DC Comics reviews 11/29/22 – Nightwing Annual 2022 #1, Justice Society #1

Blue Beetle Graduation Day Special #1

DC rolled out an intriguing new strategy for this mini-series simultaneously releasing each issue in English and Spanish.

It’s a smart move since Jaime Reyes is one of DC’s more popular Latino characters. And in a nice move, the entire creative team is of Latino descent.
The worst-case scenario, Jaime’s adventures read like Ultimate Spider-Man, but as a breakout mainstream star with a movie on the way, this version of Blue Beetle won’t have any trouble establishing a readership for this new saga.

Jaime is prepping for life after high school even if college isn’t part of those plans. Writer Josh Trujillo keeps things simple with an adequate summary of Jaime’s history. Jaime’s aborted graduation ceremony and benching by the Justice League felt like a bit too much piling on to make Jaime a sad sack. Jaime doesn’t need to be a mopey teen to be relatable and the book is more fun in the brief moments he’s enjoying himself.

Considering the dual dialogue approach, it felt weird to not have any form of translation when Jaime’s family was chatting.

Artist Adrian Gutierrez skews more manga heavy with the artwork with exaggerated expressions and action sequences. It fits the lighter tone of the book while colorist Wil Quintana utilizes a bright and bold palette to add more flair to the art.

Graduation Day Special kicks off a return to prominence for Jaime, which hopefully won’t be the last time. This debut has a solid start that should be maintained throughout by this creative team.

Rating: 8 out of 10