I admit it; I’m struggling with Blue Beetle.

I really loved the first Jaime BB series. There was a sense of fun about it and his family and friends were a great and well-used supporting cast. But in the new 52…not so much.

Mopey Jaime arguing with his scarab. Family worried. Beetle misunderstood. Even Mr. Bones seems like a bigger jerk than usual. It just adds these dark clouds that cast a gloom over things. So while it’s an okay story, it doesn’t rise above that level. And it’s not really saved by a last page surprise guest that’s not really too surprising.

This is one of those books you can’t fairly say you hate. The art is decent. The writing is good. It’s just lacking that certain something that there was in the original. And the end result is kind of average. (I marked it as “good” in the ratings since that falls exactly in between just as this book does.) A shame since this book is full of potential.