Blue Beetle #3 – Josh Trujillo, Writer; Adrian Gutierrez, Artist; Wil Quintana, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As Jaime Reyes navigates a new status quo where he’s not the only Scarab-bearer on Earth, he came under attack by a mysterious new “Red Beetle” who dodged all his attacks and nearly killed Ted. But last issue he discovered something terrifying—the Scarab was powered by magic, not technology—and that led him to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Traci 13. Traci is now a full-fledged sorceress, working as an employee at the Oblivion Bar while going to college, and she manages to get Jaime in the door. I like this portrayal of friendly exes who are certainly a bit awkward but not holding any real grudges, and all the cameos from Blue Devil to Madame Xanadu are a lot of fun. The latter takes Jaime on a Tarot journey that reveals many of the secrets of the red Scarab’s past—revealing it to not only be called the Blood Scarab, but tying it to Dan Garret’s first adventure in ancient Egypt.
So naturally, Jaime and Traci have to follow that trail, and that turns this title into much more of a horror book than it’s previously been. The magic roots of Blue Beetle have always been here, but Blood Scarab hiding in a cursed tomb is definitely another level. The creative team once again does a great job of showing just how outmatched Jaime is here, with the ancient villain dodging all his attacks and coming close to killing them both before Traci teleports them away. This takes up almost the entire issue, and it keeps the story nice and tight, but we do have some interesting subplots including Brenda keeping a major secret from her friends. I’ve liked this series from the start, and the second volume is a major step up from the first, but I think this is probably the best issue of the entire run. It might do what the character’s needed for a while—give Blue Beetle a true arch-nemesis.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
