There are rumours swirling about these days that DC and Warner Bros are moving forward with a Blue Beetle movie. I’m not sure how accurate the rumours are, but I do believe it’s important that there is equal representation of different cultures and races on the silver screen. It’s with that effect, I gave the only Blue Beetle New 52 novel a read.
The novel, “Metamorphosis” starts with a high school student, Jaime Reyes as he makes his way through the normalities of that age group. Invited to a party, on the way he ends up being caught in the middle of a fight between two parties of meta-humans looking for an ancient relic. This relic is the Blue Beetle, Khaji-Da, which attaches itself to Jaime granting him the powers, weapons and abilities of an intergalactic warrior. The only issue is, the Beetle was sent by The Reach, an alien race, hellbent on the destruction of the universe, and the novel shows both the Beetle and Jaime struggling for superiority against each other.
I actually thought the story was fairly simple and easy to follow, and this appeals to me because I'm always on the lookout for stories to share with newcomers to comics. Jaime is an interesting character and the dichotomy between his innocence and the Beetle’s plan of destruction is fun to read.
The artwork was good in my opinion, and there were no real complaints on that front. The covers were also pretty good, although my obvious pick was the one above, done by Ivan Reis. Overall it was a good starting point to learn about a new character!
Favourite Panel: People don't give Jaime enough credit. He literally overrides his scarab.
Favourite Character:
Jaime, his need to do the right thing will most likely make him an excellent hero!
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★½
Enjoyability: ★★½
Re-readability: ★★
Level: Beginner