Blue Beetle Volume 1: Shellshocked
A review of the relaunch of one of comics more obscure heroes.
Aug 14, 2008
- Blue Beetle: Volume One: Shellshocked
- Available from DC Comics
- 144 Pages
- Originally Published 2006
- ISBN 1-4012-0965-3
And Peter Parker Thought He Had It Rough...
Shellshocked is a book that anyone who's never heard of the Blue Beetle can still pick up and enjoy. The series starts with a mysterious artifact binding itself to teenager Jaime Reyes. This artifact is a scarab which once belonged to two other men who took up the mantle of the Blue Beetle, but for Jaime, its powers are greatly different than those given to his predecessors.
For Jaime, the relationship with the scarab is more symbiotic. He can hear its 'voice' and interact with it, and it also grants him great power and a spectacular shell-like armor for protection. The problem is, the suit has a mind of its own...
Shellshocked, being the first volume in the new series, deals with Jaime adjusting to his new heroic status and learning how to use the powers given him by the scarab, as well as learning to coexist with the second consciousness now inhabiting his body.
Keith Giffen and John Rogers, the writers of the series, do an admirable job of showing what would happen if an ordinary teenager were suddenly thrust into the role of hero. The writing is solid, funny and the dialogue rings true. The relationships between characters are realistic and its hard not to see a little of your own circle of friends and family within the story's cast.
An added bonus is that it's not hard to get into the series, even if you have a limited amount of knowledge about the DC comics universe. Everything is explained, but not in a way that feels like unnecessary exposition. Never do you feel like you're being led by the hand from point A to point B. The story flows naturally and draws you in deeper the further along you get.
Forty years ago, when Peter Parker became the first teen superhero, Spider-Man, it was a novel concept. Now, with hundreds of teenage heroes floating around in comics, Blue Beetle: Shellshocked breathes new life into the genre, puts a fresh spin on a now tired cliche and 'mild mannered teen receives superpowers' has never felt so believable.
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