Blue Beetle #24

So have I mentioned lately how much I love this book? It is good. No...it is BEYOND good. It is insanely good.

Things are really heating up now. Jaime has been taken prisoner by the Reach, and his family has been targeted for death. Fortunately, everyone does manage to get out of the the house before it is destroyed, and although they may be a bit battered and in shock, they are all alive. In fact, things even start to improve a little bit.



Traci is an amazing girlfriend.

Then Paco pulls up in the Beetlemobile, and they all pile in. Brenda is a tiny bit jealous of Traci, but then who wouldn't be? Meanwhile, back on the Reach ship, Jaime is having his own problems. They ripped the scarab right out of his back last issue, and so far, his situation has deteriorated lamentably.



But he's the Blue Beetle, dammit. And Blue Beetles "...don't need no stinking powers!"

Yes, Jaime busts out, by speaking what seems to be scarab talk, clobbers a guard, grabs a weapon,and decides that he needs pants. Pants, then spaceship. In that order. He even grabs a pair of yellow goggles, all of which is making my heart palpitate with delight. Then he steals a little escape pod thing, and heads for the engines. He's got all the Reach on the basically running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Ted Kord would be proud. Guy would be proud.

The nasty old Negotiator for the Reach is starting to lose his temper. He sends his main flunky down to Earth to dispose of Jaime's family, which doesn't go as well as they think it will, mainly because the Reyes' have Traci helping out, NOT to mention Peacemaker and posse, and La Dama, and some Intergang weaponry. Have I mentioned that Mr. Reyes can KICK ASS?!!

Back on the ship, Jaime continues to mess with their poor Reach minds. he enters a code in to the ship's computers that they cannot seem to deciper, and the poor Negotiator is really starting to lose his grip on things.

There is some trouble back on Earth however. Mrs. Reyes has Brenda grab Milago so that she can get her out the danger zone, but they get flanked, and Brenda is lying (hopefully) unconcious on the ground. Jaime has also finally been nabbed, and taken before the Negotiator, who, needless to say, is fit to be tied. He demands that Jaime tell him what the code is, and like the hero that he is, Jaime says no, whereupon the Negotiator tells him fine then, does he have any last words?




Jaime has just two. Khaji Da!

At this point, I just gave up and passed out from the sheer magnificence of it all. There are some lovely things going on in this issue, from the cover, with its reference to the death of Ted Kord, to Jaime running around in what looks a bit like Ted's old suit, and even the yellow goggles. But that LAST bit, was how Dan Garrett used to wake up the scarab! Gah! That's a cliffhanger and a half!

The art is lovely as usual, with Rafael Albuquerque doing the chores, and John Rogers as the writer. THIS is what a comic should be. It's lighthearted, it doesn take itself too seriously, it uses continuity without being a slave to it, there is action, there is plot, there is humor, there is face-kicking action and danger...it's just about perfect. It has the world's best supporting cast, and beautifully fleshed out characters

Tim doesn't think that Jaime is Titans material? It's true. He's not a loser! Haw!

Read this. Savor it and enjoy it.