Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip
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