Booster Gold #29 - DC

This is another book that I enjoy more than I care to admit. Whoever thought that not only would Booster Gold come back, but . . his book would become a pivotal part of the DC Universe? To me, this is mostly due to Dan Jurgens incredible job here. Yes he had some help from Geoff Johns in the beginning, but . . for the most part he's pretty much written and drawn this entire series. I'm guessing he has a special affection for him since he created him . . almost some 30 years ago now. Wow! Time sure does fly. Anyways, Rip and Michael are trying to stop this other group from taking out Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg-Superman. It turns out this Sondra Crain, whom Michael is trying to stop, is actually an operative of the US Government's Slipshift project . . some 80 years in the future. According to her, they're just trying to save the people of Coast City, and the future atrocities that the Cyborg-Superman commits. Which . . Michael has a hard time arguing with, but . . he also knows what he and Rip have encountered and seen. Any change to the time-stream, no matter how altruistic, can have unforeseen circumstances in the future. Generally . . not for the best, either. But still . . he doesn't like how this is going down either. But, it all may be moot because by the end of the issue we find out that they don't have days to save the citizens of this fair city, but only hours. The event has already begun. Also, I'm not sure how Michael's sister, Michelle fits into all of this, but . . she's also in Central City right now. Michael just doesn't know it yet. This book also has a huge nostalgic feel to it right now . . for me. Dan also did a lot of the work during the Death of Superman story-line, and this thing with Coast City happens right during all of that. So this book, to me, kind of feels like those old Superman or JLI issues. Speaking of which . . there's a Justice League mini-series coming out in May, Generation Lost, which contains a lot of those JLI members . . including Booster. That should be interesting. Anyways, Dan wraps up this story in the next 2 issues . . as well as putting Michelle onto whatever her future path is as Goldstar. Unfortunately though . . that will be his last. However, the good new is that Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis will be taking over the scripting chores, with Chris Batista doing the art. So the future of Booster . . or his past, whatever the case may be . . still looks bright. Also, in the final Blue Beetle back-up, Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton finally put to rest the possibility of Jamie turning evil, because of the Scarab's Reach influence. I was also starting to think that he may become the Black Beetle in the future. But it looks like Peacemaker has put a stop to all of that. This is all because of when Jamie rebooted during the Reach invasion. The Scarab had always been damaged, but when he did that he essentially fixed it. Although fixing it meant that it gained more control. However, after Peacemaker nukes him this issue . . I'm thinking it may be broken again. Anyways, things end on a good note . . Jamie's back home with his friends. So for now, his future is simply with the Teen Titans . . and Traci 13. I'm sure.

Booster Gold #28 - DC

This issue is really a good jumping on point for new readers. We get a background story on Michael, and his mission. And in the back-up, we're also filled in on what Jaime's up to, and what's brought him to this point. Anyways, in Booster's story, we finally catch up with Michelle. It seems that she was pretty fed-up with all the time-travel stuff, so she went a few years into the past to hide. The problem is . . she ended up in Coast City. Yes, that Coast City . . shortly before it was destroyed. However, her story is going to intersect with Booster's pretty soon. He's sent back into the past because someone from the future is trying to stop Hank Henshaw from becoming the Cyborg-Superman. Even though he's done tremendously evil things, the chaos that would ensue from his not having been created would be even worse. At least that's the way Rip tells it. Anyways, Michael accomplishes his mission, and then we see that Michelle is confronted by the Cyborg-Superman in Coast City. With such a specific connection, I can't imagine it'll be too long before their stories over-lap. In the meantime, I think Dan Jurgens has done a great job with this character, and book. I love his work. In the back-up, after getting Jaime's back-story to date, we find that the Scarab is pulling him to Biayla. Specifically, the site where Dan Garrett first found it. It appears that all of Jamie's troubles have been coming from when the Scarab got rebooted out in space . . during the Reach fight. Previously, he had been working with a broken Scarab. When it rebooted . . it got fixed. And now it wants to fulfill it's original mission . . to become an infiltrator of the Reach. This was a tool that the Reach had planted here millions of years ago to help them take over the planet once it evolved. It appears they're ready to fulfill that plan. But from the final panel, it looks like the Peacemaker may have something to say about that. This story was by Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton. It's called the Beginning of the End, and . . it's supposed to wrap up next issue. After that . . Blue Beetle is no longer listed as a back-up feature in this book. I guess we'll have to wait and find out what his future holds. I liked this issue. I think this is a very under-rated book. I think if more people would give it a shot, they'd find out that it's not what they'd expect.

Booster Gold #27 - DC

How do you make a time-traveling hero, and the stories that surround him more annoying and confusing? Throw in a Black Lantern, who happens to be his deceased dead buddy. I've said over and over again how time-travel stories give me a headache . . to much to think about, to many possibilities and variable, but with the Blue Beetle involved . . er, I guess I should say the Black & Blue Beetle . . things just seem to get more out of hand. However, that being said . . I really, really like this book and Booster's character. Which to me . . is just a testament of the fantastic job that Dan Jurgens is doing here. Yes the time-travel stories are still bothersome . . at least to me, but . . he's made the character likeable, the reader's become bought in, and the 'themes' of the stories have been exciting and heroic. I just loved the lesson that Booster had to learn by trying to save Barbara Gordon, over and over and over and over and over again. Anyways, after recently coming back from visiting Ted's funeral, again . . for who knows how many times, he's confronted by this twisted version of him as soon as he returns. He wasn't back yet when Black Ted came looking for him, so he attacked Daniel and Rose instead . . his closest family. Daniel don's the Supernova costume, but . . I don't really know why. It's not like it gained him much of an advantage or anything. Also Jaime shows up to help in the fight. Because of that, there's no back-up story. It's just all mixed into one . . 30 pages of art. Half of which are done by Mike Norton, with Dan doing the rest. Anyways, after going after Ted again and again, they realize that they can defeat him by sheer force. They're going to have to get creative. Rip has received the message from the Flash and relayed it to Michael. Together they come up with a plan. They go back in time and retrieve a gun from Ted's 'Beetle-cave'. It's a light weapon, and Skeets programs it to approximate the colors of the emotional spectrum. Booster also uses it to his advantage that the Black Beetle has trouble seeing mechanical things. So Skeets, essentially is invisible to him. After they separate the ring from it's host, Booster scoops up Ted's body and takes it to the one place where the Black Ring won't be able to find it . . Vanishing Point . . 'immune from the flow of time'. So now Ted's body is buried there. Seeing that this is a time-travel story, and everything seems to affect everything . . could this be the beginning of the Black Beetle? Maybe somewhere else along the line somebody else returns to Vanishing Point and brings Ted back again. The Black Beetle does seem to think of this place as his home. And . . you just know that's not the end of the story. It's wrapped up like it is, but . . I don't think so. Anyways, Michael and Jaime have a nice heart-to-heart conversation before they leave, and on the final page we see that Michelle has been displaced in time. She's hooked up with some guy named Drew and they're about to travel into Coast City . . before the destruction by Green Lantern, the Cyborg Superman and Parallax. That can't be good. From the previews it looks like the next story-arc is going to be about Booster concentrating his efforts on trying to find her. But it looks like her travels through time, and the time she spent at Vanishing Point, are going to change her somehow. I think it's going to be an interesting couple of months for Booster. Overall I like this book. The concept and basis of the stories irks me, but . . to me, the character himself more than makes up for any short-comings. I think Booster is a great character with huge potential. And I'm glad that somebody has finally realized that and is doing something about it. Thanks, Dan.

Booster Gold #25 - DC

Booster, who's not really used to working this hard, seems to be a little frazzled and frayed after all of the recent action that he and Rip have been through. But as soon as they get back this issue, after wrapping things up last issue with the whole Batman thing, Rip tells him he has to return once again to get the pictures that Batman has of him in the Bat-cave. Reluctantly he agrees, after some heavy pushing by Rip and Skeets, and goes back 5 minutes earlier than his last visit. He hopes to avoid his confrontation with Batman, but this time he's found out by Damian. The rest of their story is pretty uneventful. Michael ends up talking to Dick, and he takes him back to let him see his parents alive as a peace offering. The real story comes from Rip and his investigations. The chronal energy on the Black Beetle reminds him of TO Morrow's attempts at mastering time travel. When he visits him, he finds out that the Black Beetle has been using him to get more chronal energy. Rip gives him all he wants and he explodes in a cascade of energy. But it appears that Skeets got something out of his scan of the Beetle before he and Rip take off. I think he knows who the Black Beetle is. But he's not saying . . yet. And what about Michelle? Where's she been during all of this? Obviously she's still back at Vanishing Point, but why haven't Michael and Rip done anything about getting her back? I still think Dan Jurgens is doing a great job here. Mostly these time-travel stories give me a headache, but . . I like the way he's handled the last few issue. Well . . all except for the part about Michelle. Personally, I think that's a loose end that they can't afford to leave hanging. In the back-up we get the second part of the Blue Beetle vs Black Beetle story. Jamie is playing awful hard, and it's starting to scare his other family members. The Black Beetle has already claimed to be Hector, and now he's claiming to be Jaime in the future. I don't think either of those are right, and Jaime doesn't believe it either. So then he tries to convince Jamie that he's going to be just like him. But I think the real reason he's here is just to get Jamie riled up. Jamie ends up stopping him with a Tachyon field, and he gets his sister, who's hurt, and the rest of his family out of there. Everything ends up pretty much back to normal. But it does raise a few interesting questions. Hopefully we'll get some more Blue Beetle stories to help sort through those. Like . . could the Black Beetle maybe be . . . Ted Kord? Hmmm!! An interesting story by Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton. Overall, I really like this book. I can't wait for the next.

Booster Gold #24 - DC

First of all I just want to say that I think Dan Jurgens does an incredible job with this book. It really seems like he's pouring his heart into it. Plus, with doing the story and the art . . that's a lot of work. Norm Rapmund finishes his stuff, and it looks fantastic. This issue wraps up the Day of Death story-line. Remember, the Black Beetle helped Deathstroke finish off the Titans. That weakened the JLA, when there was no one to replace Batman when he died. Which led to Trigon taking over the planet. Booster's in the year 2020 now, and there's less than 38,000 humans alive. With the help of the resistance . . Zatanna, Kyle and Ollie, plus Booster's brought Raven along . . and Black Beetle and Luthor are secretly working behind Trigon's back . . they've worked their way into Trigon's secret vault. In there, Kyle gets a Green Lantern ring, and Zatanna sends Michael, Rip, Raven and Skeets back to their time-bubble. Unfortunately, Black Beetle has also obtained something he was after . . a Red Scarab. " . . far more powerful than the one I have. Together . . they will make be virtually unstoppable." I'm starting to think that the only way they're going to be able to stop this Black Beetle is to figure out who he really is. They have to stop him before he becomes this malevolent character. So they go back and Booster takes Deathstroke's place. The Titans live, and Raven gives Slade the memories so he'll think he was there. That part is back on track. But now he has to go put everything back in place with Batman. In the back-up, the Black Beetle again appears as he comes after Jaime. However, Jaime gives himself over to the Scarab and becomes a lot more powerful than he ever thought possible. There's one point in here where the Black Beetle convinces Jamie that he's Hector. He later says that's not true, but . . I'm thinking there's something to it. He may not be Hector, but . . I think he is someone close to Jaime. Maybe even . . Jaime himself. He tells Jaime that this is the day he dies, but . . he never really puts up much of a fight. It's more like he's taunting him than anything. So I'm thinking that he wants him to give into the power and influence of the Scarab. He's not going to die literally, but . . he's also not going to be the person he was before today. That's just speculation, but . . that's what I think. Somehow Jaime is tied into all of this. We just don't know the details. Yet! Anyways, it's an interesting story by Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton.

Booster Gold #23 - DC

I think this book has lost some of it's momentum, after Geoff Johns left, but . . I still have a soft spot in my heart for it. Booster is a great character and has some huge potential. Despite how he was handled in the past . . and his original emergence in the DC Universe, I think that now he's on the right path. I think there was a little adapting by Dan Jurgens when Geoff left, but . . I believe he's got control of the reigns now. This Black Beetle story-line seems to be more focused than the first one. Basically, someone in the future, at Vanishing Point, is directing the Black Beetle to specific events in the past which will lead to the destruction of the JLA. At the end of last issue, he helped Deathstoke and Ravager take down the Teen Titans. Apparently the loss of Dick, the heir to Batman, is more than the League can take. Without their 'conscience', the team quickly folds, and the world is ripe for the picking by Trigon. Rip and Booster become aware of their ultimate plans this issue, but they still don't know why, and who's ultimately behind the whole thing. At the end of this issue Booster, who's allowed himself to be captured in order for his counterparts to escape, comes face to face with Trigon. It's hard to believe that this character has been around since 1986. That's almost 25 years. Man does time fly. Dan originally created him, which is why he appears to be so emotionally attached to this series. Like I said, I really feel like this Black Beetle business has brought a focus back to this series. In the back-up, Blue Beetle faces Dr Von Neumann's creation, his daughter, if you will. She broke him out of jail because the good doctor gave her emotions when he built here. She's really struggling with that. Right now she'd rather exist without emotion than to deal with this constant pain. In the end Jamie takes her down, with Brenda and Paco's help, but then . . the Black Beetle shows up and takes her away before they can do anything with her. This will serve to push Jamie's story-line over into Booster's. This part of the story is by Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton. I really like this character . . these characters . . and I'm glad to see that we're back on track again. But . . I just thought . . whatever happened to Michael's sister? Didn't they leave her at Vanishing Point? What's she been doing during all of this? Hmmm!!

Booster Gold #22 - DC

I love the premise of this story, and that the Teen Titans are involved with the current story-arc, but . . I'm a little confused about what happened this issue. First of all, I want to say that I'm glad that Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund are back on the art chores. They do a fantastic job, and there's some great looking stuff in this issue. Plus . . I love that cover. I wonder why there was never a cover like that on the Teen Titans book. Well . . except for Booster of course. Anyways, this issue the Black Beetle is out to destroy the JLA. So he figures if he eliminates the Teen Titans that it'll dishearten them. "What better way to neuter the JLA than to take away it's greatest tactician? It's driving force?" So this issue he teams up with Deathstroke, and in turn helps out the Ravager . . Deathstroke's son, Grant . . beat the Titans by infusing his body with chronal energy. When Grant originally fought the Titans his own power betrayed him by burning him out from the inside before he could complete the task. I guess the chronal energy puts a halt to that process. So they don't disrupt time to much, the Black Beetle claims to be an agent of HIVE, and Booster claims that he's on the security force for STAR Labs. Although, if the Black Beetle is only concerned with taking out the JLA, I don't really understand why he's concerned about time paradoxes. It would all seem kind of moot, as long as he attains his goal. But, from what I understand, since Slade wasn't involved in this originally, the Black Beetle claims that HIVE was hiring him. Alright . . I guess I can accept that. Anyways the issue ends with it looking like the Black Beetle has accomplished his task . . all the Titans look dead, and Booster looks like he's drowned in the pool. Also Rip has returned to Vanishing Point but, while trying to investigate something, he's been knocked out. I love the Teen Titans, so I think it's great that we've returned to this point in their history. However, I find it hard to accept that they've allowed Booster in so easily. And where's Raven at? This was shortly after she first brought them all back together. Anyways, this is part 2 of 4 so maybe we'll get some more answers next issue. The back-up story is Blue Beetle by Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton. Overall, I guess, I enjoyed the issue. I'm just a little confused about the turn of events.

Booster Gold #21 - DC

Now this issue? After having just read Titans #14 . . this issue I thought was fantastic. First of all it guest stars Batman. Which is always a plus. Secondly, Dan Jurgens is back in charge of this book this issue. I really like the way the whole story rolled out, and . . I think Dan and Norm Rapmund do a fantastic job complimenting each other with their art and style. Every panel of this book looked fantastic . . from cover to cover. We start out with Rip at Vanishing Point where he finds that the Black Beetle is back. He's still trying to kill Rip. Which leads him to worry about the pictures that Batman has of Booster when he was bouncing back in time trying to save Barbara Gordon. Now that Batman's dead, he's worried about these pictures falling into the wrong hands, and the peripheral evidence that may point towards himself. After all, he's made it his lifes work to hide his identity. There can be no loose ends. So, Booster goes to the Bat-cave to abscond with the evidence . . which he finds is actually a pretty thick file . . but Batman is also there . . Dick Grayson . . and the Black Beetle. It seems that besides Rip, the Black Beetle is also obsessed with ridding the world of the Batman. He's not successful in the cave, but he does learn that the current Batman is Dick, so he quickly vanishes. Soon Dick's gone, and there's 2 Robin costumes in the display case. Now that the Black Beetle has messed with time, it appears that Dick was the first Robin to be killed. Now Michael has to go back in time and save Dick. This issue also marks DC's new marketing campaign. Some of their books have also gone up to $3.99, but . . the one's that have, as is the case here, also offer a back-up story. So, for $3.99 we get 2 stories and 30 pages of art. 20 on the main story, and 10 on the back-up. I know. It's still $3.99 for a book, but . . at least they're trying to do something to soften the blow a bit. Right? This issue's back-up was a Blue Beetle story. It's by the same team as his own book, when it ended, Matthew Sturges and Mike Norton. It's a decent story, part 1 of 3, about a man and his robots. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The Batman story is part 1 of 4, so we'll be seeing him for a while here. That's always a good thing. It looks to me like Dan is back on track here.

Blue Beetle #36 - DC

Unfortunately . . this is the last issue of Blue Beetle. I doubt this will be the last we see of Jaime Reyes. He's been pretty active in the Teen Titans book of late. Well . . maybe active isn't the right word. He's been hanging around a lot. I think the new comedy duo is going to be him and Eddie . . Kid Devil. Those 2 go together like oil and water. Anyways, this issue Jaime has to deal with all of the 'rogue' Beetles that are out there. Somehow they're related, kind of . . it you can call it that . . to the Scarab on Jamie's back. They want him to join them, but since he refused . . they're ready to kill him. Isn't that the way it always is with family? And basically, they have all the powers and same skill set as Jaime. So, the only way to get rid of them is for the Scarab to shut them all done. Which it does, but the problem is . . it also shuts Jamie's Scarab down and it take 27 1/2 days for it to reboot. It seems like an arbitrary number to me, but . . whatever. So he has to go for a month without being the Beetle. I think it made him realize how much he's become accustomed to the suit, and responsibility. I think he actually misses it. Oh, and during the whole skirmish Jamie's kind-of side-kick Nadia ends up getting killed by some of the aliens. It wasn't really that impactful because . . well, we hardly knew her. It's still sad that someone lost their life. I think it served to show Jaime that there are responsibilities and repercussions from his actions. Although, he's a pretty good kid so I think he knew that. I was never overly impressed with this series, but . . over the last year or so I have come to like this character more. I think we'll see more growth from him due to his interactions with the Teen Titans. However, for now . . it won't be in his own series. I definitely think that Matthew Sturges added something to this book. I also enjoyed Carlo Barberi's pencils on the last few issues. But for now . . the curtain is draw. "Blue Beetle . . . has left the building."

Blue Beetle #35 - DC

Next issue is the last for this series. And honestly . . . the last 5 or 6 issues have been the best of the series. At least it's going out on a high-note. I guess. Matthew Sturges writes this one with Carlo Barberi and Jacob Eguren doing the art. It looks pretty good to. For some reason we see a whole bunch of Ted Kord's rogue's gallery this issue. We even see the Madmen. But the real challenge is these new aliens that have shown up. Apparently they're kind of related to the Scarab. And when Jaime fought the Reach, whom apparently these other aliens were the slaves of . . they all got the message from Jaime's Scarab, over some kind of Scarab hot-line, that they didn't have to under the boot-heel of the Reach anymore. So they revolted. Now, they've come to Earth to ask Jaime to be their leader. "Now we dedicate ourselves to the dismantling of oppressive control structures! to Bring freedom to all!" Among their list of oppressive states is: Kahndaq, North Korea and the United States. And their rogue powers and terrorist cells consist of the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Green Lantern Corps. It sounds to me like these guys got a little whacked when they broke free of their oppressors. When Jaime tries to tell them that if he's not with them then he's against them. Jaime may be in for the fight of his life here. Seriously . . . now the book gets interesting? We couldn't have got this story-arc in maybe the first 10 or 20 issues? Oh well, like I said, at least it's going out on a high-note. Hopefully he'll contribute to the Titans. We'll see.

Blue Beetle #34 - DC

I know this book only has a couple of issues left, but . . it seems like this issue really wraps up most of the hanging thread-lines pretty neatly. It makes me kind of wonder what the next issue has in store for us. By the way . . yes Blue Beetle did die at the end of the last issue. But not by Polaris. Apparently is was done by his suit . . the Scarab. "I killed you. Affirmative: tactical override. English translation = 'playing possum'. Alternative: Monopole blast/probable outcome: vaporization." I think I'd get a headache if I had something that talked to me like that all of the time. Anyways, Jaime ends up defeating Polaris . . with the help of the Scarab, and the guys that had gotten the amped up magnetic powers kind of come to Jaime's aid. Actually they're fighting in their town of San Paterno and they don't want to see it destroyed. Their intention isn't actually to help Blue Beetle, but . . they do so because they team up on Polaris. That gives him the breather, and time, for the Scarab to get it's 'Gluon Field' up to 100% which apparently will produce an E/M field that will neutralize Polaris' powers. Afterwards Peacemaker gives him a pat on the back, Blue Beetle quits his job as border enforcer, and Brenda and Paco look like they're going to be getting together. Since Jaime's with Traci 13, Brenda's going to have to drop her crush. I actually enjoy Matthew Sturges stories on this series. He's got an awful lot of irons in the fire right now and some of his stuff is just . . ok. But I like what he's doing here. To bad it's almost over. I've also gotten more used to Rafael Albuquerque's art. It's not spectacular, but . . I really think it suits this book. He's definitely given this book his feel. Now I'm wondering what they're going to do for the final 2 issues. You'll know when I know.

Blue Beetle #33 - DC

My only question here is . . how did the Blue Beetle and Dr Polaris become such adversaries? It the Dr now part of Jamie's 'Rogues Gallery'? And if so, I'm really at a loss for how that happened. I know Dr Polaris is a new guy now, and I believe he's operating out of the Mexico / Texas area. But does geography now determine nemesis status? As a hero, Jamie is going to fight whatever 'bad-guy' pops up, but . . these 2 really seem to have a hard-on for each other. It just doesn't seem healthy. Anyways, this issue deals with Dr Polaris' attack on San Jose. The town is already up in arms about the immigration situation so he fuels that fire with some specific shots of hatred. He's also got Jaime's allies, and sometimes teammates . . the Teen Titans . . working on a border incursion which includes drugs, money and guns. However, while all of that is going on, he's actually attacking a research facility farther in town. Mariposa, his daughter, informs them of a facility, White Sands, that he's interested in. When Blue Beetle heads up there, he finds out that the Dr is interesting in Monopoles. "I injected myself full of them 10 minutes ago. Controlled by my existing magnetic powers, they can create a nearly invulnerable skin around me. They're super-fluid, superconductive, and they have the ability to catalyze fusion reactions as well." And with that . . he blows Blue Beetle out of the sky. "Host [Jaime] vital signs/status: deceased." First of all . . how can Jaime be dead? Secondly, why do villains feel the need to intricately explain everything before of after they've done it? Who cares? If you're going to do something, just do it! And shut the hell up! Obviously the cliff-hanger of this story is the mortality of Jaime Reyes. I'm enjoying the writing of Matthew Sturges. That is . . unless he's killed Jaime. Then I won't like him so much. Rafael Albuquerque's art is growing on me. I don't know necessarily that I like it any more, but it definitely has created a style for this book. Overall, I'm enjoying this book more and more. However, I am wondering what the status of this book is after issue #36. Go to DC Comics previews and you'll see what I mean.

Blue Beetle #32 - DC

The main part of this story dealt with Polaris, and how Neal Emerson's role and power were usurped by a ruthless corporate suit by the name of John Nichol. The only thing that kind of seems a stretch to me is that John said he became obsessed with Neal's work. So much so that he bought an read all of his books and Cd's. And through that, within six weeks, he began to develop his own powers. Um . . hello? I know sometimes in comics we take a leap in logic, but . . that's like jumping over the Grand Canyon. Then, apparently, when he was strong enough he beat Polaris . . powers vs powers. He claims that Emerson lost because of his insanity . . it made him weak. To me, there's only one explanation . . . John is actually Emerson. His insanity has split off his personality into a divergent life and he doesn't even realize that he and Emerson are one in the same person. Otherwise . . this is to great a leap for even me to swallow. The other part of this story, Blue Beetle traveling to Mexico to find the 3 guys that exhibited magnetic powers . . is kind of anti-climatic. Somehow Traci is drawn in to he and his father's plans, and they find out that the whole ruse was actually a trap set by Polaris. However, when it's sprung, Polaris is involved in something else and thinks that his plans for tomorrow are much more important. I appreciate that Matthew Sturges has taken over the scripts on this book, but . . I think he's attempting to make this book a little to complex to fast. While I enjoy a multi-faceted book . . this one currently has about 4 story-lines flowing around . . I'm not sure that type of book suits this character. Jamie isn't really all that complex of a person. He's a teenager who was saddle with this power, so now he has to learn about it. And, at the same time, try to not let it affect his family or relationships. He really hasn't had a lot of hardship or loss in his life. That's not to say that I don't think this book has a lot of potential. I really think it does. I think Jamie's recent involvement with the Teen Titans helps to illustrate that. But, I think he still has a long way to go. Unfortunately, in the current comic environment, and the economy, I'm not sure how much longer this title will be able to hold out before it's cancelled. Honestly . . I'm surprised it hasn't been already. Sorry!

Blue Beetle #31 - DC

When this book first started, I was one of it's biggest opponents. First of all I didn't like the art. Secondly, after having been a Justice League fan for such a long time, I just didn't like this interpretation after having seen what Ted Kord did with his career. This title just seemed sophomoric at best. On top of all that, I didn't believe that this kid, Jamie Reyes, had it in him to live up to the Blue Beetle heritage as it's been chronicled through the DC, and Charlton, Universe. Basically, I just wasn't buying it. In the early issues I predicted that it would probably only make to issue #20 . . maybe #25. I was wrong. On all accounts, really. Except, I think I'll stick with my opinion of the art. I don't feel that it ever really did the book justice. But that's just me. As far as Jamie, and Blue Beetle . . I think that the character has grown dramatically. Yes this was all kind of thrust upon him, but . . Kyle Raynor was in pretty much the same position, and look how he turned out. And he didn't even have the family or emotional ties that this kid has. Plus now . . he's starting to interact more and more with the rest of the DC Universe. He's been popping up pretty regularly over in Teen Titans . . I think he and Red Devil may just be the next Blue & . . er, Red? Anyways, they kind of have a love / hate relationship. This issue he makes some contact with the Justice Society . . specifically Doc Mid-Nite. I've also enjoyed some of the twists and turns that have occurred throughout this series. This issue he gets played by a politician with aspirations for Governor . . " . . Blue Beetle has been officially Deputized by the DA's office and the US Border Patrol. Our city's own hero will be the point man for all border protection activities in this sector!" Afterwards Jamie has the typical teen-age response, "I have no idea what I just got signed up for. But I'm pretty sure it's gonna' suck." Anyways, I'm not trying to sell you on this series. It's one of those books, either you like it . . or you don't. But, after reading all of these issues, I do feel that this character, and this title, still has some huge untapped potential. Whether it reaches it or not is really all up to it's creative team . . currently, Matthew Sturges and Andre Coelho. But, the ride is half the fun . . right?

Blue Beetle #30 - DC

I think Matthew Sturges has done a pretty decent job with this story since he's came on board. I like the way that he's handling Jamie . . and his whole cast of characters for that matter. Also he's proven to me that he can write a pretty decent story without Bill Willingham. Jamie's trying to have a personal life . . good luck with that . . and keep his other job from affecting his friends and family to much. But as he learns while on a double-date, it doesn't take to much for one to bleed over into the other. I also like how his 'relationship' with the scarab is progressing. I just hope he doesn't come to rely on it to much and can make some decisions on his own. Actually, that's what kind of leads to the end of this issue. Jamie is chasing down the 4 guys that came across the border the other day. He's really worried about them because of the drugs, or whatever, they took that gave them abilities. He's worried about the destruction they could cause in his city. Anyways, he has them confronted and they're at an electrical sub-station. They have magnetic powers, and he remembers from physics that he can use the electricity to make an electro-magnet. It should cancel their powers out. He checks with the Scarab to make sure he's not over doing it. After getting the green light, he gives it a shot. He takes them down, but then he finds out they're on the brink of death. He feels guilty for what he did, but he also knows that he listened to the Scarab. The issue ends with he, and the 4 guys, surrounded by police and ambulances. Matt does a good job of expressing Jamie's frustration and lack of experience. Also, I have to say, I'm not a big fan of Rafael Albuquerque's art, however . . I thought he did a nice job on the most recent issue of Superman/Batman. So I know he has it in him. I think he just tries to give this book a certain feel. Which I can appreciate, but . . it's not always my favorite. However, it is consistent. This book has really come a long way since it's inception. I really didn't think it was going to make it this far.

Blue Beetle #29 - DC

Maybe it's just me, but this issue seemed to be a political statement about the way this country handles it's borders and it's immigrants. But I don't really like that word. So . . let's say 'displaced citizens of neighboring countries'. That sounds better. 'Immigrant' isn't necessarily a bad word . . it just has such a negative connotation to it. So, as with anything that makes us feel uncomfortable . . . lets avoid it. That's the way this country handles everything . . . right? Let's just say that what I do in the real world, allows me to see how people treat others of different nationalities. They could be born in the US, and speak perfect English . . . heck, they could even be 2nd or 3rd generation, but . . . they get treated as if they just got off a boat, or crossed a border. To me, that's demeaning and ignorant. I mean, think about it. At one time, or another, we, or our ancestors, were all 'displaced citizens of neighboring countries'. And to me, with the world being as small as it is nowadays . . . every country is our neighbor. I'm sorry! I'll get off my soap-box. Anyways, we see this issue that a lot of times, people trying to get into this country are treated like someone who just broke out of prison. We don't stop to think that 9 times out of 10, they're just people trying to make a better life for themselves. I'm not saying they should be coddled, but they should be given more opportunities to enter our country under legal means. They are human beings after all. Sorry! The soap-box came out again. Lets just say that for a book that I didn't think was going to make it, I'm actually beginning to like this one. Because of Jamie's Hispanic origin, and the location of this series in Texas, it affords the story-teller, Matthew Sturges, the opportunity to address some hot topics as a natural part of the story-telling process. I'm also beginning to enjoy Rafael Albuquerque's artwork more and more. He's not one of my favorites, but . . . he gives this book a certain style and it's consistent from issue to issue. And now that we've gotten to know Jaime more, and he's learning the 'ins & outs' of the super-hero biz . . he's becoming a character that the reader can care about more and more. And that, after all, are the ingredients to a well constructed book. Thank you!

Blue Beetle #28 - DC

I have to say I had kind of mixed feelings about this issue. Next issue Matt Sturges takes over on the scripting chores, beginning some new adventures for Jamie. This issue, while I enjoyed it, kind of felt like a fill in issue to me. It didn't seem overly thought out or constructed. I felt like this Dr. Mephistopheles was just kind of thrown in here to take up some space. I mean, the threat wasn't even real. Peacemaker and Dani Garrett show up, to explain to the gang who this guy is. Other than that though, they really served no purpose. In fact, it seems like the Dr., and his pet . . yes that's his pet on the cover . . are simply trying to survive. Basically he has a pet bulldog that he can somehow put into this transformation. But any damage that's been done has really been only for survival. Well . . that, and I'm sure the rambunctious playful demeanor of a pet dog. So, sooner or later, Jamie would've caught them in the act, or come across them. And seeing as how this Dr. is probably close to 100 years old, and this dog seems to be the only thing he has left . . Jamie can't bring himself to harm either of them. So there really isn't a whole lot of resolution to this story either. I really felt like Will Pfeifer just kind of threw this story together on his way to do something else. It didn't feel like a lot of effort was put in to this one. Actually, this almost felt like a final issue type story. You know, something just to fill in that last book. Anyways, next issue, Matt with be taking over on the scripts and Rafael will be back on the art. I'd like to get my hopes up, but . . I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Blue Beetle #27 - DC

I'm kind of surprised that this relationship between Jamie and Tracy is going so well. I'm not trying to be negative about it, but . . they just have so many things going against them. First of all there's the whole science and magic thing. It just seems to me that there would be a lot more friction between them because of the sources of their powers. I don't mean like personal friction, I mean like magnets . . polar opposites. Secondly, it may just be me, but Tracy does seem a bit bossy. I know she has a lot more experience with her powers, and, I would guess, she's probably a bit older than Jamie. Add to that the fact that women mature faster . . . I think it's the role she's comfortable with. Finally, the relationship between Jamie and the Scarab is really entering new territory. I'm not sure if the Scarab's sentient. But, it does seem aware of it's existence. And if that's true, than Jamie is it's whole life. It has nowhere else to go . . even if it wanted to. So, I could see it being, maybe, jealous . . or at the least stand-offish about Jamie's friendship, or relationship, with Tracy. I mean, back on the Reach ship, Jamie and the Scarab did actually save each other. We could argue that the Scarab was just doing what it was told, but . . I think there's more to it than that. Anyways, this issue was the usual stuff if the story of their burgeoning relationship. There was a threat that seemed more magical in nature, and together they figured out how to beat it. However, this time, it seems that Tracy did most of the work because of it's magical origins. I'm not sure how Jamie feels about that. But the main thing that's come to my attention out of this issue? These characters have prompted this much speculation from me about their on-going lives. For me, it speaks volumes about the writer if the story sparks this much emotional reasoning. This book, and this character, have really come a long way. I'm still not thrilled with the art, but, obviously, the stories have sucked us in. And really, in the end, that's all the creators can ask for. Mission accomplished!

Blue Beetle #26 - DC

Of the 26 issues of this book, I'd have to say that this one was my least favorite so far. It wasn't because of the Spanish thing . . specifically. It was actually more of the way that I had to read the book. If you don't know, this issue was billed as an all Spanish issue. Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, is after-all of Spanish origin. Which is fine. The premise is that he's taking Traci, his new girlfriend, to their family reunion to meet his relatives. However on the Leal side of his family . . no one speaks English. Rather than subtitle everything, they just went with the flow of any other family talking and catching up. But, since they're Spanish, everything's in Spanish. I get that. But, then in the back of the book, they have each page broke down by the word balloons and everything translated for us. Which is good, because while I know a little Spanish, I don't know enough for all the conversations. The problem I had though is that I had to look at the page, and then flip back and read the word balloons. And then look at the pictures again to fit the conversations with the pictures I already looked at. It was just . . disrupting. Like I said, I get what they were trying to do. It was a neat concept. However I think the execution didn't favor a smooth reading experience. You know what I mean? Anyways, Jamie introduces Traci to the family. He finds out that his Grandma knows his secret, and that the whole family stands behind him. "The last thing you need to worry about is whether or not your family supports you, Jaime. We love you and trust you and know you're doing what's right for all of us and all of El Paso." He ends up fighting, and beating, the Parasite. He attacked the Posse and took all of their powers, and then he was going to come after Jaime. That is until Jamie came to him. Next issue Will Pfeifer comes on board as the scripter. I don't know if it's a permanent thing, but it looks like it's at least for the next couple of issues. I really like this book, and this character. I think it's come a long way since it first started.

Blue Beetle #25 - DC

I hate to admit it . . because I gave this book such a hard time when it first came out . . . but, I'm really getting in to this title. I really don't like the art any better. But, that being said, I've gotten used to it. So, in my eyes, all the credit needs to go to John Rogers for writing some fantastic stories, and the job he's done on really getting us to care about these characters. Gradually, over the last 25 issues, John has shown us bits and pieces into Jamie Reyes' character. We've seen what a unique person he is, and how well he's adapted to this role he's been thrust in to. He's also been introducing us, gradually, to the Scarab . . or Blue Beetle . . who we find out this issues name is Khaji Da. Jamie and he, I presume, have been talking more and more as this series progress'. But, I truly think, after this arc, that they'll be working together better than ever. They'll be true teammates. Basically, this issue, Jamie finishes taking down the Reach. A job he started an issue or 2 ago. I was also pleasantly surprised by the guest-stars this issue. They include, Booster Gold, Fire & Ice . . not together . . Guy Gardner and the Peacemaker. Next issue is an all Spanish issue. (??) And Jamie and Traci go out on their first date. I have to say, I'm really enjoying this book right now. Thanks to all involved.