DC Comics is offering fans unfamiliar with Jaime Reyes a crash course on the young Blue Beetle by making some of his most important comic books free to read.
Announced by ComicBook, a slew of Blue Beetle comics from a variety of different eras are now accessible to everyone via the DC Universe Infinite app. Users will need to register and make an account to access the books but the stories themselves will be free to download and enjoy. The selection includes Blue Beetle #1 (2006), Blue Beetle #15 (2006), The New 52 Blue Beetle #1 (2011), DC Rebirth: Blue Beetle #1 (2016), and Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #1 (2022).
The Rise of Blue Beetle
While each of the aforementioned Jaime Reyes stories is a great place to start for fans eager to explore the character’s comic book history, those looking to check out his origin story should read Blue Beetle #1 (2006). Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers with art by Cully Hamner, this book chronicles how the fresh-faced hero comes to terms with the alien Scarab that has symbiotically joined with him. Jaime Reyes first joined the DC pantheon in Infinite Crisis #3 in March 2006, proving so popular that he ultimately landed his own monthly series a few months later.
When it comes to the upcoming film, director Angel Manuel Soto has noted that the main inspirations for his take on Jaime Reyes came largely from the 2006 run as well as the New 52 version of the character and Graduation Day. Blue Beetle is played by Cobra Kai alum Xolo Maridueña, who has similarly expressed his love for the character, noting that he was mainly already aware of Jaime Reyes through Young Justice and the comic books his mother used to read to him when he was a child.
Blue Beetle is now in theaters.
