Blue Beetle #1 is a shining example of a first issue. It has a perfect balance of everything that could be wanted to start a new series. It’s a perfect jumping-on point for those who have found Blue Beetle from the blockbuster. Read Full Review

Graduation Days spirit continues here without interruption. This is an engaging comic that sets up what promises to be a fun series. Blue Beetle #1s entire creative team does what they did in that mini-series: contribute their talents into a final product that is far more than the sum of its parts. Read Full Review

A lot of opportunity has been gained with this issue. The new antagonist looks great, and I hope we get some more time with them in the next issue, and there is obviously a great foundation for some big growth for Jaime. If you're remotely interested in Blue Beetle, this issue is a win. Read Full Review

Blue Beetle shows how a familiar character can still feel fresh while honoring his past. The story and plot is fun, the art is a high energy romp, and it's a great beginning to Jaime Reyes's new adventures. Read Full Review

It's a tense way to kick off the run, but we've seen this character endangered before. Either way, while the original mini wasn't perfect, it was a great addition to the character's mythos and this looks to build on that. Read Full Review

Blue Beetle #1 is a solid start to the series. While some aspects might feel familiar, it does it all with quality and a bit of fun that'll leave readers wanting more. Add in a rather ominous ending, and we have a series that's not only ready to take shape and flight, but do so in a way that'll stand out from the pack. Read Full Review

It may not be the best of the Dawn of DC line, but Blue Beetle is still a lot of fun. New characters, classic supporting cast members, and a fascinating antagonist offer a new path for the hero. If Blue Beetle: Graduation Day ended somewhat disappointingly, the first issue ofBlue Beetle restores everything interesting that the mini was exploring. Legacy, community, and prejudice are at the heart of this story. It's exactly what Jaime needs. It will be interesting to see what Josh Trujillo will do with the Blue Beetle going forward especially after that shocking ending. Read Full Review

"Blue Bettle #1 is competently plotted and full of heart but its lack of accessibility holds it back. Read Full Review

After a successful team-up in the six-issue miniseries Blue Beetle: Graduation Day, writer Josh Trujillo, artist Adrian Gutiérrez, colorist Wil Quintana, and letterer Lucas Gattoni reunite for the next chapter of Jaime Reyes’ adventures as the titular character in this week’s BLUE BEETLE #1, which comes in both an English and Spanish edition to celebrate Jaime’s heritage.

TL;DR
Jaime (on the ground) and Ted Kord (directing Jaime from above) are handling an attack from The Madmen when Dynastes and Nitida, two new Beetles characters introduced during Graduation Day, show up to lend support. Together, the group of Beetles save the day but not after causing some considerable collateral damage, including Ted’s bugship. Before he can celebrate, Jaime is called to a diner where members of The Horizon are facing the ire of angry humans who aren’t happy with aliens living among them. Jaime diffuses the situation, but not before The Horizon reveal their frustration with being limited to how much of Earth they can explore and how hostile Earth’s inhabitants can be. The issue ends with Ted being attacked by an unknown entity who blows up the lab and critically injures Ted.

Review
For all the excitement around a new “Dawn of DC” ongoing series for Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle, this debut issue felt like it was lacking Jaime’s presence. Trujillo’s script gave a lot of time to multiple characters, without really letting any of them get an adequate introduction or a chance to show development from what we’ve seen in the past. Perhaps the most important new insight we get into any of the characters is a three-panel sequence featuring Roma (Nitida) and Xiomara (Dynastes), where we see Roma expressing a disinterest in being a Beetle and protecting The Horizon.

Structurally, I thought this issue was a bit all over the place. The opening battle never really felt tense, with the two new Beetles randomly showing up and the Madmen never getting much background or putting up a fight. Ted does get to give Jaime a nice pep talk after we see the team has left a path of destruction in their wake and that seems like it’ll be the main thesis for at least the first arc in this series. You can see there is a strong bond between the two and Jaime looks up to Ted as a mentor and friend. The attack on Ted is likely to leave Jaime in a vulnerable state, in both his own mental state and having a more tenured person keeping the Beetles together. Hopefully the development Trujillo gave Jaime in Graduation Day isn’t thrown to the wayside and some of his newfound confidence shows up.

This debut looks great thanks to Gutierrez’s animation-approach to the designs. Characters’ expressions are ever-present, whether their in their Beetle armor or relaxing in swimsuits at the beach. The villain revealed at the end also looks awesom! Really excited to see more of this character in battle. Complementing Gutierrez’s art is Quintana on colors and I love the different tones for each of the Beetle’s uniforms. Ted’s Blue Beetle uniform has a blue palettes that’s distinct from Jaime’s uniform.

Gattoni’s lettering takes some swings and ends up hitting more than missing. With so many characters, it’s not shock that Gattoni would need to incorporate several different text box techniques to keep things separate, but there are a few pages where things feel cluttered. However the text boxes for The Horizon look wonderfully sci-fi.

Final Verdict

After being pleasantly surprised by the Blue Beetle film, I had high hopes for more Jaime Reyes in this new series and was a bit disappointed. It seemed like Trujillo was trying to do too much in this first issue and I hope he’s able to rein things in some as the series progresses as he’s shown he can handle the character with grace in Graduation Day. Jaime Reyes is massively popular right now and another strong comic series could cement him as core player in the “Dawn of DC” phase.

Rating: 6/10 more