Blue Beetle was never a character I knew a lot about so in a way I’m the type of reader this new #1 was for. In almost every way this issue was written as an origin story and introduction to the new Blue Beetle. There’s a handy prologue which gives us a look at the history of Scarab Khaji-Da and how it arrived on earth, an introduction to Jaime, the key modern day character, and an action sequence that leads to him becoming the Blue Beetle. It all works together fairly well and succeeds considering what it is – a first issue clearly intended to introduce the characters and get the ball rolling.

I wasn’t just blown away with this issue but I wasn’t disappointed either. It’s a polished and well contructed story that hits all the necessary points you would want it to. In terms of character development, writer Tony Bedard hits some of the same beats that we’ve heard in other stories but that said, he still writes some interesting characters. The dialogue flows well even though it did occasionally lose me when mixing Spanish and English throughout some of the conversations. With one exception, I did find myself unimpressed with the villains we get in the big action sequence. The action is great but these guys didn’t grab my interest.

Ig Guara’s art works really well with this story. Even though the issue moves from space to El Paso, Texas, the book has a steady, consistent look to it. There where several panels where I was really drawn in by the backgrounds and details. I also found the characters, while sometimes a little cartoony, really worked for me. But the ending action sequence provides the strongest pages of the book. The action visually flows from panel to panel helped again by some cool detail and creative page layouts. While not perfect, Guara’s art really is strong.

Overall this was a satisfying issue that did what it wanted to do. It could have been better with some more interesting villains and a little more variation in some of the characters. But Bedard sets the table well and leaves us with enough mystery to keep me interested. So far so good.