Series Spotlight: Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle, art by Ig Guara, Ruy José, and Pete Pantazis (from #2)

While DC Comics’ company-wide revamp has garnered quite a share of controversy, from its problematic-to-rage-inducing depiction of female characters to still thinking that having Rob Liefeld draw comics is a valid idea, some good has come from the New 52. A group of heroes of color have been given a new opportunity to have their own books, including the late Dwayne McDuffie’s black teen hero Static and a fan-favorite Chicano with alien power-armor, Jaime Reyes, the third Blue Beetle.

Jaime originally debuted in 2006, during DC’s Infinite Crisis event. From there he was thrust into his own monthly series, critically-acclaimed for its depiction of a minority teen hero with strong family ties and a well-developed supporting cast (even tying the character to previous incarnations of the Beetle). Unfortunately, the Blue Beetle’s warm reception did not translate into consistent sales, and the series was canceled after thirty-six issues. Despite the loss of his solo comic, our blue hero found himself in the pages of Teen Titans and with a prominent role in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, turning to the caped crusader for guidance as a new hero. But now Jaime has a new shot at being in the spotlight, graduating once more from secondary character to headliner.

Series Spotlight: Ultimate Comics - Spider-Man

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1

This summer, Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, was killed in the Ultimate universe of Marvel Comics. This event did not resonate beyond comics fandom until Peter's replacement would be revealed as Miles Morales, a black Hispanic middle-schooler. Some praised Marvel's bold move, while others dismissed it as "politically correct" nonsense. With all of this controversy, comics fans were anxious to see how the actually series would turn out. Now that the first two comics have been released, we can see if the story lives up to the hype.

Series Spotlight: Rocketeer Adventures

Rocketeer Adventures #3, cover art by Dave Stevens

Through the 1980s, cartoonist Dave Stevens presented The Rocketeer to the comics world. Influenced by the pulps and film serials of the '30s and '40s, these stories centered around Cliff Secord, a young stunt pilot living in Los Angeles on the cusp of World War II, and his adventures with an experimental jetpack. While only a few issues were published, the character gained notoriety in 1991 when The Rocketeer was adapted into a film from Walt Disney Pictures.

While Stevens' throwback to an era of Nazi-punching and prop-planes was beloved by many, including yours truly, Cliff never flew over Hollywood again before his artist passed away in 2008. However, a fondness for the character and his world still resonates, leading to IDW's recent collection of the original Rocketeer stories and a new limited series, Rocketeer Adventures.