Blue Beetle #2

Tony Bedard said in an interview panel (NYCC I believe) that the biggest complaint from issue #1 was too much Spanish/Spanglish. Honestly, I thought it the appropriate amount for a character of latino heritage, and was glad that they didn't speak as if they were from the midwest, which many comics seem to do. It gave it a more authentic touch.

Issue #2 pushed it too far though, and I felt that it got in the way of dialogue. Luckily, every other piece of the issue picks up the slack, albeit if the issue feels a bit brief. This issue feels a lot like postlogue to a longer story, tying up a few loose ends without any major plot advancement. Essentially Jaime saves his friend, drops him off at the party his other friend hosted, and now faces a witch-hunt, as everyone perceives him as a villain.

We also lose the element of Green Lanterns trying to save the worlds from Blue Beetle destruction, which I did enjoy in the first issue. After the first issues, I still believe the best plot-point this book has going for it is a buildup to a full-fledged war between the Blue Beetles and the Green Lantern Corps. Because of Bedard's familiarity with the Green Lanterns from writing those books, this makes this plot concept a unique possibility.

Interestingly, it is learned that Jaime and the Blue Beetle have a unique relationship as the Blue Beetle armor is damaged to a point that Jaime has an ability to resist the deadly whims of the Blue Beetle armor that often takes hold of its host and never lets go, as seen in the first issue, where a Blue Beetle is asked of its name, and it can't remember, only remembers its Blue Beetle name. Jaime seems to be able to control the Blue Beetle, and his growth and learning of how to use the armor should lead to an interesting story arc.

What I enjoyed: Nothing really stood out. It's not bad, just not thrilling. All-in-all, this book rather underwhelms. But what is there is written pretty well, even if the book goes mostly nowhere.

What I didn't: Where's the action? Also, I want to know more of the antagonists in this series!

Conclusion: Not a superb follow-up, but I'm not ready to drop this yet. 7.5/10 (C).