Is that a giant green hand?

[roseembolism]

So, courtesy of scans_daily, we have a reminder of why I love the comic Blue Beetle:
IS. THAT. A GIANT. GREEN. HAND.

For those who don't follow the comic, Jaime Reyes is a teenager who accidentally bonded with a suit of blue, insect-like alien power armor.   I was prepared to dislike this comic, as I was a fan of the former Blue Beetle, Ted Kord (an unpowered gadget-using adventurer kind of like Batman without all the issues).  However, the comic won me over with the quality of the characterization and the snappy dialog.  In may ways the new Blue Beetle is a bit like Spiderman for the current generation, if Spiderman had been written with a more natural, contemporary attitude, and without  the the over-the-top dramatics of Stan Lee.  For instance, I like that they avoided the "I must keep my secret hidden from all those I love", cliche, with Jaime immediately revealing his armor to his friends and family, and then dealing with his loved ones realizing that he may no longer be quite human. 

One other nice thing about this comic is that not only is this one of the few portrayals of latinos in mainstream comics, it's also a very positive portrayal.  Comics have a long, embarrassing history of using minorities as symbols to deal with contemporary issues in a ham-handed way, and  so its refreshing that Jaime is depicted first and foremost as a teenager, not a symbol.  Not that the comic doesen't deal with issues like gangs and immigration, but it puts it's own twist on them, and uses those elements as seeds for interesting stories, and not as proof that the writers are socially conscious.

In fact the whole comic is refreshing- witty and informed by the recent crop of teen action dramas, but so far it hasn't descended into the cloying tongue in cheek attitude of shows like Buffy.  I'm hoping it has a long, entertaining run..

Comments

[baronlaw.livejournal.com]

I gotta say, that is some good comic!

I've always been a big fan of the original Blue Beetle but I think I'll give this new guy a chance.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

I always thought that Ted Kord had been sadly misused and disposed of by DC, so the comic had to work extra hard to win me over. And succeeded.

One thing that grabs me is just how likable the characters are. Do you know how rare it is for me to be able to stand characters in mainstream comics? To have characters that aren't grim batman or X-men clones? Relatively few writers realize that in order to make readers care about the story, one can't just have bad things happen, the reader has to care about the characters. The writers of Blue Beetle, at leat, seem to get that.

[sandpanther.livejournal.com]

Man, Liddell-Hart is some tough reading. Points to any comic that brings up his book on strategy, though!

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

Extra points for a meathead like Guy Gardener being able to plow through it.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

I don't think he quite managed to plow through it- I think he jut looked at it for the pictures.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

It's good to see that DC (much like Marvel) can't let characters go way. Gotta keep milking the fans! Never let a piece of property get away!

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

OOooohh, wookit the wittle grumpy man! He's SO GRUMPY.
YES HE IS. *cheek smoosh*

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

Tiny Latina ladies can kill you with their brain.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

Tiny Latina women don't HAVE to kill you with their brain.