Blue Beetle #7 review

The cover promises fun, and by gum, that’s what we get inside as Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes and Booster Gold go on a quest to help Blue Beetle Ted Kord get himself together. Literally.

It’s an old school quest, the kind of thing the Justice League would occupy themselves with every other month in the Silver Age. And it’s the League which provides the first stop-off for Jaime, though not the original team.

After sorting out the anchor business with a JLI stalwart (whose powers are, surprisingly, mis-described), it’s stop number two, a long way in the future.

While advised by Booster’s drone pal Skeets to stay on the sidelines, Jaime can’t but help the good guys against, if my memory of the 5YL Legion of Super-Heroes is correct, B.I.O.N. Along the way he activates the time anchor and ends up somewhere a lot more prosaic.

Home, at the beginning of his career, where he gets to have a rather poignant chat with his mother. And then, with all three time anchors activated, it’s back through the time stream in Booster’s Time Bubble, where we have the mission’s first real blip.

And then we meet the person who has been sending shadowy agents to keep an eye on Jaime throughout the issue…

If the cover didn’t tip you off, by now you’ll have caught on to the common thread between this issue’s guest stars and situations – the great, and recently late, Keith Giffen. The JLI, the Legion and Jaime himself are all characters co-created or reinvigorated by Giffen, and it’s great to take a whistle stop tour of the man’s imagination. Writer Josh Trujillo keeps things moving at a breakneck pace in what serves as a breather issue after the recent Scarab War storyline. Having not read Jaime’s series since the first couple of issues – blame whole pages of untranslated Spanish, despite DC actually producing a Spanish edition alongside the regular US one – it’s nice to be back. Everything is in English, meaning I can actually appreciate Trujillo’s skill. Jaime continues to be thoroughly likeable, while the ever-confusing Reach mythology is kept to a minimum. Trujillo’s Giffen fandom is delightfully evident, right down to the detail of writing nine-panel grids for the Legion pages.

As for the climactic scene with the surprise antagonist – don’t look at the cover too closely! – it is just wonderful. I have no idea what newer comic fans will make of this hymn to Eighties DC but I’m very grateful to Trujillo, editors Andrew Marino and Katie Kubert and all the artists for a fun, touching time.

Because as well as talented series regular Adrián Gutiérrez handling the framing sequences in fine style, we have Fire & Ice artist Natasha Bustos on JLI, Justice League 3000 illustrator Howard Porter handling the Legion, Jaime’s original artist Cully Hamner back at his beginning and Scott Kolins, who drew Jaime in the DC Rebirth period, looking after the hilarious climax across time and space. All the artists complement the script, evoking the required tone and giving us plenty of memorable moments. Huge credit to skilled colourists Wil Quintana, Hi-Fi, Laura Martin and Luis Guerrero – Bustos is already working in full colour. And Lucas Gattoni scatters fonts full of vitality across the story, including plenty of in-word balloon logos, something I love.

Top things off with the aforementioned cover by Gutiérrez and Guerrero and you have a labour of love to be treasured. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved in this special edition of Blue Beetle – you did Keith proud!