DCU Comic Book Reviews

BLUE BEETLE #20

Fear To Live

December 2007

Written by John Rogers

Pencils by Rafael Albuquerque

Inks by Rafael Albuquerque

Cover by Rafael Albuquerque

Synopsis

In the middle of the war between the Green Lantern Corps and Sinestro’s Corps, a yellow ring finds Christopher Smith (aka The Peacemaker).  The Reach decide to let the yellow ring and the scarab they implanted within him mix to see what happens.  Meanwhile, Jaime Reyes (aka Blue Beetle) senses the presence of the yellow ring and goes out to investigate.  Near Fort Bliss, he is attacked by the Peacemaker, who now calls himself the Infiltrator.  He has come to kill Blue Beetle.  As the two are battling, they are joined by Green Lantern Brik, who fights them both since the Lanterns and the Reach are enemies.  Jaime convinces her that he is not a tool of the Reach.  She agrees to help, for the moment.  While Brik creates a distraction, Jaime pierces the armor of the Infiltrator and is able to enter Peacemaker’s mind.  Jaime convinces him to overcome the fear.  When the yellow ring realizes the Peacemaker does not desire fear, it leaves.  The scarab then powers down.  Afraid of the monster he had had become, Peacemaker cuts the scarab out of his back.  As he bleeds all over, he asks if a man can have any peace. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This issue was not at all what I was expecting.  This is not a comment on the quality of the issue, but rather a comment on the type of story Rogers wrote.  Besides the fact that the cover is misleading by showing a character that never appears in the issue, I really expected a story that would deal with the Sinestro War, but not get too involved in that plot while dealing with some continuity with this title, but not getting too involved in the overarching story.  It seems strange to advertise a tie-in and then write a story that is heavily (and I do mean heavily) involved in the book’s continuity.  And that is what we got here.  Since the first time he appeared in the book, the Peacemaker’s role has been on the periphery, but also hinted at something more.  This is the issue for something more.  Rogers provides a deeper look at the Peacemaker and his past, showing that he thinks himself to be a monster because of his father’s ties to Hitler.  It is an interesting look at his character and Rogers sets a somber, serious tone that fits well with the ending.  Although the fight seems arbitrary and Brik’s role seems forced (as if Rogers felt the need, or editorial told him, to include a Green Lantern because of the tie-in), Rogers does a good job with the story, weaving in a number of different threads from previous issue to tell a compelling story about Peacemaker’s past.  But with the possibility of gaining new readers with the Sinestro tie-in, it seems like a bad choice, not in only in terms of the tone but also the content.  It doesn’t showcase the book’s strengths (the diverse cast and their relationships, the humor, Jaime’s attempts to become hero, etc.) and I think you haven’t been following the continuity, one could easily get lost (especially since the relationship between the Reach and Green Lanterns is not really explained fully). 

I am curious to know if Peacemaker is dead or just badly injured.  If I had to guess, it is the latter.  It makes the most sense.  But, I think the potential for some interesting stories lies with the Peacemaker being dead. Remember, he carries a portion of the Blue Beetle scarab.  If he were to die, what would happen to that information?  Would it die with him?  Or would it find a new host, one who could easily bend to the Reach’s will more so than the Peacemaker.

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