Blue Velvet: Blue Beetle #6 Review

Blue Beetle #6 is a weird book. Good, but weird.

First off, I still maintain that, of all DC’s first round of New 52 books, Blue Beetle is one of the best at accomplishing its supposed mandate: making the hero generally relatable and understandable to not just new readers to the title, but to new comics readers in general. This is a series in general where you don’t need to know almost anything about the DC Universe at all to enjoy it. And this particular issue, while still part of the overall origin arc, functions as a pretty decent one-and-done that tells you everything you need to know to enjoy just this issue if you want a place to jump on.

Unfortunately, some people are going to have trouble enjoying this issue because, frankly, it includes some action that’s likely to disturb and upset some readers, no matter how good and self contained the issue is in general. This book includes scenes of the hero smacking around a teenaged girl and threatening a mother and her child at gunpoint. Now, if your reaction to that description is immediate and context-free outrage, just hold on and I’ll get to that. If your reaction is to mutter “Awesome!” or to find a discreet place to masturbate, fuck off and find a different comics site, okay? Or better yet: find a different hobby; no superhero’s power is a donkey punch, you spastic.

Let’s start with the good stuff, and make no mistake: the good stuff is very, very good. In previous issues, Jamie’s (Blue Beetle) friend Paco was greviously injured during a battle with some supervillains and required healing by a unit provided by Jame’s Blue Beetle suit… none of which you need to know in order to enjoy this book. Writer Tony Bedard does yeoman’s work bringing readers up to speed in knowing exactly what they need to know in order to understand enough to get into the book. This is the best kind of decompressed storytelling: the kind that remembers that not everyone is reading the story in a trade collection.

The scope of this story is also perfect for someone taking a shot on Blue Beetle without having picked up the earlier issues. It’s Blue Beetle versus one villain, reasonably matched, with the stakes the hero’s home, family and friends. It means that the action can immediately ramp up – and we’re in full-on tights-‘n-fights mode by the fourth page of this book – and it has understandable and relatable stakes no matter whether you’ve read any Blue Beetle before, or think that “Blue Beetle” is a euphemism along the lines of “Dirty Sanchez” or “The Tuscaloosa Yambag” (See what you perverts made me do?).

And then there’s the problematic parts… and the problematic stuff is, in fact, problematic.

Yes, Blue Beetle backhands his friend Brenda. And yes, he threatens his own mother at the point of a blaster. These are bad things, yes. And while it is made clear within the story that Jaime is performing these actions under duress, once you strip out the context, it’s still a superhero acting like a dickhead, specifically toward women. And while I do not have a problem with these particular actions in this particular story, let’s all remember that I am a white man and my opinion therefore doesn’t mean shit when it comes to things like this (or so I am told. Repeatedly).

Depicting violence against women can be an effective storytelling device, but it is a dangerous, hot-button thing to be playing around with. Ask Hank Pym. Or Chris Brown. While, again, I personally don’t have a problem with these story beats, when I hit (ha!) these parts, I winced and muttered, “Damn, Bedard’s gonna get some angry emails over this.” It’s a risk, and if you’re sensitive to scenes such as this, you’re going to have a problem with this issue… but you’ll never know that, because you probably peeled off to send me an angry email right around “Tuscaloosa Yambag”.

Ig Guara’s art continues to be a good match to what is designed to be a user-friendly entry-level book like this. The figures are realistic, the storytelling is clear and unambiguous, and he draws good facial expressions… and in this book, that means drawing terrified people. Almost every expression is one of abject fear, which makes total sense for a story where a superpowered battle is occuring in a formerly-safe home, and serious physical violence is not just a threat, but happening. Over and over again. And the final look of horror on Paco’s face when Jaime threatens Brenda tells more about what actually caused Paco’s bugsuit to stand down than any of the dialogue. While I still don’t think that Guara’s style will generate any bestselling posters, I’m growing more and more fond of it in this particular book.

In my opinion, Blue Beetle #6 is a damn fine, individual comic issue. It respects that the reader may not have read earlier issues, provides a ton of action, solid characterizations, and one of the best diss lines you’ll see this week (You’ll know it when you see it). It is a solid comic with some storytelling beats that might put certain people off. If those issues sound like they’ll piss you off, skip the issue. Yeah, you might rob yourself of the chance to get righteously indignant and then send off a pissed-off email, but give Bedard a break. This issue isn’t perfect for everyone… but unlike many comic writers, he’s clearly trying to make it that way.