DCU Comic Book Reviews

BLUE BEETLE #5

Secrets, Part 1

September 2006

Written by Keith Giffen & John Rogers

Pencils by Duncan Rouleau

Inks by Duncan Rouleau

Cover by Duncan Rouleau

Synopsis

While waiting for Paco, Jaime is visited by the Phantom Stranger, who wants to discern if the scarab is tied into the tenth age of magic.  The Stranger realizes that the Blue Beetle is not what he expected, but will lead him to the one he seeks.  After the Strange leaves, Paco and Damper arrive to lead Jaime to the Posse.  As they are walking, they are being watched.  Elsewhere, Brenda is eating lunch with Tia, who wants to know more about Jaime and why he disappeared for a year.  Meanwhile, the Diviner orders a grotesque creature called the Bottom Feeder to find Bonita’s daughter.  With the Posse, Jaime wants to find Probe.  He is told that she disappeared, thanks to La Dama.  Suddenly Bonita rushes in to the meeting, telling them her baby is gone and blaming Jaime.  Damper tells her Jaime didn’t do it.  Jaime offers to find the baby.  Jaime turns into the Blue beetle and finds Bottom Feeder with the baby and is able to take her back.  However, Bottom Feeder continues to attack.  To fight back, Jaime hands the baby to a motorcycle rider.  Blue Beetle fights Bottom Feeder, eventually dumping him into the river as a television news helicopter films the entire thing....

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Rescue the baby.  Deliver her -- unharmed -- to Warehouse 13.  Catch a shower.  I just threw that last one in as a favor.  Make of it what you will.”

After five issues not much has happened and things seem to be moving pretty slow, which I am fine with, but I find my patience is starting to wear a little thin.  I want something to happen, an event that helps define Blue Beetle and his place.  And I don’t mean in the DCU, but in his own title.  For instance, we know Clark Kent works at the Daily Planet, we know Batman has the bat cave.  So, what do we know about Jaime?  At some point, some of the foundation of the character, the basic points we all know, needs to be laid down for this series.  Super hero characters have basic standard settings that readers, even casual readers, recognize and this book needs to establish these.  Is this series going to focus on magic?  Will the posse become allies of sorts or is this just part of the initial story and they will be forgotten soon?  I am hoping this particular story arc will either establish the posse in the book or will point the Blue Beetle towards whatever status quo they’ll adopt for him. 

Despite the rant above, I did like this issue and so far I like the series.  There is a lot going on with different characters and different plots that have kept my interest and I am definitely looking forward to the next issue, especially now that Blue Beetle has been outed. 

Unless I missed something (and I possibly did) why would the apparently much older Tia be eating lunch with teenager Brenda?  What type of relationship do they have?

This is the second issue in which a fairly famous character within the DCU appears on the cover and on the first couple and then disappears for the rest of the book without having any type of impact on the main plot of the book.  At least in the case with the Phantom Stranger, I am going to make a guess and suggest that the one he is referring to is the little girl, Bonita’s daughter. 

Bottom Feeder?  This is a name?  Yeesh.

 

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