Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip [Paperback]

John Rogers (Author), Cully Hammer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2007

During INFINITE CRISIS, the mystical Blue Beetle scarab chose sixteen-year-old Jaime Reyes as its new guardian, but its supernatural powers are both a blessing and a curse. The newest hero in the DC Universe will now have to deal with strange and dangerous days as he learns to handle his new abilities.

In this volume, Jaime discovers the secret of his Blue Beetle armor and hits the road looking for answers from the Scarab's original owner.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Since the inception of Spider-Man, the young superhero learning about his power and responsibility has been an effective platform for examining the trials and tribulations of growing up. The Blue Beetle character's legacy reaches back into comicdom's golden age, but his latest incarnation is Jaime Reyes. A young man of Latin American descent living in El Paso, Jaime deals with the mysterious scarab that has melded with his body, manifesting as armor that gives him astonishing capabilities. Steeped in the lore of the recent DC universe and ending on a pivotal cliff-hanger, accessibility of this second volume in the Blue Beetle series is somewhat limited for new readers. But the use of an ethnicity not often seen in comic heroes, plus engaging characters and a fast-paced, rip-snorting second half make for a divertingly lighthearted take on a young man's quest to solve the secrets of himelf. For other titles of interest see "Core Collection: Diversity in Graphic Novels" in the March 15, 2005, issue. Karp, Jesse

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (June 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401213618
• ISBN-13: 978-1401213619
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outer Space IS Awesome, December 1, 2007

By 

P. A. Romei "romorini" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip (Paperback)

Road Trip does a nice job of filling in the gaps left in the first trade, and even gives some interesting history on the artifact embedded in Jaime. It's done well without weighing down the story. The excellent writing and strong cast continue. If you aren't reading the Blue Beetle, you should, it's well worth the price of admission.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue Beetle continues to be outstanding, March 24, 2008

By 

Zauriel (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip (Paperback)

Blue Beetle is probably one of the better books to spin out of Infinite Crisis. And even with some changes in the creative team of the book the story is more or less on the same level as before the change. Giving you a better background on the new Beetle you learn of how things ended up playing out the way they did and also really get to see the supporting cast at thier best with everyone featured in this volume. Do yourself a favor though and make sure you've read the first volume.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It just keeps getting better..., January 13, 2008

By 

Martin Quiazon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip (Paperback)

Building off the great foundation of the previous collection, Road Trip collects issues 7 through 12 of the new Blue Beetle series. Blue Beetle's origin is fleshed out in flashback, and we get more backstory about the true nature of the scarab that gives him his powers.

There's an awful lot of exposition, but it's all cleverly handled so as not to be clunky, and the book's supporting cast really gets a chance to shine. For hard-core DC fans, the book has lots of extra treats -- a recap of the history of the two previous Blue Beetles, an encounter with the New Gods, a Checkmate cameo, and a great moment with Batman that I won't spoil here.

There are a number of changes to the creative team during the course of this collection. Keith Giffen and Cully Hamner are gone by the last third of the book. Sadly, Hamner's departure causes the visual consistency to suffer. But John Rogers remains on the title, and his script for Blue Beetle's adventure with Metron and Lonar of the New Gods is bwa-ha-ha funny while still maintaining high stakes and exciting action. Rafael Albuquerque is a great choice to replace Cully Hamner. The title is still in great hands, and I can't wait to see what's next for Jaime and company!