Despite my inherent anger at the prospect of replacing Ted Kord with some random new kid (knowing for the first time just how Hal Jordan fans felt in the mid-nineties, even though being a Jordan “fan” remains a bizarre concept), I gave the new Blue Beetle series a shot when it first launched. I’m glad I did, as it immediately established itself as one of the best pure superhero yarns DC has put out in years – smart, funny, character-driven and with neat technological tricks. It’s very much reminiscent of Spider-Man at its best, as a wisecracking teenaged hero struggles to get to grips with powers he never asked for, but feels a strong inherent sense to do right with. Sadly, an incident involving a bag and a bottle of water meant that I managed to wreck the complete run of the first thirteen or so issues that I had – and after that, I found it difficult to bring myself to keep buying it month on month, particularly as the storyline it was in the middle of at the time – involving Jack Kirby’s New Gods – was the least interesting so far.

I’ve been looking for a way to get back into it, however, and despite being in the middle of its first truly climactic story arc – Jaime Reyes having finally found out the secret behind the alien technology wielded to his spine, and the machinations of the race that created it – this issue provides an excellent jumping-on (or jumping-back-on) point. John Rogers, now in sole writing command after Keith Giffen departed in a manner akin to a parent steering their child’s bike along the first few yards then letting go, has kept the story building up to what looks set to be a storming conclusion, and has maintained the sharp character comedy, the zinging dialogue between Jaime and his friends Paco and Brenda still one of the book’s main selling points. The affectionate nods to the Kord era remain, as well – with two excellent gags, one involving Booster Gold, and the other on a first page which also provides superbly concise exposition for the new or returning reader. There are other neat touches, such as the Scarab finally speaking Jaime’s language for the first time, a moment which demonstrates its shift in allegiance from its masters to its host – continuing its progression towards being a “character” in its own right.

I’m struggling to remember a “main universe” title from either of the big two that’s been as entertaining as this in recent years. There’s a zesty energy to it that bounces off the page – and that goes for the art, too, even though Rafael Albuquerque doesn’t quite match the sharp quality of original artist Cully Hamner – and despite being full of potentially baffling garble about the alien antagonists and their technology, it never feels overwhelming. It’s deeply impressive how such a well-defined support cast has been established in such a short time, as well. And I’ll persist in my opinion that Beetle’s costume is the coolest in comics at the moment. Really, if you’re a superhero fan – and particularly a Marvel fan, as it’s the most Marvelish book they’ve never published – you’ve got no excuse not to be picking this up.

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