Blue Skying, Part 4: Jaime Reyes New 52 Part 1 - Atop the Fourth Wall

[@daelen.cclark]

The 52 blue beetle series is a perfect example on why Jaime NEEDED ted kord as a mentor. For any issues I may have with the blue beetle rebirth series, the mentor aspect is still something the resonates with me.

[@captainjackharkness2136]

Dan Garrett: Man of action, who stole ripped off Hitler's mustache, and battled the Eye of Horus. Ted Kord: Brilliant scientist who continued the legacy of a friend despite a lack of powers. Jaimie Reyes: A high school student who proved that he was able to stand alongside Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. New 52 Jamie a mediocre Spiderman rip off that a smack in face the legacy of the three characters I just described!

[@KidSnivy69]

One of these Blue Beetle is not like the others. And it's freaking obvious!

[@TheSkully343]

But what about Big Dix?

[@malcomalexander9437]

Rebirth Jaimie who is working with Ted Kord, and the Scarab might be magic(also Doctor Fate is being ominously vague).

[@ironcuddlefish5805]

Maureen May and m Jjhjj

[@JaelinBezel]

Any relation to Captain George "Digger" Harkness?

[@Sonichero151]

.....at Least Young Justice did....well....Justice for Jaime and the other Blue Beetles........ not only using the original design for the Reach and having the negotiator, but also showing Jaime's good heart and his conflict he had with his scarab which was always going for lethal tactics.

[@JaelinBezel]

What I really like about Blue Beetle in Young Justice was how, by the end of it all, The Scarab had grown to respect and value Jaime Reyes as a person and their relationship.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Cody Hines yup

[@xgray2012]

Indeed.

[@HenshinHeroesMedia]

Young justice was so much better for blue beetle. Even smallville kinda screwed it over since I think his actor wasn't even Hispanic.

[@zaccarpenter621]

and did show a memorial for ted cord

[@NeoDragonCount]

I really hate the idea writers have that boys and girls can't be just friends or close without it being romantic or sexual.

[@troin3925]

I'm sick of it as well, reminds me of how Linkara mentioned that Frank Miller hates the idea of a man and a woman in a relationship befriending one another. Because they're two different sexes, they HAVE to be in a romantic or sexual relationship because every story does this and also occurs in real life a lot... THANKS STEREOTYPICAL CLICHES! *goes off to bang head against wall in frustration and irritation*

[@NeoDragonCount]

Troin And now you see why I really like the first Hobbit movie, and my enjoyment declines noticeably with the Tauriel/Kili romance (that lasted a few days and they had only a few minutes of screen time, plus the two races hated each other) subplot in the second and third. Granted originally it was not meant to be a romance but more of a friendship like between Legolas and Gimli, but Warner Brothers demanded they force a romance into the movie or they'd cut the funding. I'm writing a fantasy novel myself, Tolkien being one of my inspirations to doing so, but I steadfastly refuse to put in a romance subplot. If it miraculously got popular enough for a movie or TV adaptation (based on the track record of the Eragon movie, not a wise decision), if they would force, for example, the main character and his female best friend into being a couple, I'd rip the contract and tell them to kiss my arse. That and they'd prolly make one of the three primary characters who happens to be gay so that it'd be his defining characteristic.

[@troin3925]

+NeoDragonCount Even though I haven't seen or read the lord of the rings or hobbit books and movies, I understand what you mean, I don't get why Warner Bros. would even care if it was a romantic relationship or not. Good luck on the book though :)

[@ItsMichaelReid]

You ever watched the film "When Harry met Sally" starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan? Because it discusses that very thing. The sad truth is "men and woman (who aren't gay of course) can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way" and that "no man can be friends with a woman he finds attractive" and even unattractive you kinda wanna "nail them too".

[@NeoDragonCount]

ItsMichaelReid Yea, that's a load of crap. I've had several female friends (in fact in a lot of cases I'm better at making friends in the opposite gender) and it implies that I want to bone all of them despite me living in a (mostly) monogamous marriage as of July 2016.

[@kagato3]

Wow comment about Jaime's karmic backlash at 25:40 is kinda ironic now since rebirth has pretty much said the new 52 universe was basically a universe without hope.

[@KidSnivy69]

Pretty much.

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

kagato3 That would explain the lack of blue...come to think of it, didn't The Blue Lantern Corps died out in New 52?

[@troin3925]

kagato3 Wow, that almost sounds meta! Like DC new The New 52 was hopeless, both for not being good and having no positivity.

[@HenshinHeroesMedia]

@@InoMercy the new 52 really is screw some characters. Blue beetle, superboy, etc. I read the new 52 when I started reading comics, but I do get some hate for it. Even reading superboy is like "everybody hates superboy in every degree". It bugged me and had that whole "you're at fault 100% despite other people involved".

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@HenshinHeroesMedia the new 52 sounds like the ultimate marvel universe: "everybody is a jerk save for x character" (spider-man in the ultimate marvel case, andtake your pick who isn't a jerk during the new 52)

[@guywhomstvepostgood]

I feel like the No Dimension is where Linkara draws his power.

[@JaelinBezel]

Legend says that Darth Vader himself once tapped into the power of the No Dimension, and that moment, however brief it may have been, changed him forever.

[@jfdrac]

It would explain why MissingNo came for him...he was stealing all the power

[@MegaManDBZX]

Also Angry Joe.

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44

[@ChristianNeihart]

DC Comics: We hate our fans and our heroes. Except Batman.

[@lonewolf6884]

+Christian Neihart More true when comes to Batman v Superman

[@TevyaSmolka]

True indeed

[@ultimastudios2098]

Yeah, they LOOOOOVE their Batman

[@Sonichero151]

Batman Comics: In the words of our lord and savior Frank Miller, "I'M THE GODDAMN BATMAN!!!!!"

[@PosthumanHeresy]

The thing is, Zack Snyder wants to do a movie version of The Fountainhead, an Ayn Rand novel. Objectivism is a branch of conservatism and has much to do with modern hypercapitalist conservatism. Zack and Frank are political allies. Zack Snyder really could be just as bad as Frank Miller.

[@tenkiforecast]

... Domestic abuse to try to save someone's life, threatening with a firearm, and changing characters to actively hate one another, plus persisting with the "hide identity" trope that crashes and burns immediately. Worm did the hide identity thing and showed how quickly that becomes an absolute mess. DC, showing that they can learn absolutely nothing and that they do not care one bit what their dedicated readers think. My god, that is just...sickening in so many ways.

[@jakeproven256]

Fortunately though, dc has been getting it’s s**t together since Dan Didio left, I’m not the biggest Jaime Reyes fan, but yeah, all that you just mentioned that happened in the series was absolutely disgusting.

[@MegaManDBZX]

In my humble opinion, the idea of Blood Beetle does have merit to it. But there are two problems with how it's presented here. First: You're right, Lewis. We aren't given the a reason to care with how this was presented and it would have been better in the old series. Second: I think the wrong person became Blood Beetle. I think Brenda should have been Blood Beetle. Yes Paco is Jaime's best friend. But Brenda might as well be his second sister. Plus knowing that it was Brenda in the armor would make it next to impossible for Jaime to fight her given how Jaime would be to afraid to hurt her given their history. Not saying that Jaime cares any less for Paco. Just saying Jaime would be less willing to take the risk because of how much Brenda has been through in her life. Plus hey, Pacos a big dude. He can take a hit.

[@KidSnivy69]

I like your idea for Blood Beetle better, I'd also call for a name change.

[@MegaManDBZX]

KidSnivy69 How about, 'Scarlet Scarab' after the evil doppelganger of Jaime from Brave and the Bold?

[@MrPlayer890]

First, good idea, and it doesn't make Brenda seem weak, just less durable physically with more baggage than Paco. Second, I canNOT tell you how many times the name 'Scarlet Scarab' kept popping into my head as a better, less edgy name than 'Blud Beetle'. Glad I'm not the only one.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

Honestly I think the baggage is kind of the key to the character. Especially if she's conscious inside the armor and seeing everything that is going on between the two of them with the Scarlet scarab preying on Jaime's emotions. It would be amazing drama to have her outright beg him to put her down so that she doesn't harm anyone else. We could even have the Blue Scarab's decision to basically use some of Jaime's heart to resolve the situation carry more weight as Jaime basically almost dies to save his friend that had lost all hope and at that point almost didn't want to be saved.

[@MegaManDBZX]

@110959347290080990790 Well, we see in Young Justice that even though the Scarab can control the body right down the vocal cords even while not wearing the armor, the mind is still perfectly active. This could lead to a point with Brenda fight to reclaim control or Kaji Da telling Jaime to contact one of the telepaths of the DCU in order to get in contact with Brenda on the psychic plain who would then beg Jaime to take her down. But Jaime being... Well, Jaime would do everything he could not to hurt Brenda and actually do some research in to the magic that was used on Kaji Da to maybe give Brenda control over the armor.

[@Kittymouth]

Oh COME ON! Jaime's family and friends knowing his secret too was one of the BEST PARTS of the new Blue Beetle! This was 2011, the internet and facebook were totally a thing by then. Secret alter egos are just ludicrous at this point!

[@markkendziuk5991]

18:43: My response to the Teen Titans Go episode 'Hey You, Don't Forget about Me in Your Memory'.

[@theblazingflareon830]

Linkara took the same natural progression as Yu-Gi-Oh to Yu-Gi-Oh 5D, from the evil of anccient Egypt, to the anccient Mayans xD

[@SnowyWolborg]

No...no. Just because something is new doesn't mean by any stretch that is good. If you're changing something for the better...then make it better! The "unnecessary" changes that Linkara mentioned is exactly what was wrong with the new 52 version of Blue Beetle. Generic is the best way to describe it.

[@TheGrayMysterious]

This is a weird aside considering this is about the Blue Beetle, but that Stopwatch character made me realize how POWERFUL a time-stopper is. All forces in the universe are affected by time; motion, gravity, normal force (the quasi-magnetic field between electrons that prevents us from passing through objects), light, even consciousness. A person who froze time for everyone around him could theoretically be the most powerful being on the planet, above even SUPERMAN. All the time-stopper would have to do is freeze time, grab a sword (assuming the device lets him transfer affectation of time to objects), hold it at roughly heart-level (assuming destroying the heart could still kill a Kryptonian), and then turn time back on, and now Superman has a blade through his heart. What's worse, since the atoms of his body are essentially intangible during the stop since they can't change state, the blade could end up FUSED into his heart making it impossible to remove without killing him, assuming having a massive blockage in his heart didn't already kill him. Weird aside I know, but it's more interesting than New 52 Blue Beetle, at least.

[@shadowrain1000]

This quickly went from "Wow! If I read comics, this would be a character I'd like to read about!" to "Oh god why." Watching the writing decline like this is like watching a train wreck. It's so terrible, yet I can't look away!

[@jfdrac]

That is pretty much the Nu52 in a nutshell....did it to most of their books

[@tomhur1]

Wow...I was thinking of picking up new 52 Blue Beetle because I was interested in the character and I'm glad I saw this before I did.

[@-11.35]

Come to think of it, wouldn't it make more sense for the Scarab to support Jaime telling everybody he is the Blue Beetle? Wouldn't that revelation paint the Reech in a more positive light as a race that can give humankind power and means of protection? And wouldn't that make earthlings more susceptible to the Reech's influence? Also, it was nice how Jaime's armour followed an average Reech's features, showing us their presumptions of what races that were alien to them looked like, sort of how, in sci-fi, we presume aliens would somewhat resemble humans. That connection is lost now.

[@aros0018]

One New 52 title that I did read and enjoy was the main Green Lantern series, in which Hal and Sinestro had to work to together and rely on each other. They didn't like each other all that much but they did have some degree of respect for the other.

[@matt0044]

Huh. So Blue Beetle's kinda like Kamen Rider. Average dude gets bug-based hero identity that was originally meant for evil rather than good.

[@matt0044]

+matt0044 Or maybe the Max Steel reboot.

[@infinityalbi9840]

I'm supposed to feel bad for Brenda, but that 'No' thing made me laugh so damn hard...

[@loganrepasky3652]

Correction: Mr. Bones isn't a skeleton. He has skin and organs, they are just invisible.

[@Gaia_BentosZX5]

Oh boy, THIS is the kind of crap I worry about when working on Copper Night: subplots that don't tie into each other, character roles greatly undermined by unecessary love triangles and formulas, a storyline that feels like it's in a hurry for the next crossover event, too many unecessary characters, and overall an experince that will leave reader's expectations dead on arrival, as I can imagine them going "is THIS what comic books are like?" and never touching another issue again.

[@CyberkillGames]

Why do I have a feeling that if they ever reboot Jaime Reyes again, they're going to take elements from the recent Venom movie. Now before you think that the creators are ripping stuff off, keep in mind that if you watched this retrospective, ripping stuff off seams to be a common thing in Blue Beetle history.

[@fubuwaru1691]

Hopefully DC Rebirth can give him and his supporting cast some redemption.

[@KidSnivy69]

Here's hoping.

[@KidSnivy69]

+BTIsaac Way to be a Negative Nancy

[@KidSnivy69]

You haven't even read it, that not even giving a chance

[@ChristianNeihart]

Having read 2 issues of Blue Beetle: Rebirth, I'm still withholding judgement. I'm getting a very Batman Beyond vibe from it, what with Ted Kord mentoring Jaime. Some parts are good, others are iffy.

[@KidSnivy69]

Christian Neihart They are still trying to find themselves

[@Tricob1974]

The "No" rant adds another excellent moment to the series of Linkara. :-)

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44.

[@bhunt799]

18:43 - 19:06 One of my favorite moments in AT4W.

[@BunBun299]

Watching this series, I get the impression that DC these days is run by a bunch of old guys who are aware that the world has changed around them, but don't understand how it has changed. Like how they cling to the notion of secret identities and how it should never, ever be shared, like back in the silver age. Ignoring that there are times when honesty is the best policy, especially with family and friends. One of the reasons I like the MCU so much comes from the very first installment of it. At the end of the first Iron Man movie. Phil Coulson had this elaborate story cooked up to cover his identity at a press conference. Tony just took the attitude of fuck it, and said, "I am Iron Man."

[@TevyaSmolka]

+BunBun299 you do make a good point

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

... I knew I hated the New 52 when I was reading The Night of Owls. About the time the plotline decided to just fall to the wayside to give new Mr. Freeze's backstory... And ruined my favorite DC villain.

[@KidSnivy69]

Don't remind me. DC took a tragic and sympathetic characters and made him a creepy stocker

[@faidreview1186]

+KidSnivy69 wait, what did they do to Mr Freeze?!

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

+FaiD Review Nora isn't his wife, was never his wife, this entire time he was a creep and a stalker trying to fix a woman he never met.

[@faidreview1186]

AlriikRidesAgain .......... WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

+FaiD Review Yup.

[@aros0018]

I think the problem with the New 52, at least when it started, was that it said it wanted to attract new readers but keep doing things and making references you would only understand if you read the previous continuity. For example Amazo and Starro are almost completely glossed over in the Justice League books, as is Despero but we're still supposed to know how big a threat they were and how the Martian Manhunter was a big enemy against Despero. Not to mention I don't think they've ever fully explained why the Martian Manhunter fought with and left the league or why that's supposed to be a big deal. New reader would have no idea about any of this stuff.

[@Kolbatsu]

The New 52 as Burgerpants would describe it, is "a labyrinth of bad decisions"

[@clansullivan6059]

I do so enjoy these retrospectives. I'm excited for the next year's. Fingers crossed for a retrospective of Captain America!

[@azuretiger-kfpmarketingstr6018]

Yeah, BB was one of the NEW 52 books I tried as well, even not having read the previous series. The issue where Jaime hit Brenda was a hard limit for me as well. It sums up my own feeling about what made the new 52 fail, Punks with Powers! They wanted to cash in on the flawed heroes concept, but took it so far that many heroes didn't feel that way anymore. Books that had optimism like Legion and JLI got cancelled after a year, and everything else just sucked.

[@SilverZeo88]

27:05 Even sadder note? That can pretty be applied to how characters in Teen Titans Go!

[@shadowninja222]

Tbf, Bones actually does have organs and skin. It's just that it's all invisible for some reason so that he looks like a skeleton (and has cyanide touch). Still pretty dumb, but someone in DC seems to think he's interesting because they keep bringing him back. I've read the Supergirl Rebirth issues and he appears in the final volume. I've also heard that he's appeared in the Batwoman comics, but I don't know what he did there. I just know that Bones only has one gimmick and that he's a former supervillain turned director of a government organization and that he's supposed to be intimidating (which he isn't).

[@Jygerthe2nd]

Wow, been a while since we had a REALLY good No rant. Thanks for that. ^_^

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44.

[@rassilontdavros3004]

18:43 Has a strangely musical quality to it.

[@rassilontdavros3004]

Also as a fan of the old Archie Sonic comics it’s nice to know they weren’t alone in having an infamous slapping scene.

[@matt0044]

Best "no" rave ever! XD

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44.

[@tehn00bdude]

This was one of my favorite series of videos. Really hope you get to that Question Retrospective sooner rather than later. Super looking forward to that!

[@rebornkusabi7264]

The biggest problem with this era for Blue Beetle, and the New 52 as a whole, is it confuses nihilism and cynicism with maturity and pathos. You CAN do this well (Watchmen does this well because it's awesome and Alan Moore understood what he was doing), but the problem is... most writers aren't Alan Moore. Even current DC after Geoff Johns left has started to fall back into this trap. The reason I read DC growing up in the 90's instead of Marvel was because, no matter how dark the story was, it balanced it properly. My two favorite childhood books were Knightfall, The Death and Return of Superman and No Mans Land, both dark stories that had uplifting moments of levity despite the subject matter. DC used to separate itself from Marvel by being more hopeful and less pessimistic. But sadly, they THINK being hopeless and grim like Marvel will help them. It hasn't.

[@lynngreen7978]

23:43 so the girl in the refrigerator still happened? Even though Kyle Rayner's *entire* origin didn't?

[@AT4W]

+Lynn Green Oh, no, his origin still happened. Green Lantern was the other book making money at the time and Geoff Johns was still writing it, so all of Green Lantern's history still happened. Yeah.

[@lynngreen7978]

Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall Wait, what? In five years, Doomsday still happened, resulting in Cyborg Superman and Mongul destroying Coast City, only to have it resurrected, so that Hal could destroy the GL Corps, resulting in Kyle as the Last Lantern, leading to Hal Jordan dying in Final Night, a younger version coming back to the future, giving Kyle a ring that can create new rings, allowing Kyle to rebuild the corps, and eventually resurrect Hal? How? My brain hurts.

[@lynngreen7978]

+Eamonn Deane So what is that about? I dropped Earth-2 and Worlds Finest during the weekly event comic, where it became clear the people involved were more interested in *another* version of the Justice League and their supporting characters than in any of the actual JSA. (And dumped all DC entirely with the travesty of Batman Beyond in the prime universe).

[@lynngreen7978]

Eamonn Deane Finally. Who is on the team?

[@lynngreen7978]

Eamonn Deane So Thomas Wayne is still around instead of Hourman? And how did Atom get better from his death? For that matter, what happened to Huntress?

[@erinlin7]

That 'no' bit was amazing.

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44

[@namegoeshere5220]

It would have been more interesting to play off the "Backup" being weaker, assuming he also gets some level of control over his scarab. You could then: Easily explain why BB always wins, because regardless it is just better and more stable. This and the, ugh, love triangle - helped by y'know the almost murder - could play up this unfortunate friend to foe rivalry. "Why does the good keep happening for you, when I am forced into a gang, can't get the girl, almost die - *punch BB* And even when I get super powers, they are weak and unstable!" This playing up some tragedy for Jaime, if we must go down this generic path.

[@sensibleGamer]

Your original video on the Blue Beetle got me excited about the character, and when DC announced he would be among the New 52 I thought this would be an opportunity to try to get into comics again from the ground floor. I signed up for a comic pull service with the main core stories as well as Blue Beetle. I was quickly turned off by how expensive it was JUST following a handful of series, and I REALLY didn't like the re-imagining of Mr. Freeze in Batman. But the thing that sealed the deal and killed any desire I had to continue the New 52 was the sight of Jaime SKEWERING Paco!

[@KidSnivy69]

I think we'll all have better luck with Rebirth (I hope)

[@FirewolfKnight]

we have so far.

[@malcomchase9777]

The New 52 did have a lot of problems balancing what to keep for the old fans, and how much to change or retell. That's just one of the reasons is was so bad.

[@wiselord7524]

Yaaaaay! "Great Continuity" clip is back!))

[@SaurAuteur]

I have never read any of these books (this retrospective is my only exposure) but when you showed Paco as the "Spin-off Beetle" I actually said out loud: "Oh Fuck Off DC!"

[@jac0736]

Batman was actually only around for 7 years in the New 52. They counteracted the Robin problem by age advancing them all, but even then Dick Grayson claims he started his venture as Robin at the ripe old age of 16-17 right around the time the Justice League formed, lasting for about a year or two before becoming Nightwing, Jason Todd lasted about two years, they're unspecific about Tim Drake claiming he had a falling out with Bruce, with Dick taking over as Batman with Damian as Robin during the final year before the majority of issue #1's in New 52.

[@nooneinparticular5256]

After having watched so many of your reviews, and these retrospectives, I've gotten a few...crazy ideas for the DCU. Particularly one for the Blue Beetle in the New 52, and re-integrating Ted Kord. Bring him back, but not AS the Blue Beetle, just as Ted Kord: engineer and industrialist. The idea for Kord and his business ethics, could also tie him a bit to Booster Gold: he wants to develop technology to aid people, look good and be paid for it, so he can keep developing, and perpetuate sort of an upward spiral. In fact, maybe even Booster could act as a sort of spokesman for it. Or maybe even the tech he stole from the future was retconned to be from Kord industries, too? So, how crazy or stupid IS this idea?

[@yehhkow847]

I miss the old blue beetle legacy.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Linkara puts Markiplier's "no" speeches to shame.

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

18:44

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

Is it the one where he's saying; " No, stop! What are you doing!?"

[@jamescallanan2443]

I have know been converted to the Church of No. All hail the great No god, Weeper of Rejection!

[@zemox2534]

New 52 Blue Beetle represents everything wrong with the new 52 as a whole. Seriously, you would have to be a sick bastard to enjoy a series where the hero (against his will) murders his best friend and slaps another across the face. The entire series is a huge middle finger to blue beetle fans.

[@Gundam-Fury]

Wait a minute unless I'm missing something storyline wise... Linkara acknowledged that he knows who Fat Granma is...

[@TheDUDERulez1]

FINALLY! Been waiting for you to mention the evils of Ancient Mia!

[@jameshowlett5106]

If Jaime wanted a great superhero mentor, he should've gone to Arlen, Texas to learn about propane and propane accessories.

[@skyslasher2297]

20:55 no no no Jaime that Marvel not DC you should head over to Gotham or Metroplis

[@nansboard]

Linkara saying ''Booster Gold!'' makes this reviews even more fun than they are already are!

[@robertangus616]

Is it just me or does his villain form make Pucko look like a New 52 version of Black Beetle

[@dannyfenlon2476]

snow flame as a lantern.... that is a fucking awesome idea!!!!

[@dannyfenlon2476]

THE COKE LANTERN

[@Nazo-kage]

24:00 The funny thing is with everything that has happened in the story so far I think they could have salvaged it, some sort of event or creature appears it is so massive and so terrible that both the reach in the lanterns fear it, in desperation the main lantern batteries send out signals across the universe to try and collect more lanterns, with everything that has happened to Jaime and the fact that even with all that he still perseveres through it still tries to fight without killing one of the lantern batteries calls out to him making him a blue lantern the color representing hope. With the combination of reach and lantern technology he could begin to fix everything.

[@chanceveres8348]

Now I regret clicking on this video because I didn't think it would remind me about Ted cord not existing in the new 52

[@wdcain1]

I disagree with you regarding Blue Beetle being punished for trusting people. You really have to be careful who you trust in this day and age and in a super-hero universe doubly so. Still, Jaime should be able to tell his parents since it would reduce problems. Trust has to be earned and that is a tough but necessary lesson to learn.

[@tayojones9460]

We need to start a petition to dissolve the hide your superhero identity troupe. It is old, outdated and causes more problems for the heroes than less. Luckily, from the looks of the new blue beetle comic, dc are bringing back the fun and enjoyment which was lost in the new 52.

[@Zxzero36]

It has its good merits and bad. But they seam to focus on the bad parts than the good.

[@tayojones9460]

Same with marvel, though it's more bad than good.

[@Zxzero36]

Tao Jones T.jones True. But you can make a argument for both parts.

[@FirewolfKnight]

it was fun, need more to decide though

[@Zxzero36]

There are good reason why they hide their identity. For some they are in positions of power and if they were to be found it could cause mass attacks on them and ruin their life. Batman for example. And theres the obvious friends and family would get hurt. One more day anyone? How ever it also causes problems. Peter Parker is another good example and so was superman for a while with them disappearing from dates and events to save the day. If they had a few people who they trusted it serves as a alibi. Batman is a version that sorta works with Alfred saying Bruce is busy

[@redjirachi1]

In the old continuity, I always thought ten years had passed in-universe

[@dejaypage1575]

I thought it was at least 20 ;; Also, you are right on the 10 years; Rebirth revealed that 10 years of memories were stolen by a outer dimensional being

[@Arkus]

So which Lantern Colour do you think Snowflame would be? I would say Yellow but than we'd get endless "Beware of Yellow Snow" jokes.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Hey, i like change! Got any? Oh, come on! Help a guy out, will ya'?

[@rodimusrider8798]

+ThePreciseClimber looking to get that furnished box?

[@Shiirow]

time to buy that double thick cardboard, and stop shopping off the dollar menu. now you will be a high class bum.

[@Dicker296]

¡¡¡¡Duuuude!!!! Do de "Ancient Maya" thing more often please Es hilarante

[@samuelanderson1862]

They turned the opening arc of Justice League into the Ultimates with them battle Darkseid who is essentially the Hulk. OF COURSE they changed the Reach into Conquerors

[@danthefan28]

14:47 instead of twirling their moustaches, they twirl their antenna.

[@potatobombkyle]

It's looking like DC Rebirth will be fixing a lot of the things you have mentioned: Ted Kord will even be mentioning Jaime Reyes in the Blue Beetle book

[@pokemastercube]

saying the word "runaways" when talking about super hero comics just makes me think of the marvel comic series of the same name

[@Levitz9]

Wow, I kinda outlasted Linkara back when these comics were coming out! XD I made it to the issue that introduced Stopwatch. My feelings on this rag of a book were basically the same, only I didn't have the baggage of having read the older Jaime Reyes books to give me any preconceived conceptions. I was giving the N52 Beetle a shot, and it was still letting me down on *multiple* levels. For starters, the book was a joyless slog that simply tired me out of giving a crap about anything, seeing as Jaime just got misery for even caring about anything. Second, this was a Latino hero--the ONLY OTHER one I had ever heard of in the DCU, besides friggin' Vibe. Jaime's Mexican and I'm Puerto Rican, but I'll celebrate *any* Latino in comics... except DC just crapped on Blue Beetle by making his book a joyless, miserable slog. Oh, and this was my first DC book, too. After getting stung by this turd, it took freaking Cameron Steward/Babs Tarr's Batgirl of Burnside to even *look* at anything DC related again. If the N52 wanted to alienate everyone who wasn't a white, straight, middle-aged comic book reader who cut his teeth with stuff written by George Perez (in other words, me), they did a great job. Thanks for freaking nothing. And that's why I stick to Kamen Rider for my bug-themed superheroes.

[@Levitz9]

+Eamonn Deane I've had that on the backburner for a few years. Writing a thesis tends to make buying comics really hard. XD

[@michaelrhett4958]

Kamen Rider for the win

[@jessaminehaak8253]

Hm. Both the original Reach's strategy in conquering Earth and the healing-turned-mind-control thing are strangely similar to elements of Stargate SG-1. I wonder if there are any other similarities...

[@shino4242]

If people think you don't like change/being different then they are living in a dream world. You have at least skimmed, if not full on read, an unholy amount of comics spanning from the golden age to now. You have actively seen the changes various characters have gone through over the years. Your series, with a few exceptions here and there is about reviewing BAD comics and you have relatively few NEW things reviewed. In one video discussing N52 stuff

[@dragonsword8129]

I see your point on the secret identity thing. But would like to argue in the case of whether or not that loved one could keep a secret.

[@KidSnivy69]

I'd argue, if they'd tell the secret they probably aren't a real loved one.

[@dragonsword8129]

+KidSnivy69 Well, I was really referring to the kind of people that can't keep a secret to save their own lives. Another case would be if they wouldn't approve of you putting yourself in dangerous situations.

[@adrianrobertoruizmartinez9325]

18:43 well, linkara just say the secret origins of dr no

[@Sonic-happ.]

I like PRE 52 one more.

[@BurningOleander]

I feel that season 2 of Young Justice had the perfect version of the Reach, who were actually pretty much the main villains. They still had the strategy from the original Jaime Reyes series, but their connection to the cosmic stuff was shown more clearly and their plans involved more direct action, even though they did all of it undercover. They also chose the absolute perfect point for contacting earth in that show and used fear tactics to rally the people on earth against their heroes to take away their credibility when they find out what the Reach is up to. And it might've been just me, but while they used the original designs, I still felt they brought the insect thing in a little as well. Seriously guys, all of you, watch Young Justice, it's so friggin good.

[@BurningOleander]

+BurningOleander Also, I feel that Khaji-Da actually had a cool character arc in the show that he didn't have in the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle run, at least not as well done. Still love that run a lot though!

[@KidSnivy69]

I still prefer the comic version

[@lilspritah]

It's like they wanted to make a Peter, mj and Harry thing going and wanted to really push the Peter parker angle knowing some people thought of him as dcs spiderman but as you said it doesn't work and I agree with everything you said and this series of videos is one of my favourite things on all of youtube thank you linkara.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

You know, the idea that Doctor Manhattan fucked the New 52 up makes perfect sense. Grimdark misery that affects Charleston characters extra hard? You got your Watchmen universe in our DC universe.

[@ZoanBlade90]

3:28 Ladies and Gentlemen, my thoughts on the "New 52 Lobo". It began with the design, our new Lobo looking like Edward Cullen. At the time, I was angry at first, but I was more forgiving. Why? Because Lobo was supposed to be a parody of 90's comic book trends and anti-heroes. I (at the time) thought that they would make a parody about current comic book trends, instead I heard he got a dark, brooding backstory. I wanted to hold on to hope. I didn't know much about him, but I knew a few things, and I liked when he was on both the Superman Animated Series and Justice League. I WANTED this to work. I then saw a picture of the new Lobo (or Faux-Bo as some fans called him) cover. It was him holding the Lobo we knew's head by the hair. Apparently, the one we knew was a "fake", and the new one is the actual one. ...What a load. But I'm not saying this series can't be good. I've seen the video Comicstorian did on the origin of the New 52 Lobo, and I thought it was fine. It just has the problem with being called Lobo. It might be fine it was something else, but people see the title and have certain expectations. They made Lobo...in the thing he was making fun of.

[@trumpetnerd8431]

New 52 and pre 52 Blue Beetle books “the scarab is scientific technology” Blue Beetle rebirth “Nah we’re going with the thought from the Charleston comics ted run aka magic”

[@aarengabriel8106]

In the proud tradition of Blue Beetle trying to rip off other characters, I guess here they were going for a Venom-line relationship?

[@dakotadoyle7573]

Linkara who is your favorite Blue Beetle? And im counting New 52 James as a seperate character

[@DeisFortuna]

Maybe the pseudoscarab attached to Paco was stronger because Paco was physically stronger than Jaime?

[@eamonndeane587]

Ugh... Jamie got ruined here. The editorial staff should be ashamed of themselves .

[@SnowyWolborg]

You can say that again. Blue Beetle got the same treatment as Static. Everything that was good about the character, the new 52 decided "nah, let's just change all that stuff that WORKED and do something new."

[@camobeast100]

26:29 Pretty much my thoughts on the Threeboot Legion.

[@Nathan-kk6lb]

0:47 Geez, Batman's going through a Robin roughly every two years in the new 52? And I thought all that was getting ridiculous in the old DCU!

[@henrybelman7424]

what is it with bug heroes slapping their love intrests

[@willku9000]

I can think of one reason the Backup system would be more powerful than the main one. It’s clear the Reach don’t think much of the worlds they conquer in this version and probably don’t want it to be pure Overkill, because then it wouldn’t be as fun. The emergency system is stronger in the unlikely event that the defending forces are more powerful than they thought and the scarab isn’t enough. Another possible reason is since Kaji Da is damaged and Jaime has more control, the scarab can’t defend itself or fight back as well

[@oceonmon1392]

18:43

[@rockstickcomics]

Reach scarabs are kinda like baby saijins

[@calemr]

I want to see Snowflame become a lantern. I don't know which one, but... C'mon, who HASN'T been one at some point?

[@Sonic-happ.]

Batman Brave And The Bold was my first time with the Blue Beetle.

[@achidikisob7759]

I know you're referencing Flash Gordon, but DC!Flash-Beetle sounds OP as hell (Speed Force and the Scarab? That totally sounds fair).

[@rodimusrider8798]

+Achidi Kisob what about Green Beetle from Young Justice with all of New 52 Manhunter's powers plus scarab armour

[@achidikisob7759]

Rodimus Rider True.

[@Nathan-kk6lb]

+Rodimus Rider It's actually been confirmed by numerous people on /r/whowouldwin that YJ's Blue Beetle could easily take down YJ's Superman. The dude is OP.

[@samwill7259]

Banana: Knight of the spear! (Sorry. I recognized your icon.) XD

[@achidikisob7759]

sam will No need to apologize, happy to see another KR fan around.

[@Ben_Donnelly_DUB]

18:43 Yes! I mean no. Definitely no.

[@krvys7226]

But Linkara, you and I both know Snowflame would only come back as a White Lantern.

[@TevyaSmolka]

question Linkara i am just wondering what is your opinion of Titans rebirth and them bringing back the pre 52 wally west back alive an kicking and all of the rebirth titles that came out during both June and July because in my opinion i feel like DC rebirth is firing on all Cilenders but that's just my opinion

[@alucardyoici]

21:40 that's a weird thing writers don't get about now it's gonna be all over the social media, they always go with oh someone was there with his iphone even though that's like close high definition image from different angle

[@HiperPivociarz]

I feel like Jiame said Paco is pathetic only to mess with Spin-off. And Spin-off said the same about Jiame, even though these were just thoughs Paco would never say out loud, and was ashamed of. He did liked Jaime, only he also was jealous of him and Spin-off wanted to use it.

[@KidSnivy69]

Well this run never gave us the chance to find out.

[@HiperPivociarz]

I hate DC and Marvel sometimes. Always. Except when they make movies. Or The Flash. Or good animated tv shows.