Blue Beetle: Graduation Day

by Josh Trujillo

Jaime Reyes has a lot to juggle. Whether it's his finals for senior year or a new villain tearing up El Paso, Jaime is always torn between two worlds. But when those worlds come crashing together at his high school graduation, nothing will ever be the same.

Jaime Reyes is the hero Blue Beetle, bonded to a sentient alien artifact called a scarab that gives him high-tech armor. He's also a high school senior about to graduate! When a message from alien civilization the Reach bombards Jaime's scarab on graduation day, he's literally grounded by the Justice League. And as if that weren’t enough to worry about, Jaime's parents and friends are pressuring him about his next steps in life.

Jaime arrives in Palmera City to spend a gap year working in his tias' restaurant, but he's got other things on his mind-- like who is the mysterious new Yellow Beetle he saw on the news? How are they connected to the Reach message that bombarded his scarab? And what's hidden here on Earth that's drawing the Reach back?

Can Jaime find balance in his life and rise to become a true hero, or will this super-heroing bring the full might of the Justice League down on him?

Collects Blue Graduation Day #1-6

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably one of my favorite things I have read this year, it was so good omg!

The story sees Jamie going to Palmer's city after graduating school and into adult life working for his aunt and then we see the emergence of two new scarabs: Dynastes (Yellow) and Nitida (Green) and we see how the JL doesn't want Jamie to be hero but well you gotta defy authorities and the presence of Ted and his sis was so awesome, I loved it's it makes the whole legacy aspect that well and then seeing how Jamie has to solve the crisis of these new beetles and what their motive and origins are and the twists with it is cool but you don't get to learn about these two and the big threat I suppose.

I guess in 6 issues you can't do much and like they set a lot of stuff and maybe didn't have much infra to tell the story so had to reduce the story to 6 issues and that's why it felt rushed in the end but even with that, the twist in the end was not your typical ending but rather a good one especially seeing it's DC earth aka home to Superman and it shows Jamie growth and trying to help people and I love the crew they have created at Palmer's city and I wanna keep reading more and well it seems to be continuing in other series I suppose.

I also liked the presence of JL heroes here and it just makes for great interactions especially between Superman and Jamie and it's almost like he is Jamie's second mentor after Ted which was cool to see and I hope the writer explores that bond more in the future.

The art was cool, unclear in a few areas but the colors make it look and that was a good pairing and you will like it more maybe because of that.

One thing I will give this book is that even if you haven't read BB comics before you won't be lost, maybe some references or past events will make you question things but not confuse you and maybe check out some old BB comics after this!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colourful, manga-influenced DC fun that incorporates a lot of (refreshingly grammatically correct) Spanish dialogue. I'd read an ongoing title from this team, for sure.


Kal-El elogia a Lois mientras a la vez critica su mala cocina, es un clásico.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book, fun story that sets up a lot of new characters and locations. I'm glad Blue Beetle is moving into an ongoing after this mini series; because you can tell a lot of work was done in this book to set up a new status quo for the character moving forward.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Лімітована серія коміксів «Синій Жук: Випускний день» #1–6 Джоша Трухільйо і Адріана Ґутьєрреса надає Хайме Рейсу чудову нагоду відсвяткувати важливу віху на його шляху.

Хайме носить мантію Синього Жука з моменту свого дебюту у 2006 році, але його здебільшого зображували як героя-підлітка, який навчається в школі Ель-Пасо, штат Техас. Однак на горизонті намічаються значні зміни, коли Ліга Справедливості заарештовує його і відправляє геть. У цій серії потенціал Хайме стати дорослим героєм у сучасному всесвіті DC висить на волосині, що робить їЇ поворотним моментом у його супергеройській кар’єрі.

Таємниче послання доходить до його скарабея Хаджі Да, спричиняючи розрив їхнього зв’язку. Крім того, батьки та друзі Хайме тиснуть на нього, щоб він прийняв рішення щодо свого майбутнього. Але на горизонті з’являється новий загадковий ворог Зникла Людина, що серйозно може вплинути на Хайме. Увесь сюжет будується на тому, чи вдасться головному герою віднайти баланс у своєму житті та стати справжнім супергероєм. Чи доля Синього Жука вже вирішена. І він залишиться ніким.

Щодо мого сприйняття цієї серії коміксів, то, на мій погляд, сюжет від Джоша Трухільйо здався досить пласким та не містив якихось речей, за які б можна було зачепитися і сказати: «Ось за що мені сподобалися ці комікси!». У такій ситуації міг би врятувати малюнок. Та робота художника, Адріана Ґутьєрреса, хоч і пасувала оповіді, але мене взагалі не вразила. Як підсумок, для мене ця історія вийшла посередньою. Єдиним важливим моментом тут є те, що вплив цієї серії може стати багатобіцяючим для цього персонажа. Але глянемо чи інші автори будуть використовувати часто Синього Жука у своїх сюжетах.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay series. I liked that there was build-up to a next series, but I wish this had more action.

[Films · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really fun and colourful with cute moments and great character development for Jaime Reyes. I'm excited for the ongoing in September!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice intro into the upcoming series.
Clean..crisp art and a storyline thats interesting

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

O Besouro Azul não teve uma trajetória de publicação com muito logro aqui no Brasil. Poucos leitores brasileiros conhecem o lore de Jaime Reyes e talvez por isso este especial seja tão bom. Mesmo os leitores que não conhecem o personagem, como a grande maioria dos brasileiros, vão poder se entreter e embarcar na aventura e se importar com os personagens desenvolvidos aqui. O roteiro de Josh Trujillo é bastante envolvente alçando Jaime a novos voos dentro do Universo DC e a arte de Adrián Gutierrez é expressiva muitas vezes se aproximando de um estilo mangá mesclado com super-heróis. Esse hibridismo de expressões combina muito com a latinidad que este quadrinho se esforça para demonstrar e que, também por isso, deve agradar aos brasileiros, mesmo sendo Jaime e sua família hispanohablantes. Temos ação, temos humor, temos muito fanservice e um baita futuro aguardando o Besouro Azul nas tramas preparadas para seu futuro. Espero que a Panini Comics Brasil traga esse material nos meses à frente, independente do sucesso ou fracasso de sua versão nos cinemas.

[Vinicius · Rating 5 out of 5]

É a minha segunda HQ do personagem e achei incrível, foi muito divertida e sentimental na medida certa. Além de adorar o personagem, peguei por conta do lançamento do filme, e foi simplesmente incrível a leitura.

A HQ, além da trama super heroica que tem de plano de fundo para desenvolver o plot, traz as questões pessoais do Jaime, como família, mudanças de cidade, lidar com o fim do ensino médio e o que fazer da vida, toda os dilemas de ser super herói sendo apenas um adolescente e as responsabilidades que isso infringe a ele.

Simplesmente incrível o desenvolvimento da história, é uma HQ que conecta o leitor e o personagem, uma boa pedida para quem está no hype do filme e quer conhecer o personagem também.

[Lucas Savio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peguei pelo hype do filme e não me arrependo. A arte é lindíssima e única e acho incrível a relação do besouro com a liga da justiça desse quadrinho. Só senti falta que queria conhecer mais a personagem que a Bruna vai interpretar mas ainda assim me chocou esse quadrinho e to ansioso pela continuação. Além de ser um quadrinho que respeita legado

[Ember Moto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book would be a good jumping on point for anyone interested in reading blue beetle. The story is very self contained to the point where if this is all you read you would get a nice full story. If you do want to read more then the story does continue on.

[Stephen Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be the first to admit, this review was always going to be at least a little biased. Blue Beetle has always been one of my favorite superheroes as a kid, and hearing DC had finally put out a series that not only serves as a soft reboot/jumping in point for Reyes, but also has the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, alive and well and able to interact with Reyes, piqued my interest immediately. It’s not often two iterations of a hero get to even work together anymore.

Josh Trujillo brings Jaime into the present day with a fairly run-of-the-mill story. Teenage hero feels out of place/needs to prove himself, faces the growing pains of adulthood and hero-hood, fights alien invasion and other antagonistic versions of himself (different colors, of course). Despite the simple story, Trujillo instills it with an uncommon amount of heart and a relatability for DC’s Latinx audiences, especially through multiple portions of dialogue written in Spanish and Reyes’ own background.

The only issues were really the inclusion of so many other Justice League members in fighting the alien threat. Of course, who doesn’t want to see Jaime interact with Superman and Batman? But the Flash, Cyborg, Starfire, Black Condor…that was a little much at times. Additionally, a writer can easily back themselves into a corner with that many secondary heroes. Together, they can be so powerful, but Blue Beetle does have to be the one saving the day. Altogether, Trujillo balances those competing interests well, but it does require some suspension of belief (like another Beetle going toe-to-toe with Shazam on strength).

Gutierrez's and Quintana’s artwork is nothing short of gorgeous for the series as well. Not all artists can really grasp the balance of humanness and the scarab’s manipulation of the armor well, but the two are not only wildly successful in Reyes’ costumes, but also the other scarab-hosts as well. There were some weird panel and speech bubble orientations that could have possibly benefited from another proofread, but otherwise, the pencils and color palette mesh perfectly with the adventure/comedy vibe Blue Beetle should always have.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I found out this comic existed, it's been a running joke that I'd read it on the day of my graduation - now that's come to fruition, this is a stellar read, even without the added spectacle.
Jaime is at his comedic best here, quipping and cracking one liners every chance he gets and the art is cartoonish, almost Into the Spiderverse esque and compliments his silly nature really well.
The story was compelling - whilst I'm not normally a fan of superheroes fighting alternate versions of themselves, I feel it was implemented really well here - they each had their own unique traits, making them feel like more than just a recoloured beetle.
I also appreciated cameos from the wider DC universe, with notable mentions to Batman, Black Condor and Ted Kord.
The only thing stopping this from achieving a perfect rating is the language barrier - whilst it makes sense for the characters to speak Spanish, it made it hard for me to follow along and ruined the immersion slightly.
All in all, a great addition to the Blue Beetle mythos and a memorable ending to an unforgettable day.

[kesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really wanted to like this one bcs jaime’s my boy, xolo maridueña is my boy, blue beetle is underrated and i don’t care for aliens but mex-am representation is the closest we’ll get to filipino superheroes. #colonisation

jaime’s js graduated and he has no idea what he’s doing (he js like me fr). he isn’t rly interested in college and gets sent to work at his tías diner in palmera city. bb = blue beetle NAH bus boy 😻😻

alien invasion. miscomms. random ahh characters that will prolly make sense in the following volumes. the teaser at the end was interesting but probably bcs that was the first blood drawn where it felt like there was actually high stakes 😱

fun when it wants to be, plot made sense but not enough to change my life, art felt too childish for me and FOR THE LOVE OF ANYTHING WHY DID THEY GIVE HIM A SOUL PATCH 💔

wish it told me there was gonna be non-translated spanish, i downloaded google translate and summoned my inner duolingo for ts womp womp

i was not the target audience solo puedo hablar un poco de español 😫🤏

2/5.

[jana (taylor's version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Not my favourite

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've not really been a Blue Beetle reader before, but I enjoyed the movie, so I thought I'd give this one-off a try. So glad I did! Turned out to be a really good starting point for the character. The Horizon, a group of aliens who are enemies of The Reach (the alien species where Jaime's Scarab (Khaji Da) comes from) are coming to Earth for refuge. They sent a Yellow (Dynastes) and Green Beetle (Nitida) as advance scouts, and there are obvious misunderstandings and fights between all of them before things are figured out. Really a chance for Jaime to stand out as a new adult character and set up for his new upcoming series.
Recommend. Excellent starting point for new readers.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduced in Infinite Crisis, the Mexican-American Jaime Reyes became the third person to assume the mantle of Blue Beetle, following Dan Garret from the Golden Age and Ted Kord from the Silver Age. One of the best new faces within the DC Universe, having his own comic book, Reyes has thrived in other media, such as the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice. As the character now has a live-action movie under his belt, it’s about time to read some of his recent stuff.

Set after the big DC event Dark Crisis of Infinite Earths, Graduation Day shows Jamie continuing his superhero duties as Blue Beetle while also finally graduating from High School. However, during the ceremony, he gets a transmission from his alien scarab indicating that the Reach are planning something. After being “grounded” by Superman and should spend time with his family, and since he's not attending college, he'll be heading to Palmera City to work at the family diner for the summer.

Since the comic doesn’t recap Jaime’s origin story, it initially feels like you are chucked into the deep end as it opens with an action sequence where he fights Fadeaway whilst her inner monologue explains his whole backstory on he became Blue Beetle and his family being aware of all this. Considering the premise of this character, which is very similar to Spider-Man, in how does he balance his teenage life with that of a superhero, the story is more fixated to showcasing other DC characters.

That is not to negate the fun banter that Reyes has, with the likes of Superman and Ted Kord, as well as the latter’s older sister Victoria, who always had a sinister edge. Whilst the main conflict gets too big for its own good, when writer Josh Trujillo focuses on the ordinary folk, where there are buddy antics and queer representation, the comic finds its intimate charm. There are even scenes where characters are just speaking in Spanish that is not translated, and even if you don’t understand the language, Adrián Gutiérrez’s art communicates what the characters are feeling.

Despite the comic’s overload of superheroes, Gutiérrez is having a blast with the variety of characters, which are very expressive whilst being placed in action sequences where there are dynamic panel layouts. Along with Wil Quintana’s vibrant colouring, this is a visually spectacular read that might have an overcompensating narrative, there is enough spectacle to hook you in.

Whilst you get the sense that this miniseries was created as a way of promoting the Blue Beetle movie, as well as functioning as a lengthy prologue for what Trujillo and Gutiérrez are going to be doing with the upcoming monthly series, Graduation Day just scrapes a pass with its decent characterisation and spectacular art.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read for a really fun character. Jamie finally gets to graduate high school. Since he doesn’t have a plan his parents send him to live in Palmera city with his aunts. Luckily Kord industries is headquartered there so Ted Kord is there. Unfortunately two new beetles pop up, a yellow and a green, and they seem to have it out for Jamie. Josh Trujillo has a really good and fun voice for Jaime. Seeing him taken out of his environment and dealing with these unexpected circumstances was a lot of fun. The new beetle characters are super interesting to me and I want to get to know them better. I really liked the designs of the new beetles and how they really lean into the sentai aspect of Blue Beetle. Adrián Gutiérrez really played up the anime aspects of the designs and art and I really worked. There’s so much energy in every page. I’m super excited to read the ongoing Blue Beetle book.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the new Blue Beetle movie (twice, might I add), this was the book I wanted to use as my gateway into the modern comics landscape, and I loved it!

While I do see how people find the story to be a little rushed, I think that as a primer to this new ongoing run this did an amazing job! It sets up a new dynamic for Jaime to explore, and it brings in a cast of characters we can expect to see in the coming story arcs.

[Eskana · Rating 2 out of 5]

A reintroduction into the Blue Beetle's corner of the DC universe, and right in time for the movie (of course.) This collection is the first time in a few years that any Blue Beetle has had a title, and this one obviously is trying to redirect the ship a bit to be more in line with the upcoming movie, as well as expand the Blue Beetle's world a bit. This mostly relies on his origin from "Infinite Crisis," ignoring most of the retconning that happened in "Rebirth."

Plot Overview: Jaime Reyes is a senior (in high school, I guess) and is also the superhero known as the Blue Beetle (the third.) Jaime uses an alien supersuit thanks to a device called the Scarab, a superintelligent computer thing created by aliens called the Reach that bonds to its wearer. In his original series, Jaime discovered how to work with the Scarab, rather than having it take over him, and they use it to defend the earth. Typically, Jaime lives in El Paso, and his side characters include his family and his friends Paco and Brenda, all of whom know his secret.
Well, this series wants to have a fresh start. Jaime graduates and decides to spend a year in Palmera City, where he is aided by Blue Beetle II Ted Kord. There he runs into other Beetles and has to content with renewed attacks by the Reach, all while trying to deal with his somewhat disfunctional scarab.


Review: Overall, this was an okay collection on its own, but I felt it has a bit of Marvel Phase 4 problems. In a word, it's trying to do too much. There is a lot of action, but when you don't have character and are just focusing on throwing in a bunch of new concepts (so hopefully you can spin them off,) you end up with a weak story. Jaime had plenty on his own: as a Hispanic superhero, he already stands out, but Jaime's strength has always been his connection with his family and friends, and the respect paid to previous members of the Blue Beetle Legacy.
But the authors remove him from a lot of that. From the beginning, he's moved to a new city- probably because the movie writers also didn't want him in El Paso. His family and old friends are around, but sparingly. As a result, Jaime stops feeling so much like a character, and more like a vehicle, so to speak. He has kind of lost a lot of his identity. Even when his family and friends show up, you're very aware as a reader that they aren't a regular part of his life now and are really just there to be in peril or give life lessons, not as organic characters.

Also, in Jaime's original run, Ted Kord had died, and Jaime learned a lot from his example. Now, thanks to the universe resetting, Ted is back and running his tech company, Kord Industries, with his sister Victoria (another new character, who plays a villain in the movie.) I love Ted, but him being alive and in Jaime's book always comes off a bit awkward to me.

And then there's the introduction of the Yellow and Green Beetles. I think a lot of the side characters- Jaime's friends and family- were cut in favor of these two new ones. They are like Jaime, but with slightly different powers, and they really pose a challenge to him at first. But once they are on his side, I feel like there isn't much too them. We learn very little about them (except they are also Hispanic and also have Scarabs) to the point where they just seem like new versions of Jaime. These Beetles don't really add anything to the Blue Beetle world, and they even seem to make Jaime less special. Before, Jaime's connection with his scarab was unique, and made him stand out (since thousands of scarabs were sent to thousands of planets.) Now, it seems like anyone can become a Beetle.
And they look like power rangers.

Overall, I would say this wasn't the strongest outing story-wise. It doesn't really give us anything new about Jaime or any other character, instead sacrificing character growth for action-based plots that are nothing new. The art is hit-and-miss, so I really hope that his new series does better in the fall.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh hey, there's a Blue Beetle movie coming out. Time for a new Blue Beetle mini, I suppose.

Jaime Reyes hasn't had a lot of luck with solo series since his initial Infinite Crisis book way back when, but Graduation Day manages to recapture the youthful fun and joy that Jaime has at being a superhero while keeping the stakes high. Bringing back the Reach in some form or another feels a little rote, but Josh Trujillo manages to invert the expected ending of the story and set up some new supporting characters for Jaime along the way. Plus his interactions with the Justice League and his fellow heroes is nice to see - I'm glad they (mostly) respect him now (looking at you, Batman).

The artwork's pretty neat too. Again, no one's really managed to define Jaime's world definitively outside of the initial Infinite Crisis run (but then no one's Cully Hamner, so y'know), but Adrian Gutierrez's visuals are a solid fit for Jaime, and I'm glad he's continuing over to the ongoing series that spins directly out of this.

Is this a movie synergy tie-in type deal? Yeah, absolutely. But that doesn't stop it being enjoyable, and its own thing as well as that. And honestly, more Jaime is always a good thing if you ask me.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not that Trujillo does poor job here. Its the themes he's working with I think would have been better handled by co-creator (of this version) John Rogers.

Because Jaimie is going through what a lot his people his age do.

Who am I? What's my next step in life? I wasn't great in high school, is college the right choice for me?

To make it worse his peers, his much older peers, in the JLA are questioning his decisions and considering benching him for the foreseeable future.

A little better work at presenting Jaimie and development of the alien invasion story would have made this better. It is possible to have both story line going on at the same time, but it is difficult for a writer to pull off.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is something of a Blue Beetle primer presumably for the movie coming out in August. Blue Beetle has graduated high school and is finding his way after deciding not to go to college. He goes to work at his aunt's diner in Palmero City, leaving El Paso (because DC only seems to operate in made up cities.) The Reach is rumored to be returning and the Justice League is grounding Jaime. Ted Cord, the second Blue Beetle is around and he has a sister now too, Victoria. She doesn't really add much besides another female. Not a lot happens in this besides a couple of new colored beetles get introduced. The art's decent if a little too manga at times. It's a decent comic but nothing special.

[Poison Ivy 🌵 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a 3.7 to me, but I always round up for books I feel deserve it. While I did not think Jaime’s parents kicking him out on his graduation day was in alignment with their personalities (they have usually been depicted as supportive of both Jaime & his endeavors as Blue Beetle) everything else was fun and colorful! The representation of not only Latine people, but Afro-Latine people was also very nice to see. I like the way Trujillo writes Superman and Starfire, they had really good characterization and I would enjoy seeing him take a crack at writing Teen Titans.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was too cartoony and juvenile, emphasizing the areas under the nose far too heavily; as a side point, don't humans have philtrums? The story was so-so, filled with the same teen angst as the Spider-Man stories from 60 years ago, with an emotionally exhausted Deus ex Machina coming in to save the day at the end. I mean, here you have Superman, Batman, the original Captain Marvel, and a Green Lantern, and THEY can't stop a ship from crashing into the Earth, but . . . Blue Beetle can? Gimme a break!

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun reintroduction to Jaime and the Blue Beetle world. Josh Trujillo writes a relatable and fun hero who has issues and heart. I really enjoyed the supporting cast but the Power Rangers aspect of some new characters was a drawback. The JLA's response to the goings on here was interesting but makes sense. Gutierrez's art was kinetic and fun. It was really good and fit the book perfectly. Overall, this was an exciting way to get back into Jaime's life with some cliched elements thrown in.

[James Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

After graduating from high school, Jaime Reyes is seeking his purpose by working in the big city. He also receives an incoming signal that messes with his connection with the scarab. What unfolds is a fun tale that shows Jaime's growth as he undertakes more responsibilities and becomes a greater hero that utilises his heart with heroics. A terrific tale right up to the different ending than expected.

[Santiago Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this comic because of how simply and clearly the story is told, everything’s easy to follow, and it makes for a really fun read.
Jaime Reyes is super funny in this one, and all the superheroes who show up are memorable and leave a mark on him. And of course, it’s a story filled with love, friendship, compassion, and personal growth.

[ArK07 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mejor que Rebirth, más floja que la original (un 3.5 vamos) pero plantea cosas interesantes para el futuro. Con ganas de leer lo que sea que ocurra en la nueva serie que empezará en algún momento de este año

[Jourdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Jamie is still a great character in this and I like the basic story, I do not think this book was planned out very well. Things were hard to follow from the story to the action panels. Also I hated Jaime’s soul patch but that’s just a personal thing.