Written by Tony Bedard
Illustrated by Ig GuaraIt’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 seek to subjugate planets — or annihilate them. It’s up to one teen hero to turn this instrument of destruction into a force for good.
I’m not going to say this is an absolute fact, but there is a small chance that I am more excited for this book than anyone on Earth. I was a huge fan of the previous Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle series from writers Giffen/Rogers (Sturges’ stuff was nice as well, just on a lower tier) and artists’ Hamner/Albuquerque (Rafael Albuquerque’s stuff in particular – killer!), and I love the character and his previous representation.
While Tony Bedard wouldn’t have been one of my first five picks for the character/book, he’d been saying the right things in the press from what I had heard building up to this book’s release, and I didn’t question artist Ig Guara even for a second because he is a very talented creator whose work I’ve greatly enjoyed (Pet Avengers in the house!). So really, my expectations were on the hopeful side, with my 4 Color News and Brews co-host Brandon Burpee suggesting that this book was destined to finish either first or last on the rankings we share on our show.
Find out if he was right and what I thought after the jump.
He was wrong. This book is destined to be one of my favorites of the week and a really, really solid start, but it’s too early to tell if it’s going to blow me away like the previous iteration. But I can say this: Bedard and Guara are on the right path.
This book is a true back to basics endeavor, as the story takes our two most prominent characters all the way back to their beginning. One of the best things Bedard does is, in that process, he makes this book new reader friendly while being respectful of previous ideas in a clever way.
I’m a firm believer in the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and there was nothing wrong with the base ideas of Jaime Reyes or the Scarab that became part of him (and his best friend in many ways), nor was there anything wrong with the family, friends and overall architecture of his world. So what Bedard does is he effectively restarts all of it, introducing the Reach and the truth of the Scarabs (complete with their rivalry with the Green Lanterns!), as well as how the one that eventually mates (in a way) with Jaime gets to Earth in a really strong prologue. From there, we’re introduced to the still grounded and still engaging Jaime and his best friends Paco and Brenda (as well as a quick page with his family). The ending of the book, and assuredly the rest of the arc will tie to this, is how the Scarab and Jaime get together.
Basically, Bedard took everything about the book that worked already and then completely restarted it in a new context with a new origin that stands on its own (his previous one tied to Infinite Crisis). Really, that in itself is a feat that few have managed to do so far in this reboot, and it makes this book attractive to me as a long-time reader and as someone who is recommending this book to new fans.
The characters are all strong, and I love that we have them all back with slight twists. Jaime is still his fun, strong and loyal self, Paco is still an egotistical but warmhearted junior gangster, Brenda is now a bit more popular but still the fake-out love interest of Jaime (but really the apple of Paco’s eye), La Dama and the parents are around and introduced, and the Scarab is in the house but more controlling that before. Throw in some sweet low level DC villain appearances (Brutale! Mention of Mallah and the Brain!), and you’ve got a dynamic and reader friendly intro.
Continued belowIt’s not perfect, of course. Bedard is a bit more reliant on Spanglish than Rogers/Giffen/Sturges were, but I think for a first issue, this is a pretty charming read.
Ig Guara is the one part of this team that I knew I’d enjoy, and I do for sure. Like my favorite artist of the previous iteration Rafael Albuquerque, Guara is from Brazil and brings some similar characteristics to his art as Albuquerque. There were some moments in the book where, when you aren’t thinking about it, Guara really matches the look and feel of Albuquerque’s art. Granted, that isn’t necessarily what anyone is looking for, but this book excels at being both a visual and written reboot of a lot of the strengths of the previous version.
Guara stands on his own though, as some moments really excell. Namely, when the Scarab and Jaime first meet we’re given a stellar and horrific transformation sequence. It’s beautifully rendered, and it’s the first time he’s given a chance to really stretch his wings in this book — and he nails it.
His storytelling is the best part though – he’s got a real knack for being a visual storyteller and he always has. In particular, the opening sequence was well developed, as the new Reach recruit tears a swath across the army of his home planet. Looking through that sequence to see exactly how he did it is a fun little ride of details given to us by Guara. There are a few down moments – some faces are a little funky and we’re given some awkward character models in parts – but it is overall really solid.
This book, even to a hardcore Jaime Reyes fan like me, really works. It’s a respectful book to old fans, it’s very new reader friendly, and it’s a fun and attractive introduction to the character and his cast by Bedard and Guara. I might come across as a homer by suggesting it, but if I were DC, I’d throw some weight behind this book as something for new, younger fans. It’s got the chops and the accessibility they’d want from a new book for a new audience.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
