Review of Blue Beetle Vol 1: Shell Shocked
Bill French, your friendly neighborhood Fantom Comics employee, here to fill you in on a superhero book you may have missed in the confusion of Infinite Civil Crisis: Archie and Veronica.
DC Comics has been missing something in its teenage heroes for quite some time. I like to call it the “What the Heck” factor. Superboy was a clone of the Big Blue Boy Scout. Robin is a smart-aleck who sought out the creepiest cuss ever as a mentor. All of these adolescent heroes have in some way strived to emulate or replace their predecessors. Thankfully, DC used the backdrop of last year's Infinite Crisis to breath much needed life into the “kid-on-the-street” theme with Blue Beetle. The first trade of which – Blue Beetle: Shell Shocked – is now available.
Following the destruction of the Rock of Eternity in Days of Vengeance, the Scarab idol owned by the two previous men to claim the title of Blue Beetle was flung onto the streets of El Paso, Texas. While walking home with his friends, Jamie Reyes stubs his toe on the little token. Taking the scarab home with him, his life changes forever as within the week he is shot into space to battle Brother Eye with legends such as Batman and Green Arrow.
Although suffering from some unfortunate art inconsistencies due to a guest artist for the second and third issues, the trade is a strong opening to the series. The dialogue is crisp and snappy, with a certain quality of innocence to it. Melding a style reminiscent of Ed McGuiness (Superman/Batman) with a smart sense of humor, this series reminds me of early Spiderman books: a normal kid thrown into a situation completely above his head who manages to keep afloat with a good sense of humor and a well-developed supporting cast.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Blue Beetle: Shell Shocked a strong 8.5 out of ten.
Every Friday you can expect a new review of comics you may not be reading but are worth taking a look at.