I hope gets solved soon. I don’t want them to drag it out too long. Now that we have seen Dan Garret’s relatives, I think it is time to see the Kords. Ted needs to get some commemoration. I wonder who Mr. Black is and who the reach is? Even more mysteries. This book is certainly full of lots of questions. I think that is why I like it so much. Good Issue.

Blue Beetle 5 - 7

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #5
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art by Ducan Rouleau

Now here is a series I just want to love. I really want to truly enjoy this, but because of the art I just can not. The art is terrible usually and then with this guest artist it even worse. It makes the story so confusing. Besides the art, the cover of this issue is misleading. The phantom stranger is in this for like two pages. Although, I do like the idea of metahuman gangsters, this issue just did not do it for me.

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #6
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art by Cynthia Martin and Kevin West

This issue is certainly a lot better than the last, we are getting a lot closer to finding out the mystery behind the scarab. The cover is gross but still cool. The art is a lot better this time around as well, although still not my cup of tea when it comes to art. This issue certainly makes you want to read the next issue.

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #7
Written by John Rogers
Art by Cully Hamner

Well, this is more like it! Finally we get answers. Jaime flashbacks to what he went through with brother eye a year ago and now we understand why he was missing for a year. Apparently, the scarab was created by some alien race that feared the Green Lanterns. But then, of course, this opens up more questions. Why when Dan Garret found the scarab was it in ancient egypt? Why was it magical then? I can not wait for next issue when Jaime goes looking for those answers and some DCU history is explored. If you skip the last two issue, that would be fine, but definitely pick up this issue.

Blue Beetle vs. Ents

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #4
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art by Cully Hamner
Cover by Duncan Rouleau

This was a pretty good issue. Probably my favorite of the series so far. My favorite line has to be “Creepy Computer-face lady”. That made me crack up. Turns out, Jaime is a pretty funny guy. I loved how Jaime did some research on Ted Kord and Dan Garrett. And I can’t wait to see him find out more about them. His costume really does have a mind of its own. Apparently, it does not want to hurt nature. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t Ents a tolkien creation, therefore aren’t they copyrighted. I think I am going to look that up. It seems strange that they would get away with having Ents in this comic. Not that it wasn’t cool to see them. The art was a lot better this issue than it has been in this series. The only problem I had with this issue is I wish the Birds of Prey would have been in it more but oh well. It was still good.

I Want More

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #3
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art by Cynthia Martin and Phil Moy
Cover by Duncan Rouleau

It took me a while to get around to writing this review. Not because I didn’t like the issue, but I just did not know what to say about it. It was fine I just want more. I want to see Jaime exploring the history of the Blue Beetle, I want him to learn more about Ted Kord and Dan Garret. I hate to say it but I just don’t care about his relationships with his family. Although maybe I will grow to care about it. I don’t know. I do love the costume, I love the mystery behind it and I dig the wings that sprout out. Very Cool. I also want to see Blue Beetle interacting with the rest of DCU. I want to see him meet other heroes and not actually fight them (ala Guy Gardener in the first issue.) I just want more out of this series than it gave me this issue. It was a good issue but I wanted more.

The Year Flew By For The Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle (Volume 6) #2
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art and cover by Cully Hamner

The previous issue of this series was reviewed here. When I initially began reading this issue, I was very frusturated and confused. Is this one year later or not? Whats with the jumps in time? The final page definitely puts everything into perspective. Definitely shows that you should read a comic all the way through before judging it. So apparently Jaime has been gone from El Paso for a year and he did not even know it. He thought he was just gone for one night! I like this development and I am interested in seeing what comes out of it. I suppose that it will be explored less here than in 52. I still have a hard time understanding the dialogue because I am from the midwest, not Texas nor do I have a hispanic background. Well, I understand it, I just have to read it a couple of times because I am not used to reading where people talk like that. I also really am not enjoying the art, I mean it is not bad art but it is just not to my liking. It is a little too manga influenced and cartoony. The mystery behind this invisible gang and what exactly are Blue Beetles powers do fascinate me so I would probably reccomend this but it isn’t as good as I expected it to be.

There’s A New Beetle In Town

Blue Beetle (Volume Six) #1
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers
Art and Cover by Cully Hamner

It has been about 15 or so years since a Blue Beetle has had its own series and I think it is about time. The Blue Beetle, whether it be Dan Garret, Ted Kord, or now Jaime Reyes, is always an interesting character and visually appealing (at least to me). Ted Kord’s death last year did not piss me off like it did some people and I think that it was worth it because his death brought about one of the greatest storylines DC has ever come up with. This first issue left me with a lot of questions though. When does this take place, they jumped backwards and forewards so much it got a little confusing. Is he fighting Guy Gardener one year later or right after Infinite Crisis? I am not sure. I guess maybe we will know in the next issues. Why is the suit so different from when Dan Garret had the scarab? And why do the Superheroes apparently hate Jaime? These questions are good I guess because they leave me craving for more. I also think people looking for Bwa-ha-ha and were upset when Giffen said this would not be a bwa-ha-ha type series should still give this series a try. There are some funny moments in it and it is almost what you would call a dramedy. Me not being Spanish, I did find the jokes hard to get as I really don’t know what the insults that Jaime’s friend kept spitting out meant. All in all, I think this was a good read. And the new Blue Beetle suit is just,well, sweet!