Blue Beetle #28 review

Brutus

Not bad. Not particularly good. Could have been much better.

Will Pfeifer ends his brief guest stint on the title by telling a simple tale involving a villain from the past of Dan Garret, the original Blue Beetle and his giant green monster dog.

So this monster is running around smashing windows and tearing shit up inside the shops and also happens to attack Jaime's friend, Hector. Even though he gets away unharmed, the attack and vandelism are enough to cause Jaime to investigate. However, Garret's granddaughter, Dani Garret, alongside Peacemaker, have other plans as they suspect Dan Garret's old nemesis, Drl. Mephistopheles has taken up residence in El Paso. However, they quickly realize the cases are linked, and start searching for giant green monsters. Jaime finds what he's looking for quickly and fights this big monster dog and is just short of killing the thing that Dr. Mepshisto, now an old man, quickly steps out and ends the fight. Seems they weren't meaning to cause trouble, as the last time he and Dan Garret fought forced Dr. Mephisto to change his ways and reform, though by going underground and not serving time. The issue ends simply enough when they decide that it's best to leave well enough alone.

There was some good stuff in this issue that I liked, but the ending was mystifying. I liked the flashbacks to Dan Garret. That's pretty much what I've enjoyed about this series the entire time I've been reading it, the legacy of the Blue Beetle and that Jaime Reyes has a whole history to live up to. It suits the nature of the character and it makes for a very enjoyable read.

What I didn't like about this issue is the motivation for Dr. Mephisto and his Hulk Dog. There was none. If all the guy was doing was looking to live the rest of his days in obscurity in a nice, warm place like El Paso, why was he even dog to hulk out? This was never explained. I suppose that maybe the new writer, Matt Sturges, and the editorial staff are looking to introduce a new character into the Blue Beetle fold that connects Reyes further into the past of the Blue Beetle legacy and they'll address the issue later. Ya know, something like, "Yeah, I was trying to get your attention for whatever reason and blah blah blah needing to feel alive again yada yada yada..." Ya know, that sort of thing. But then, I don't think they're looking for that kind of extended story-telling with series.

But overall, it was just a quick, silly, one off tale that's mostly forgettable. It's the last issue I'm picking up before Matt Sturges takes over. (That he wants to use the comic to tackle the border fence is a shame, since the issue is too complex for this title, hell for this medium, to handle.)

I'm glad I'm jumping off now. John Rogers run was too fun and with these last two issues it's pretty apparent that that atmosphere is pretty well gone with his departure.