Blue Beetle #6

My biggest concern with this new "New" Blue Beetle is that I read the entire first series that starred Jamie Reyes.  It was well written, humorous, action packed, and had a connected overall story arc that ran for 25 issues.  For me this DCnU version of an already new and established character was going to be a hard sell.  I signed up though because the liberal in me wanted to support a Latino character and I really liked Jamie and his supporting cast.  Could they take such an already fresh run of a character and reboot it?

Issue 6 here is what I have been waiting for in Blue Beetle.  I watched as it was begun as a darker book.  I saw a Paco that was the underestimated best friend.  I saw the Brenda whom was the possible love interest.  The families of Jamie and Brenda were there and familiar.  There was the new way the scarab talked to Jamie and a group of metas that were not around before.  It was an almost like the original Jamie Reyes Blue Beetle.  Until now.

Last issue the scarab had impaled Paco because he knew about it.  Jamie discovered that the scarab would kill anyone that discovered it was bonded to him.  Jamie forced the scarab to save Paco, but we readers saw Paco transform and leave the hospital as a version of a Beetle soldier.  Here is where we separate from the original.  We now have a Jamie without the loving family that supported him in the original.  Brenda is in danger and Paco in a fight to the death with him.  It does what it needed to do to take a new direction while keeping around the possibilities of what was great about the original.

I will say no more.  You should be reading this title.  Tony Bedard is writing.  He is outstanding.  This has been a great read and that is a fact.  So what are you waiting for?

BDS