Blue Beetle, Vol. 1: Metamorphosis

Blue Beetle (2011)

by Tony Bedard, Ig Guera (Illustrator), J.P. Mayer (Illustrator)

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics - The New 52 event of September 2011, Jaime Reyes becomes the all-new Blue Beetle! 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 seek to subjugate planets - or annihilate them. But can this teen hero turn an alien weapon of mass destruction into a force for good? And can he protect the scarab from super villains that would use it for their own nefarious purposes? Writer Tony Bedard (GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN NEW GUARDIANS) and artist Ig Guara bring you the newest adventures of Blue Beetle!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Antony J. L. Bedard is an American writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry from the early 1990s through the present. He is best known for his work at CrossGen Comics, where he was under exclusive contract, and for his run writing Marvel Comics X-Men spin-off Exiles.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good I guess!

So it gives a new origin to the blue beetle and how Jamie encounters it and we see him go against different villains but when his friend is hurt and what he does to save him, also one of his friends art whose called La Dama wants it and so she targets him and then another group led by a villain named Silverback targets him and his friend it gets personal and whatever happens to his friend "Paco" who gets injured and the changes that take place within or in him and how it will impact Jamie and change his world.

It was an action packed volume and I love how complicated-ly simple it was and the way it starts off and the tension to creates plus multiple villains and sense of fast pace and dread and also showing how things are not what they seem plus cosmic origins and insane art and that energy is what made me loved it, its an awesome volume and sure in the beginning confusing but as you go along it becomes really good and you see how well its written and all that and actually has a lot of potential going forward!

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A New 52 title that I had to search high and low for. This isn't too bad, but frankly, I liked the 2006 incarnation of Jaime and scarab and world better.

The Blue Beetle origin, battle against mercenaries and powerful drug-lord villains and the Reach's failsafe mechanisms.

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations and the fun story. Will be reading more

[Evan Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, this was a solid but unspectacular first arc for the rebooted Beetle. Jaime Reyes is an ordinary teenager before stumbling into his role as Blue Beetle. Due to his age, his girl troubles, and occasional wisecrack this felt a lot like DC's attempt to create a Spider-Man type character. The plot is pretty standard superhero beat-em-up stuff, although shifting the spotlight onto the Latino segment of the DC community was a welcome touch. The artwork was perfectly solid, but didn’t really stand out.



This collection contains the first 6 issues of the rebooted Blue Beetle. The series was cancelled after 16 issues, so it’s not like this is the first entry in a long epic storyline or anything. Overall this was a solid collection, one that can be breezed through in an hour or two and that DC fans should enjoy, but not particularly memorable. There are worse New 52 collections out there, but there are better ones too. 3 stars.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

"... and then the blue guy showed up..."

This was a clever, fun, hilarious, action-packed story that grabbed me from the beginning and had me wanting more by the end. If you liked the disturbing conflicts of RoboCop, or the funny battle of wills between the Terminator and young John Connor in Terminator 2, you'll enjoy this one. Arguing with your own superpower just seems so funny to me, and the tension of not knowing your own potential for power or evil seems like such a primal struggle to address in comics.

This was my introduction to the Blue Beetle, and I'm glad DC Comics included it in their new 52 reboot because I find this character quite fascinating. The mythology reminds me a bit of Spiderman, a kind of coming-of-age tale with the hapless teenager falling into surprising powers and trying to come to terms with it. The focus on the Latino community and having a Latino superhero is refreshing in a superhero world crowded with white guys. I particularly liked that they didn't translate all of the Spanish/Spanglish, so that those of us who know a bit of it could read the extra jokes and nuances, while English-only readers didn't miss any of the plot, and maybe even learned a few terms.

I was tempted to give this 5 stars because it was so much fun. My reservation was that the female characters spent an inordinate amount of time in sensual poses and revealing clothing. This is typical of the industry, of course (which doesn't excuse it, it just means I wasn't too surprised), but I found it diluted the good things going on here: We have a refreshing Latino presence in a comic book series, but the women of color are still being objectified; and while the women characters seem to buck stereotypes - they are all complex and move the plot forward, even the hired gun Phobias shows intelligence and initiative - their stereotypical usage as eye candy persists. I sometimes think the comic book industry will just never get away from this, but maybe I just need to look at more independent publications.

"On the other hand, being able to fly doesn't suck."

Overall I still give it a high recommendation, and I am sad that there was just one more book published before it was cancelled. Reviews are saying it was the lack of creativity, but that seems hard to believe in such a clever storyline; more likely it is yet another superhero of color going to the wayside as Batman and Superman enjoy their Nth resurrection in the marketplace. Some of the reviews are saying the earlier Blue Beetle series (started 2006) was better, but I think this series has it beat on the fun factor alone. The previous series is worth pursuing, though, if only for the fact that it spanned 6 volumes, so there is more to enjoy.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this reboot of Blue Beetle - it takes each element from the old series and exaggerates them out of proportion, destroying the charm so prevalent in the original work. Jamie is a little to inept, the Scarab is too rigidly lethal, Paco too gangster, Brenda way too naive, La Dama too evil, etc. Perhaps if I had never read the first version of Jaime in his Blue Beetle series, this book would have been more enjoyable but I still have reservations. The plot moved in such a manner I couldn't get to know any of the characters well enough to care what happened to them. Not a good way to begin.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big Ted Kord fan, I haven't wanted to like the new Blue Beetle (even before the New 52 reboot), but this was kinda good. Not spectacular, but not horrible like the OMAC title. I liked seeing some of the lesser-known villains like Phobia and Warp, as well as the Latino metas. (Sorry that Coyote went so quickly.)

[James Dunphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Beetle is another one of the many DC superheroes I know next to nothing about. I figured The New 52 reboot was a great entry point into the character. My only exposure to Ted Kord was him getting his head blown off in Final Crisis.
Jamie Reyes makes an interesting enough protagonist. He's like a Peter Parker forced to wear a sentient Iron Man type suit. The Blue Beetle suit's powers are actually really cool and the art in this collection is well done making for some cool panels. The first six issues basically deal with him being granted these powers, and local villain groups vying to obtain the Blue Scarab from Jamie. I though La Dama was a cool gang; I liked Bone-Crusher's appearance. Same goes for Silverback in the returning Brotherhood of Evil gang (which I recognized from DC Universe Online! - neat!). While this is all going on the mysterious Reach and ominously observing from up in space providing a reason to keep reading future issues in an continuing plot thread. The last two issues definitely added some much needed depth to the series past the introduction arc a major death is reanimated with Scarab technology gone awry. The black and red sorta-Beetle was definitely the most interesting fight in the volume.
I thought a lot of this was basic comic book story telling executed really well. Which is great because it's exactly what intro arcs to lower level superheroes like this should be. I'm not totally on board with the Blue Beetle mythos but I want to keep reading this series even though I know it eventually got canceled. With some of the better art and scenes I was pleasantly surprised reading this in The New 52 event. 4 stars.

[Mike Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Blue Beetle origin story I've read in a week or two. Prior read was actually the third volume in that Blue Beetle run, while here I actually start from beginning.

There are large similarities between the two origin stories. Actually, not much different. I don't recall Jamie's parents in the other story, but I might have overlooked them. And I do not think Paco was a drop out in that other series run. Jamie, Brenda, Brenda's aunt, & purpose of Blue Beetle are all the same, though.

I liked both of the origin stories and plan to look for volume two, whenever it comes out, for this already cancelled run. While in the meantime I've already put volume 4 of the previous Blue Beetle series on hold. Vol's one and two were by a different author, so I'll probably ignore them. Volumes three & four are by the same author, the name John Rogers comes to mind, but that's probably wrong. The rest of that previous series after that was written by yet another author.

It's an interesting idea, and seemed well done in the two versions I read. I'm not sure how to word this . . . DC Comics seems quick to cancel nonwhite superhero series. This one, Static Shock, and Mister Terrific come to mind. I don't recall if they have cancelled Fury of Firestorm (I've a vague idea I'm wording that one wrong) yet.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a solid 2.5 for me. It's certainly not as bad as some of the others I've rated 2 stars. The problem is it also wasn't good enough to be 3. The art is engaging, but the facial expressions are a little extreme and none of it would be considered good outside a comic book. The main character is similarly described. I really like Jamie and his friends and family. It was nice to have a main character be Latino. However, he was also cliche and the storyline kept him that way. In a launch that purposely didn't mess too much with origin stories, this volume was completely dedicated to one. I wouldn't have minded because I wasn't familiar with him, but he doesn't stand out for me. Probably would be okay on a team. It's also likely unfortunate that I read this so close to the end (51/52) because he seems like a mixture of Firestorm and OMAC, but I think he's better than the two of them--just feels derivative when you read so many different titles.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty prime example of a book that didn't need a reboot to tell this story.

With that said, it's decently good. It's a bit too decompressed and too much of a continuous breathless run, which is a problem I have with many of their New 52s, but it's also got great characters and interesting dilemmas.

[Annice22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't understand why this series was canceled. I really enjoyed this. I thought the story was very well written, fast paced and very interesting.


I didn't read the trade edition just the individual single issues #1 - 6.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sebastian Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La verdad lo lei por que hace crossover con green lantern new guardians, pero fue divertido y jaja Blue Beetle 18 de agosto solo en cines, me cae bien jaime

[Sohom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty by the numbers book.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the "New 52" telling of how Jaime Reyes becomes the Blue Beetle. It's a Spider-Man-like tale in that it features a high school student of blue-collar background who is struggling with adolescence when superpowers are foist upon him. However, that's where the similarities end. The nature of Reyes's powers are quite different and more intergalactic (and - perhaps - more reminiscent of Venom than Spider-Man.)

The story does have humor and tension as Reyes is thrust into a role outside his depths. It's an amusing read with appealing characters.

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have gotten a higher rating if I hadn't ever read any Blue Beetle stories before. It's nice to see a minority hero, and the concept of the Scarab makes for an interesting plot device. The book has some good action sequences, and some interesting secondary characters. It's a middle of the road DC title.
But I have read previous Blue Beetle volumes. And I've read the earlier Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle series, which to be honest blows this reboot out of the water. Making Jaime more a victim than an equal to the scarab makes sense storywise, but it really weakens the character. And the secondary characters are so much more shallow here than they were before. Originally, Jaime was DC's answer to Spider-Man, a young man who gains great abilities, and although wary of them, also appreciates and even enjoys them. None of that happens in the reboot - he's constantly reacting and running away, and, aside from a single frame mid-way through the book, never seems to like what's happened to him. That makes him a less interesting character to read, to my way of thinking. So, while the reboot isn't horrible, it palls in comparison to what came before.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Beetle is one of those DC characters I know next to nothing about. Truly, I think his existence was only known to me through the four 52 trades, and even then, I may be confusing him a bit with Booster Gold. Either way, I went in blind and came out a fan.

This is sort of DC's answer for Spider-man and, to a point, Iron Man. The Blue Beetle suit is more a parasitic thing from another planet with some relationship thematically to the Lantern system, and the Beetle scarab falls into the hands of a teenager who is both fighting the suit and himself. It's a pretty basic concept, but it's a standard trope because it works.

The trade doesn't spend a lot of time on a big bad overall, instead going for a more introductory tone. Unfortunately, this appears to have only lasted 16 or 17 issues for DC on a whole, so it looks like this will be over before it really gets a chance to start. I'll look forward to the next trade and then, unfortunately, that will be it.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually felt quite charmed by this book. It grew on me, which is shocking, because I'm a Ted Kord fan through and through.

Admittedly, it is a pretty flimsy story with a lot of questionable plot points (I mean, when someone is pointing at gun at you and demanding that you hand over a backpack that just fell in your lap outta nowhere, do you grab the backpack and run away with it, just to spite your would be killer? No.) and some really stand-out cliches that, on the whole, don't make for a mind-blowing read. But it is FUN!!!! It's FUNNY! Fast-paced!! It is entertaining, and sometimes, when that is all a comic sets out to do and succeeds at doing it, you can't ask for much more.

Save the eye-popping art and life-changing storylines for a different hero. Blue Beetle is light, enjoyable reading and there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

3.5/5

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of the 52 launch event, this is a whole new Blue Beetle, with a new origin story and a new Blue Beetle. Interesting premise, and good set up for a number of antagonists, as well as a possible Green Lantern crossover/team-up down the way. (This is not a spoiler, this is just an observation based on the first few pages). Nice to see an Hispanic-American focus for a superhero, as well as being based in El Paso. I look forward to see what they do with this Blue Beetle.


(SPOILER-ISH)
***Apparently, not too many others looked forward to his adventures, as the series was cancelled Jan 2013***

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes you can't bottle lightning twice. In 2006 Keith Giffen was given the seemingly impossible job of creating a series for the successor to the much loved Ted Kord. In doing so he crafted one of DC's best series and gave life to the brilliant character of Jamie Reyes.
Five years later, Tony Bedard is given the job of trying to recapture this excitement and yet do something new with the character. Unfortunately this was going to be an almost impossible task and this version of the Blue Beetle ended up as just another subpar superhero.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Blue Beetle was/is revamped as a teen (and, it could be argued, for teens), elements of it transcend typically lighter and breezier teen fare. Bedard reintroduces the character with a greater conflict with his scarab/suit and piles on the unfortunate events to set up BB/Jamie Reyes to be a terrifically angst-y character.

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can dress this book and this character up a dozen different ways, and it's still a back concept and a pale imitation of Ted Kord.

[M.A. Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. Jaime Reyes may not be physically intimidating, but he's a mental badass. That he maintains his sense of self in the face of Khaji-Da makes him a most excellent hero indeed.

[Will Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The persona of Blue Beetle has a TON of history and world building behind it and the book does a good job of exploring that history, but not so much the history and world of Jaime Reyes.

A lot of people describe Jaime as DC’s answer to Marvel’s Spider-Man, and that’s not a bad description. The characters are both young teenagers who’ve stumbled into the role of superhero in a way that immediately impacts their lives and those around them. The difference is that Spider-Man stories explore what Peter’s life was like before becoming a superhero and in this particular story, Blue Beetle does not.

We are quickly introduced to some characters in Jaime’s life but before we get to see him interact with them in any meaningful way we are swept away into battles with super villains which, apart from La Dama herself, are very simple and uninteresting. That’s not a bad thing, Spider-Man stories usually have underwhelming antagonists as well. But Spider-Man stories have more interesting characters and relationships to fall back on, but because this story skipped out on establishing those characters and their dynamics with Jaime, Blue Beetle ends up feeling like diet Spider-Man with a fresh coat of paint. And that’s a real shame because the supporting cast they introduce for Jaime are all very different and have potential to be very interesting. Jaime has both of his parents alive (and a younger sister to boot)! His best friend Paco is his age, but a high school dropout. There’s a lot of wasted potential here because they focused on the wrong things right out the gate.

On the bright side, they nailed the voice of Jaime Reyes and the Scarab attached to his body. Jaime is the warm sweetheart and Scarab is the cold pragmatist and seeing the two of them clash for control is fantastic. This clash also also creates a great reason for why Jaime’s secret identity remains a secret as the Scarab uses every bit of the power it has over Jaime’s body to keep itself safe and under the radar.

It’s my understanding this book was cancelled shortly after the second volume, but there are plenty of Blue Beetle stories written before this reboot so while I found this volume disappointing, if nothing else it’s encouraged me to give prior Blue Beetle stories a shot.

[Lilli W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the middle of reading a book about sci-fi spiders, let’s read a comic about sci-fi beetles!
I watched the movie for this, and it was… not great. But I really liked the main protagonist and the idea of the scarab. So I tried this out.
It was okay, definitely had Spider-Man vibes, since here Jaime is in high school and has a secret identity and everything. The villains were much better in the comic than the movie, the minor ones were pretty neat. The plot is basically the same, people want the scarab, Jaime wants to protect his friends and family, etcetera. He even has a love interest (I think) who’s the niece of the main villain (I’m totally blanking on her name in the movie, here it was Brenda). His family plays less of a part though, and the focus is more on his friends. Thorax was a much better nemesis than Carapace (or whatever his name was, it was pretty stupid) since his creation was directly Jaime’s fault and there was an emotional connection, instead of just some guy. Jaime stabbing Paco was the best scene in both the comic and the movie. I liked Jaime and the scarab’s relationship better here, there was a bit more negotiating. I liked that it took place in El Paso, I live about an hour and thirty minutes from there, so the area’s familiar. The back of the book called Jaime a true hero, but he didn’t really do anything heroic? In my opinion, he was much less likeable than the movie version. He just didn’t have that naive sweet personality. That part at the end, where he defeated Thorax, he acted like a real jerk. This was the New52 version of the character, I’ll go see if the previous incarnation of the character was better.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read the original origin of Jaime Reyes's Blue Beetle in the 2000s then this "reboot" for the New 52 is pretty redundant. It's mostly the same story, only the way he finds the "scarab" is a little different and there's more about the aliens known as "the Reach" who use the Scarabs sort of the way Galactus uses the Silver Surfer. Otherwise pretty much the same thing as Jaime is a high school kid in El Paso who likes a girl named Brenda, whose aunt is a crime lord who collects artifacts and can do magic--like real magic. Jaime is bonded to the Beetle, which has some alien name, and has to escape from the aunt and some low-level supervillains and also battle another scarab that he used to save his best friend.

It's OK for the most part but like I said it feels mostly redundant if you already read the original. Both are still better than the movie though.

[Vinicius · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCRÍVEL!!!!!ADOREI A HISTÓRIA!!!


A HQ foca em contar a história do 3° Besouro Azul, o Jaime, e apesar de não ter nada excepcional, a maneira como eles conduzem a trama é muito divertida e te instiga a continuar lendo e conhecer mais o Jaime, em saber como ele vai se adaptar a vida com o Besouro.


Da para traçar uma relação do desenrolar da trama com as histórias do Miranha em que ele é adolescente e recebe os poderes. Assim, sem saber como os poderes funcionam e como afetam sua vida, ele precisa se adaptar a vida dr herói.


O diferencial da trama aqui das demais que contam a origem do herói, é que o protagonista aqui é bem humorado e cativante. Consigo me identificar bastante com o Jaime.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaime Reyes enters The New 52 and there are quite a few changes to what's come before but not all of it clicks. There is interesting drama involving the scarab's race but I felt it was introduced and abandoned too quickly. The main antagonists were sadly generic as they were just random DC mercs. The teen drama that this book needs was there but not enough. I did enjoy that author Tony Bedard makes the book special with the use of so much Spanglish as it feels like this is how Jaime's world sounds. Ig Guara's art was very good. There were quite a few incredible new designs. Overall, a mixed bag, which seems typical for DC's New 52.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another series in the DC Comics New 52 reboot, Blue Beetle brings back a minor DC Comics character that's made occasional appearances before. Young man inadvertently ends up implanted with an alien device that can expand to become a blue exoskeleton, turning him into the "Blue Beetle". Young man has this all thrust upon him, doesn't want any part of his new super powers. This collection includes the first 6 issues of the rebooted Blue Beetle series. The stories are okay, but the reader may suffer from a bit of yet-another-superhero syndrome.