Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6: Jaime Graduates

Jaime Reyes’ summer comes down to this moment. The Horizon are headed to Earth, and what happens will turn on Jaime’s actions. After five issues of ups and downs–successes and mistakes–Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6 puts Jaime center stage and everyone may stand or fall based on his decisions.

The Horizon ship is headed to Palmera City, But they’re not attacking–they’re crashing. And only Jaime Reyes can save their ship and everyone on the ground. Heroes and Beetles alike are gathered together in Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6. But Jaime, with the enhanced powers and armor he got in the last issue and the information he received at the beginning of this one, is in the best position to save everyone’s life. So with encouragement and blessing of Superman, Batman, and everyone else, Jaime takes point in the effort to bring the Horizon ship down safely.

The journey Jaime began when he graduated from high school culminates in Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6 with an affirmation of the character’s maturity. Indeed, there is a sequence where Jaime literally runs through his experiences (via narration over panels of different characters he’s interacted with). It’s a little on the nose–the comic equivalent of a movie flashback montage–but it does what it needs to as far as communicating Jaime’s evolution in shorthand.

Trujillo makes a good choice in how he presents Jaime’s growth. There are two moments where Jaime takes charge in Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6. The first, when he realizes the Horizon ship is going to crash and needs to be saved, is encouraged by the others–Jaime essentially takes over only after being given permission. The second time comes late in the issue, after the crashing ship is dealt with. There’s one more decision to make with regards to the Horizon, and Jaime makes it. But this time he takes charge preemptively, going so far as to interrupt one of the other heroes in the process. If the goal is to show that Jaime is an effective hero in his own right, this second moment is crucial. It establishes that the character doesn’t need the other heroes around him providing training wheels when tough decisions are to be made. It also helps make up for his actions in the fourth issue; readers get to see his improved judgment at work.

Even as this issue caps off a story about growth and greater maturity, Gutiérrez’s depiction of Jaime retains the fun that’s been a hallmark of the series from the beginning. There are a couple instances where Jaime’s expressions border on wacky. But this is mostly because he spends almost the entirety of the issue in his armor and his expressions have a slightly exaggerated feel–largely a result of the size of his eyes as Blue Beetle. There’s a sense that Jaime’s passion is fully behind every action he takes here. It also helps preserve a lighthearted attitude–balancing Trujillo’s story and the issue’s dialogue.

The issue’s action sequences are carried almost entirely by Quintana’s colors. Gutiérrez doesn’t fill the pages with debris or spend a lot of time focused in detail on the Horizon ship. His art is somewhat vague and it lets Quintana depict the majority of the action in streaks and bursts of color. It’s fitting that a series with a visual identity shaped so much by the colorist’s work leans so heavily on the colorist for the action climax of the series.

Gattoni’s lettering choices contribute a lot during the series’ high energy sequences. He plays with font size relative to dialogue bubbles to add emphasis. He uses color coordinated highlights that match the characters that are speaking. And when he uses sound effects they feel like a critical part of the action. But Gattoni also knows when not to indulge which is on display in Blue Beetle Graduation Day #6. The story is cleaved almost perfectly in half with a flashy action sequence and a quieter exposition and character centric sequence. Gattoni goes all out as usual during the former, but doesn’t do anything showy during the ladder. That contrast underscores the import of that part of the issue.

Gattoni’s work throughout this series has been a very good example of how choosing to be creative with lettering can shape how the story is perceived by a reader. The latter half of this issue is the comic book equivalent of a quiet dialogue scene in a movie that comes after the big action sequence–its lack of volume encourages the reader to pay more attention.