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Blue Beetle Rules

LibrarianThorneLibrarianThorne Registered User regular
edited April 2007 in Graphic Violence
Just thought I should tell you all to read the new Blue Beetle stuff, by John Rogers. It's... fantastic, and everything that is wonderful about superhero comics today.

Jaime Reyes is the Blue Beetle, but being a superhero, especially after the other superheroes leave you in space for a year, is never easy. His super-armor is sociopathic and always homicidal, weird threats from all over the DC Universe seem to make stopovers in his hometown of El Paso, and to top it all off the loving aunt of his best friend is his archenemy.

Suffice it to say, there are crazy hijinx, foreheads of JUSTICE, explosions, mysteries, aliens, and all the stuff that makes 4 color superheroes awesome.

So pick up Volume 1: Shellshocked and give it a read. Because the Blue Beetle is steadily declining in sales, and if this were a Just And Good Universe, it would be outselling the Justice League of America.

LibrarianThorne on

Posts

  • Sars_BoySars_Boy Rest, You Are The Lightning. Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    wait never mind

    Munch is going to hate this

    Sars_Boy on
  • Unco-ordinatedUnco-ordinated NZRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    The Blue Beetle series is fantastic. I was worried that after Giffen left, the series would be downhill but it really hasn't. I'm looking forward to the Guy Gardner and Superman cameos.

    On that note, I'd also like to say that All New Atom is freaking awesome as well.

    Unco-ordinated on
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  • HooraydiationHooraydiation Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Hooraydiation on
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  • HtownHtown Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Suffice it to say, there are crazy hijinx, foreheads of JUSTICE...
    That was the best line of the whole series.

    Htown on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited April 2007
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Are you a mexican teenager with a wise-cracking little sister, a rich white girlfriend, and a mexican friend that's in a gang?

    Garlic Bread on
  • Bad KarmaBad Karma Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Sars_Boy wrote: »
    wait never mind

    Munch is going to hate this

    Who cares? He made me sick of whats his name anyways. Plus, he doesn't even own the Minimate. Superfan my ass.

    I think the book is really good, though I thought it got off to a rocky start, and figured it would continue to stumble after Giffen left, but suffice to say Im still interested in Jamies misadventures.

    Bad Karma on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited April 2007
    I haven't picked it up since Giffen left, I believe. That one issue just by Rogers (before Giffen was completely off) was pretty bad

    but it was around my "oh hey i can't afford all these comics) point and I haven't jumped back on yet

    Garlic Bread on
  • HooraydiationHooraydiation Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Keith wrote: »
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Are you a mexican teenager with a wise-cracking little sister, a rich white girlfriend, and a mexican friend that's in a gang?

    Yes! And every other medium of entertainment has failed me up until this point.

    Hooraydiation on
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  • Bad KarmaBad Karma Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    My only real complaint now is that I don't really dig Albuquerque's art too much.

    Karl Kerschl would do well with the book.

    Bad Karma on
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  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited April 2007
    I think Munch actually likes the new series.

    DJ Eebs on
  • Calamity JaneCalamity Jane That Wrong Love Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Keith wrote: »
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Are you a mexican teenager with a wise-cracking little sister, a rich white girlfriend, and a mexican friend that's in a gang?

    Yes! And every other medium of entertainment has failed me up until this point.

    That's not fair. Wrestling had you covered numerous times.

    Calamity Jane on
    twitter https://twitter.com/mperezwritesirl michelle patreon https://www.patreon.com/thatwronglove michelle's comic book from IMAGE COMICS you can order http://a.co/dn5YeUD
  • Bad KarmaBad Karma Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Geebs wrote: »
    I think Munch actually likes the new series.

    I thought I remember him saying that he was going to drop it after they explain what the scarab really is / was.

    Bad Karma on
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  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited April 2007
    Bad Karma wrote: »
    Geebs wrote: »
    I think Munch actually likes the new series.

    I thought I remember him saying that he was going to drop it after they explain what the scarab really is / was.

    I think he was mentioning how it was entertaining or something, and that he's looking forward to the issue with Guy Gardner.

    Or we can wait til he logs on and let him speak for himself.

    DJ Eebs on
  • Bad KarmaBad Karma Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    The Minimate doesn't lie..he was bald.

    bbminimate.jpg

    Bad Karma on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited April 2007
    what about, you know...


    down there?

    Garlic Bread on
  • Bad KarmaBad Karma Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I don't want to scrape the paint off.

    Bad Karma on
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  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Geebs wrote: »
    Bad Karma wrote: »
    Geebs wrote: »
    I think Munch actually likes the new series.

    I thought I remember him saying that he was going to drop it after they explain what the scarab really is / was.

    I think he was mentioning how it was entertaining or something, and that he's looking forward to the issue with Guy Gardner.

    Or we can wait til he logs on and let him speak for himself.

    I'm mostly ambivalent towards the series. I mean, it's pretty good, but it's basically Invincible, in the DCU, with a teenager wearing my favorite character's name. So why not just read Invincible, and not have to flip past ads or worry about editorial stepping in to muck things up. It doesn't help that Rogers isn't very good at writing dramatic dialogue, (Paraphrasing here, but, "He's trying to hurt a baby?! I'm not letting anyone hurt a baby!" and, "This isn't you! It's the scarabs! You have a choice!" just kind of made me cringe) and Jaime's still has a really generic personality. He's just so bland, that his supporting cast ends up overshadowing him. I mean, it's not a bad book, but it's felt really directionless right up until the last issue, and with solicits indicating Jaime will be going up against Eclipso and other such nonsense, I'm not really sure that's going to improve. Still, I'm pretty pumped for the next issue just because it has A) Guy Gardner and B) much Ted love according to Rogers.

    Like I said, it's pretty good, from an objective standpoint, but I won't be upset when it's cancelled. Until then I'll probably keep buying it just to keep a full run.

    Munch on
  • Bloods EndBloods End Blade of Tyshalle Punch dimensionRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Munch wrote: »
    Geebs wrote: »
    Bad Karma wrote: »
    Geebs wrote: »
    I think Munch actually likes the new series.

    I thought I remember him saying that he was going to drop it after they explain what the scarab really is / was.

    I think he was mentioning how it was entertaining or something, and that he's looking forward to the issue with Guy Gardner.

    Or we can wait til he logs on and let him speak for himself.

    It doesn't help that Rogers isn't very good at writing dramatic dialogue, (Paraphrasing here, but, "He's trying to hurt a baby?! I'm not letting anyone hurt a baby!"

    Whoa.

    See, this this right here is awesome
    0001xgc5

    I hate you munch.

    Bloods End on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Yes, now please post the next page where he's flying over the city with an angry look saying, "I'm not letting anybody hurt a baby." People do not talk like this. And they certainly don't talk like that ten minutes after they said the comment leading up to that one.

    Buy hey, there is this;
    But, that said, there [were] hints of a Ted Kord/Booster Gold project in the future. If Booster survives 52, that is...

    Woooooo!

    Munch on
  • HooraydiationHooraydiation Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I can never tell if dialogue is genuinely bad, or just meant to reflect a lack of eloquence on the part of the speakers.

    I guess it becomes obvious when they make it clear you should really be paying attention to what they have to say.

    But then, I could see an average teenager saying, "I'm not letting anybody hurt a baby." Compare that to these quotes from "The Real World".
    Melissa: That's your car? That's nice! I never dated anyone with a nice car, usually I have to pick them up cuz' they're trifling and don't have jobs.

    Frat Matt: My dad, that was one rule that he always made with us, as long as we were in school he doesn't like us to have jobs. So...
    Melissa: That's a great rule! I said, "Dad, I want a car and he's like, "Well baby, you want a job."

    Melissa: He's very attractive but, I can't deal with spoiled frat boys in Gucci shoes.

    Melissa: He's got Gucci shoes on, you know. I'm sitting here in Target jeans, it's just not gonna work out.
    Jason: There's no reason to like lie to one another. Because, you know, some of us are gonna like and some of us are gonna hate either way.

    Kahmeela: I had this friend and we had a long distance relationship for so long, but then when he got around me he bugged the hell out of me! We had to talk over the phone because I could not deal with him face to face.

    Kahmeela: Men seem like they're such a small part of my life, but for some reason they consume so much emotion.

    [from her list of the things she requires in a man]
    Kahmeela: 47: Has a name with more than one syllable.

    Hooraydiation on
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  • LibrarianThorneLibrarianThorne Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I really think the lack of eloquence is because the main characters are mostly, you know, teenagers. I don't know if you've attended public high school, but speechifyin' is not really going on, ever.

    I think the Phantom Stranger and the New Gods were suitably eloquent and mysterious, and I absolutely loved Lonar's dialogue. The New Gods issues were what really hooked me into the book, and I can't wait for Jaime's reaction to Superman. I'm a hugh Superman fan, and seeing how the new Beetle will interact with Big Blue is great. It's also fantastic to see Guy Gardner show up again to not really apologize, but make up for acting like such a dick in the first issue.

    You are right, Munch. Blue Beetle is like Invincible in the DCU, in that it's about a teen hero with an unusual background. Beyond that, though, the setting is what really makes Blue Beetle for me. With Action Comics and Superman, Big Blue isn't really interacting with the rest of the DCU, and neither is Batman nor Wonder Woman. JLA is pretty much off on its own, too. Blue Beetle dives right into the wider DCU and embraces the entire concept that makes the DCU work; that being that Earth is a world of heroes. Now you've got this hero who never really asked to be bodyjacked by a homicidal bug, got dumped by the rest of the heroes, and has to adapt to a world that moved on without him for a year.

    Seeing him acclimate to his responsibilites and deal with the fact that he's got to do right is really interesting for me. Now that he's acclimated and is handling his very own Alien Invasion, things are really cooking.

    Also, I never, ever thought that I would give a damn about the character of the Peacemaker. It takes some writing skill to make such a Z-list character not only likeable, but incredibly interesting and exciting to read. Dealing with the robbery of the corner store was probably one of the best scenes thus far in Blue Beetle.

    As to Ted Kord, I love him too. I really think he and Jaime would really complement each other in a fantastically snarky manner. Of course, I expect most people will pick up Blue Beetle when Ted is inevitably resurrected within its pages.

    LibrarianThorne on
  • LuxLux Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    This is one of my favorite books. Especially after #13, where it finally felt like everything was established and ready to go. John Rogers is great at humor.
    Keith wrote: »
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Are you a mexican teenager with a wise-cracking little sister, a rich white girlfriend, and a mexican friend that's in a gang?

    Uh, even if you aren't, there's more to people to identify with than that. You don't have to be Mexican at all to identify with a Mexican character. They are not defining him by his ethnicity.

    Lux on
  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited April 2007
    Lux wrote: »
    This is one of my favorite books. Especially after #13, where it finally felt like everything was established and ready to go. John Rogers is great at humor.
    Keith wrote: »
    I'm glad there's finally a Blue Beetle I can relate to.

    Are you a mexican teenager with a wise-cracking little sister, a rich white girlfriend, and a mexican friend that's in a gang?

    Uh, even if you aren't, there's more to people to identify with than that. You don't have to be Mexican at all to identify with a Mexican character. They are not defining him by his ethnicity.

    So apparently you don't get humor.

    Garlic Bread on
  • Pantaley ShlopapaPantaley Shlopapa Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I enjoy the new BB about as much as I can, and Rogers hasn't done that bad of a job but I still can't get over his credentials...or lack thereof.

    untitledyc0.png

    I know there are worse writers, but still, Catwoman, The Core, and American Outlaws? It's like the guy hates writing.

    Pantaley Shlopapa on
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  • Evan WatersEvan Waters Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    You realize that most scripts for big-budget movies get hacked up worse than a camper in a FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH movie, right? On top of which, it's always hard to tell who actually wrote a given film because the WGA's arbitration process is so fucked.

    Rogers may have, at one point, written something that in some incarnation was incorporated into CATWOMAN; that's really all you can tell from the credit.

    Evan Waters on
  • Pantaley ShlopapaPantaley Shlopapa Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I'm not saying he's fucking responsible for most everything he's done being total shit, I'm just saying he had a part in writing it. Each film has a different number of contributing writers, the ones he's been attached to have had around three, so obviously it's not a problem with just Rogers. His resume just isn't that impressive and could have possibly fucked up a pretty decent title, but it didn't so it's all cool.

    To summarize, bad things seem to follow John Rogers, just not this time apparently.

    Pantaley Shlopapa on
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