37 Reasons To Read The Blue Beetle Comics Before The Movie Comes Out

Sure the movie is a long ways away and we don't even have a cast yet... but it's never too early to be excited for a movie where the title character is Hispanic, right? So it's best to catch up on all the BB history with the comics before the movie! Spoilers ahead for any of you who have not read the comic run!

1. He's a sensitive guy who openly cries when he's scared.

Blue Beetle V.8 #1

Jaime has literally just crash landed on earth in this scene after the Justice League left him behind in outer space, he's lost in the desert outside of El Paso, Texas and suddenly a Green Lantern attacks him. What does he do? Cry and try to reason with Guy Gardner. I love how vulnerable they write him and how this is a good reminder that Jaime is just a 16 year old boy.

2. He also openly cries when a random stranger offers him clothes, food and a ride back to his home.

Blue Beetle V.8 #2

This is in the second issue of his comic run, Jaime has literally been walking for miles in the middle of the night, butt naked before he comes across this mans home, manages to find a shirt in the trash and while rummaging this man comes outside and offers him pants, food and the phone to call his parents and few panels later, a ride back into El Paso. How does Jaime react to these acts of kindness? By crying, we need more male superheroes who openly express their emotions!

3. He has an all powerful alien killing machine attached to his back that can create a set of clothes for him out of.... his sweat and dead skin cells every time the armor retracts.

Blue Beetle V.8 #3

The reason Jaime was butt naked when he first landed back on Earth was because the armor destroys his clothes every time the armor comes out. Prior to issue #3 the armor didn't think it useful to mention it could create new clothes for him. Oh--yeah, the armor also has a mind of its own and only Jaime can hear it talking so sometimes it looks like he's talking to himself.

4. He told off The Birds of Prey and told Oracle/Batgirl/Barbara Gordon that the Justice League can go to.... well.

Blue Beetle V.8 #4

Basically, in this scene, Oracle/Barbara was trying to recruit Jaime into the Birds of Prey. Jaime however, was still holding a grudge against the entire Justice League for taking him up into space to fight a villain then.... leaving him behind in space. So Jaime has every right to tell them to go to hell. And I personally can't wait to hear Jaime tell the Justice League to go to hell in the DC Cinematic Universe.

5. They show Alberto, Jaime's father, being a genuinely caring father figure.

Blue Beetle V.8 #3

Most of the time we don't get to see father figures be this close and open with their sons, especially when it comes to superheroes. So can you imagine being able to see a scene similar to this in live action?

6. He threatened to drop the bad guy from hundreds of feet in the air then promptly apologized and asked him not to tell his mom...

Blue Beetle V.8 #6

Jaime is a huge dork who was raised to know right from wrong by his parents and despite having an all powerful weapon attached to his spine he's still afraid of discipline from his mom.

7. Jaime has PTSD when he returns to Earth and his family comforts him when he has a flashback trying to tell them what happened in space (also he openly cries again!).

Blue Beetle V.8 #7

This scene was hard to read, not gonna lie. This whole issue was an emotional roller coaster. The Justice League didn't leave him behind in space on purpose, his alien suit just made him invisible and the Justice League had no way of finding him and they had to get away from the explosion, thus, leaving Jaime behind. Still, it's no surprise that being left for dead in space had a huge toll on a sixteen year old boy who had prior to that battle been just a normal kid from El Paso. Plus, we yet again get to see a male superhero be so vulnerable and openly cry and have his mother and sister comfort him. This scene alone could have such a positive influence on thousands of people watching.

8. He throws up in Batman's cave.

Blue Beetle V.8 #7

There's not much to really say other than Jaime is a dork with a sensitive stomach. Can you guys imagine Ben Affleck saying this line after Jaime pukes in the background?

9. Not only does Jaime ask for permission to go be a superhero but Jaime's parents are probably the most understanding and supportive parents to a superhero... pretty much ever.

Blue Beetle V.8 #9

So it's only been a few days since Jaime has been home at this point and his parents seem to have already settled into the role of "parents to a superhero teen" and the fact that Jaime asks for permission? Gold.

10. The REACH, the alien race that created Jaime's scarab, show up and have a pretty high bar of what "Doing just fine" is and they really seem to call out the human race.

Blue Beetle V.8 #13

The REACH sends out scarabs to all planets with intelligent life forms, the scarab then picks a host, which, in Earth's case was Jaime. The scarab then takes over the host and proceeds to enslave the entire planet, however, Jaime's scarab is broken and he still has free will. The REACH still thinks Earth needs saving from itself though and lets just say that The REACH seem to be... well, they have high hopes. Also they may just be right about our technology being advanced enough but not our wisdom. *sips tea*

11. Jaime's a wonderful son, he buys back his father's car garage after Batman secretly funds it.

Blue Beetle V.8 #13

Wayne Enterprises AKA Batman, definitely had a huge hand after finding out that Jaime was alive and he may or may not have left the sixteen year old behind in space. Either way, Jaime and Paco use their own money to get Alberto his business back and this is just some beautiful representation.

12. There's a running joke of people constantly saying the Blue Beetle is shorter than they imagined.

Blue Beetle V.8 #13

This is the 3rd or 4th time it's been stated by the 13th issue and it happens a few more times in future issues. So, I can only hope they cast somebody who isn't too tall to play Jaime.

13. Just this panel... the American logic.

Blue Beetle V.8 #13

'Nuff said.

14. Jaime's mom is literally the best.

Blue Beetle V.8 #14

Guy Gardner literally shows up to kick Jaime's butt and his mom not only scolds Jaime but Guy Gardner as well! Literally shows how badass and scary moms can be.

15. Superman is literally the cutest in the Blue Beetle comics.

Blue Beetle V.8 #15

Jaime seeks out help figuring out the extent of his powers in this issue and happens to run into Superman at the end. Superman offers a bit of help and a friendly race, how cute is that? Imagine seeing Henry Cavill racing a 16 year old boy in a suit of armor killing machine.

16. Jaime wishes he "Could meet a cute girl who would be okay with all the weird." and then Traci 13 suddenly appears out of thin air.

Blue Beetle V.8 #16

Traci 13 seeks out Jaime for some help defeating an evil sorceress named Eclipso and just happens to have good timing in showing up as soon as Jaime wishes for a cute girl. Also, as diverse as this comic run already is, Traci 13 happens to be Asian, giving us a further diverse cast.

17. Eclipso casts a spell on Jaime and turns him into his deepest secret power fantasy and well... it turns out Jaime just wants to be a dentist.

Blue Beetle V.8 #16

Where do I even begin with this? Jaime has a killing machine attached to his spine and all he wants is to be able to fix teeth, pay off his parents mortgage, pay for his sisters college and have a vacation home near his grandma. Jaime is pretty much your average dreamer despite having the ability to take down the entire Justice League by himself.

18. Jaime cries so much in his comics that I will never get tired of pointing this fact out. He also blames himself when he rescues 399 out of 419 locals. He takes every loss to heart.

Blue Beetle V.8 #17

Not only does he cry about each life lost and take it to heart but his father comforts him and understands him as well. Plus the affection shown? A scene like this in live action would be iconic.

19. So the Teen Titans show up for an under cover mission and upon seeing Supergirl, Miss Martian and Wonder Girl Jaime assumes they're the bad guys because... well mamma didn't raise no perv!

Blue Beetle V.8 #18

Basically, Jaime had no idea who Miss Martian was, Wonder Girl doesn't exactly have a uniform and... Jaime didn't look at Supergirls chest so he missed the big red S. Also, I'm totally here for Jaime calling out the impractical girl uniforms. Belly shirts? Skirts? Jaime has the right idea questioning it.

20. Back to meeting a cute girl who's cool with all the weird... Jaime and Traci are quite literally a power couple. Like catching up on the phone while they're both in the middle of battles? Iconic.

Blue Beetle V.8 #19

Talk about relationship goals? One of them is fighting a giant lady and the other is fighting skeletons but still they manage to talk on the phone? Nice.

21. He has W.W.T.K.D? pinned up to his board as well as pictures of Ted Kord. "What Would Ted Kord Do?"

Blue Beetle V.8 #23

Ted Kord is the previous Blue Beetle, however, he didn't have the scarab fused to his spine. He just simply took on the persona of Blue Beetle. He was just a rich, normal human, much like Batman. Ted Kord died before Jaime could meet him, but still, Jaime draws so much inspiration from this man throughout his comic run.

22. Traci 13 is such an iconic character like?? She just rescued Jaime's entire family and two best friends and she's so chill about it. "I brought cookies!"

Blue Beetle V.8 #24

I literally love Traci 13 as much as Jaime probably does.

23. The REACH manage to remove his scarab and imprison Jaime and despite being naked, scared, alone and in space, he still manages to find an escape and continue his fight.

Blue Beetle V.8 #24

So in #23 they remove his scarab and throw Jaime in prison, (yes, he does cry in one of the panels) and despite that, he continues to be positive and fight. He learned scarab speak and used that to his advantage to distract the guard and gain a weapon. Can we just talk about how amazing it's going to be to hear a superhero say "We don't need no stinking powers." in a movie if they decide to use that line?

24. He's in a space ship, fighting butt naked with no superpowers and somehow... winning.

Blue Beetle V.8 #24

Not only does he take one of the guards clothes but he thanks them in scarab speak. Jaime Reyes is truly the most thoughtful thief ever.

25. Without powers, Jaime still manages to take over some commands and scare the REACH leader. Oh, and his reply? "You have no idea what I can do."

Blue Beetle V.8 #24

Jaime could have easily said that in English, after all, the Leader is speaking English but Jaime took it a step further and responded in scarab speak. What. A. Power move.

26. Starting in issue #25 we no longer see the funny squiggly scarab speak, we instead get to see what the scarab is actually saying. Also known as, Khaji Da. The first to claim his serial number as his name and the first to have a friend.

Blue Beetle V.8 #25

Despite being an artificial intelligent killing machine, Khaji Da becomes an incredibly lovable character, he's sarcastic, funny but genuinly cares for Jaime after this point. Jaime activates his full capability of free will and they willingly fuse together again. Yes... I get emotional over a little electronic beetle okay?

27. Back to how selfless Jaime is, even after The REACH tried to take over Earth Jaime still tries to save the Negotiator/Leader.

Blue Beetle V.8 #25

The ship is about to explode and the negotiator doesn't move, he goes down with his ship but Jaime still tried to save him, even after how cruel he was to Jaime and his family. Not only that but even the Negotiator cries! Like, the entire Blue Beetle creative team deserves a pat on the back for allowing all of their male characters to be vulnerable and normalizing it.

28. The fact that Jaime goes to a family reunion and roasts the f... out of his relatives because they tried to roast him first.

Blue Beetle V.8 #26

So the first impressive part of this issue is that they have so many lines in Spanish! They don't just use the fact that Jaime is Hispanic as a coin of diversity, they show it. They bring in Spanish at the family reunion and the Spanish is correct and funny. Also his interactions with his family in this entire issue is pretty genuine and feels like an actual family interacting.

29. Jaime's cute little Grandma should be enough to make you want to read #26

Blue Beetle V.8 #26

Yes, the majority of it is in Spanish but it's beautiful and for those of you that are non-Spanish speakers, it's worth the time and effort of translating it.

30. This panel is just funny and shows the love between Jaime and his family.

Blue Beetle V.8 #29

31. Some back story to this panel, Jaime showed up on this woman's balcony and his shadow looked like Batman. She also happens to be a villain, so you can see why she pulled a gun on him before realizing who he really was.

Blue Beetle V.8 #30

It's dang near impossible for Jaime to be intimidating, vaguely threatening is possibly achievable.

32. "The paper is made from dead skin cells and sweat."

Blue Beetle V.8 #30

I don't think Jaime realizes that despite how eco friendly paper made from sweat and dead skin cells is... it's still kind of gross to hand out. Also, it might leave too big of a DNA trail for somebody to figure out who he really is.

33. Paco, Jaime's best friend, has a baby brother who just wants to be a Princess.

Blue Beetle V.8 #30

Paco has a little sister as well who just seems to enjoy dressing up their baby brother as a princess.

34. Issues #30-34 get pretty political about immigration laws. The Mayor appoints Blue Beetle as Boarder Patrol without his consent and Jaime actually questions whether or not he should stop illegal immigrants and his father proceeds to have a lengthy conversation with him about it all.

Blue Beetle V.8 #32

Jaime, as the Blue Beetle, battles a villain who's running a monopoly through all of this, a lot goes down and after he takes down the bad guy he goes on national TV and quits the position and proceeds to say "The guy who's responsible for all of this? Rich white guy. Just sayin'." so not only does he say he's a hero to everyone regardless of how they got to America, but he also just states that a rich white guy was responsible for all the problems and damages.

35. In the last issue Jaime fights a rogue scarab soldier in space. Jaime's scarab does a software reboot in order to put all the other rogue scarab's offline. As a result, Jaime is left without his suit and comes crashing back down to Earth. His final thoughts aren't "I'm going to die" but instead, "I am loved."

Blue Beetle V.8 #36

And I just genuinely think this is one of the saddest panels in the entire comic run? I can't even express it with words. Also, no worries, he doesn't die.

36. He just breaks every bone in his body.

Blue Beetle V.8 #36

This is both a sad and kind of funny comment. The rest of this page however... is kind of depressing. A main character dies and Jaime takes responsibility for the death, it's just over all pretty depressing.

37. And the very last panel and reason to read Blue Beetle Volume 8... it shows what really matters and should matter, family and a proper support system.

Blue Beetle V.8 #36

Yes, the scarab reboots and comes back online and Jaime goes on to join the Teen Titans and continue to be a superhero, but in the end, we just know he would've been fine with being normal civilian Jaime Reyes still. But, we're all thankful he does get Khaji Da back. My only wish is that the last line had been Khaji Da saying "Hello Jaime Reyes" instead of "reboot complete" but, still, the ending is pretty satisfying.