BLUE BEETLE YEAR TWO: TALKING TO JOHN ROGERS

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

When a little blue scarab crawled across Jaime Reyes' bedroom floor and attached itself to his spine, it was the making of comic book history -- a moment featured in Infinite Crisis, one of the top-selling comics of the decade, that had superhero fans everywhere excited about this new Blue Beetle's story.

But it wasn't all that exciting for Jaime. He was just plain scared.

A year after the launch of the Blue Beetle title last March, Jaime has come a long way from that frightened kid who thought this crazy caped world he'd entered was too overwhelming. The reluctant teenaged hero has since started to figure out his armor, traveled into space and back, discovered the New Gods, and enlisted the help of a whole network of supporters as he decisively gives this superhero thing a try.

The title has undergone some changes in the last year too -- with Keith Giffen relinquishing the writing duties to his co-writer, John Rogers, and artist Cully Hamner departing the title to hand over the reins to relative newcomer Rafael Albuquerque.

So what's next? Solicitations indicate some familiar DCU guest stars, including the return of Guy Gardner, and the title's got a tie-in issue with Countdown coming in June. And Jaime's reaction to finding out about his predecessor, Ted Kord, is in the works for upcoming issues as well.

As we round the corner of the one year mark for Blue Beetle, Newsarama talked to Rogers to find out more about Jaime's future and what readers can expect from the title during its second year.

Newsarama: As we pass the one-year anniversary for Blue Beetle, how's the ride been for you so far?

John Rogers: Pretty great. I knew that learning to write comics would be difficult, but having Keith Giffen mentor me -- by "mentor" of course I mean "cruelly mock, and occasionally slap" -- was amazing. When I eased into writing the book solo, it was a nice time. We'd finally kind of tossed off the "you killed Ted!" haters, and the new fans were very fun and supportive. I love being on a monthly schedule. After the years-long development process in movies, this is fun.

NRAMA: Going back and looking where Jaime was a year ago, he was more than just the classic reluctant hero -- he really freaked out at first. How would you describe where the character was in the beginning?

JR: Terrified. He was absolutely frikkin' terrified. As he should be. Listen, the DCU is full of guys who get their powers and a week later they're bangin' out the team-ups. Even the teen heroes are usually somebody's nephew, whatever. Jaime Reyes is an ordinary kid who was drafted into walking in a world of gods and monsters. He reacted quite normally, which was "Get me out of here!" He had a nice life, he had a family who loved him ... and these new powers were screwing with that.

NRAMA: But Jaime's in a different place now, isn't he? One year after discovering and beginning to explore his powers, he's got a lot more confidence after that year-long journey toward being a hero.

JR: People can adapt to anything. And I think you see, over the course of the first year, we beat out Jaime's decision moments very carefully. First he uses the powers just to defend himself. Then he uses them because he doesn't want a baby to get hurt. Then Paco shows him that he's got some backup, so it's safe to expand, try to help people. Then in #10 and #11 he decides to fix a planet, because it would be irresponsible to leave the mess for someone else. Once he's over the initial freakout, Jaime Reyes is a good kid raised by good parents. He's going to help people if he can. I just thought it would be cool to take out time and show how a real human being would get there, instead of starting at "hero" and having nowhere to go.

NRAMA: He's also got a group of people now who know he's Blue Beetle, including his family and friends, which is a change from most teenage superheroes we've seen before. Why do you think it's important to give him such a network of in-the-know supporters? Is it because he's such an outsider from the superhero world?

JR: Well, it's partly that. In comics we usually very conveniently isolate/kill off family members, except for the ones we want to kidnap/endanger on a regular basis. Keith always said this was a horror book, and you can see it in some of the attitudes we had the family exhibit. Your son is changed. He is other. And it's scary as hell. That loss of control ordinary people feel in the face of tragedy, super-powered or not, that's a story worth telling. And how families pull together, how they rebuild their lives --- that story's worth telling too.

NRAMA: Yeah, but he's even got a virtual Beetle-Cave now! A modern, teenage version of a classic. How did you come up with that idea?

JR: Keith came up with Hector and Nadia, and left the geekery to me. It's the perfect example of, make your characters real, throw a problem at them, and the reaction will be interesting. A kid with powers whose parents did not conveniently die and leave him millions -- how does he pull together all the info he needs to keep his little corner of the world safe?

It's influenced, too, by tech I use. Blue Beetle is actually plotted out, both issue and arc, on a wiki page. The artists, writers and editors can all access and rewrite the page whenever they want. Joan will post a question, I'll rewrite one of the issue plotlines in response, she'll check and tell me if a villain's available or not ... and that all updates live online, so the latest version of the year-long breakdowns are always a click away. That software is idiot-proof and free for small projects (it's Backpack, if you're interested). With some real tech-heads available, Jaime could have a much juicier setup.

NRAMA: I loved how nobody in the comic knew what a Mother Box is. Almost every other DC comic, the superhero would see it and recognize it right away, but everybody in Blue Beetle was clueless. The Beetle-Cave came to the rescue with "rumors" of an alien race called the New Gods. How much fun is it to show the world of superheroes through the eyes of true outsiders? I know it's fun to read -- is that the point? To tell the story from a different point of view?

JR: It's kind of the point of the whole book. Jaime's not part of the club. And to be frank, neither am I. I came to superhero comics in my late twenties, after years of indies and graphic novels. So, wonderfully, I get to tweak the goofiness of this world that's very much brand-new to me and Jaime, while writing real old-school comic adventure tales. Jaime's being introduced to a new world ... and it turns out that world is pretty damn cool.

Every now and then, I'll have to research something, and I come up with some insane tidbit that I never see in the usual continuity of the DCU or a character. I see that as our job -- showing you the off-speed viewpoint on your favorite characters. You know, the Beetle/Batman scene in #7 was one and a half pages, and people freaked for it. It actually motivated Waid to use Beetle for Brave and the Bold #3. And I think that was because Jaime didn't know pre-IC Batman, didn't know his rep as an icy jerk, and so talked to him differently. Bats responded in kind, and it dimensionalized him somewhat. It was fun. Guy Gardner's upcoming appearance is similar. Jaime has no idea that Guy's version of how the DCU works and, well, everybody else's, those are different things.

NRAMA: You know, the Beetle-Cave is just one example of how this comic really puts a youthful twist on the idea of being a superhero. I know you're not a teenager, John, so how difficult is it to write about a different generation like this and make it feel so youthful?

JR: Luckily I'm a geek. No, seriously, I game online, and a fair chunk of the other gamers are younger. Also, a number of the tech and gaming sites I read are written by kids in their late teens, maybe college. You pick stuff up. Mostly snark. Snark and scorn. Tasty scorn.

NRAMA: You're also writing about a different culture, since much of the comic takes place in El Paso, Texas, among a Hispanic community. How much of a challenge has that been?

JR: Those are actually kind of the same question, when I think about it. One of the things I learned when writing TV, you don't write black, white, Hispanic, etc. You write real, well-motivated characters and the ethnicity lend sit a context. But that doesn't change how you approach a character's job in the script. I consciously avoid dropping in too many references that would seem ... researched. We've all been teenagers. We all have relationships with our Dad, our Mom, our friends ... just write those, and the reader will often fill in what they need. Every writer has a lens in on every character. Jaime's Catholic, I'm Catholic, and Irish or Hispanic, that informs your family in a certain way. Just extrapolate out from that.

NRAMA: His life in El Paso, in his high school and with his friends and family, seems so central to who he is. Is it important to you to keep Jaime and his story in El Paso and in high school?

JR: Call me nuts, I think there should be a DCU book a working class teen can pick up and feel connected to. No orphans, no multimillionaire with a long tradition of superheroics in their life, just -- kid in a school with powers. A fair number of books, you need a graduate degree in advanced continuity to even begin to figure out what the hell you're reading. I don't mind being the starter book. Also, once you get the characters to college, you're breaking up the team, and, well, I like these characters. As long as I'm writing it, Jaime stays in high school.

NRAMA: How has it been working with the new artist, Rafael Albuquerque, on the series?

JR: Pretty great. Rafael's got the gritty energy. He draws almost as fast as I write. It's because he loves this stuff. I told him he'd be drawing Guy Gardner, and you'd think I got him a frikkin' pony for Christmas. After Cully did such an amazing job with the character designs, and establishing the personalities with his very crisp "acting" faces, Rafael's a good change-up. We feel a little looser, a little more indie. I'm good with that.

NRAMA: OK, let's talk about what's coming up in the next few issues for Jaime. It looks like The Reach has shown up -- the alien race behind the scarab. What's going to happen with this alien race? Are they a threat?

JR: A threat? Of course not!

NRAMA: Uh huh....

JR: The Reach, as you've seen in #12 and #13 -- they're interstellar traders. They scatter the Scarabs all over the universe, and when a planet's population reaches a certain tech level, the Scarab activates. This is because so few young races manage to escape from that developmental step without a war, or destroying their own world. So the Reach show up and help out, with the Scarab-bearer as their champion and all-round fixer. They're not a threat -- they're our SPACE-PALS!!

That centuries-long war with the Oans was just a misunderstanding.

NRAMA: Sure it was. So you mentioned before that Guy Gardner's back. What's going to be happening with him and Jaime in Issue #14?

JR: You know, Guy's not a jerk. He felt pretty bad about letting the Ring's reaction to Jaime -- heightened by his own very sublimated grief at Ted's death -- lead him to violence. So he's shown up to help out the new kid. I mean, it's not like he'll apologize or anything. He's way too emotionally crippled for anything like that. But this is Guy being ... Guy has anger issues you know. He's not unaware of that. But you will come away from this seeing Guy in a different light. I know that after I wrote the issue, I went back and replotted a few things in the back half of Year Two.

NRAMA: You've also got a tie-in to Countdown coming up in June for Issue #16 with an appearance by Eclipso. What's that issue about?

JR: We're going back to the magic theme for an issue. Keith had always meant that magic beat as a head fake, but I'm kind of fascinated by it. I want to explore the odd state of magic in the DCU. It's a young new age of magic, so I think it ought to be the teen heroes who crack it. And hey, about time Jaime met a nice girl ... so magic comes to El Paso, tied into something we set up in #5. Complications ensue.

NRAMA: Anything you can tell us about the future for Jaime as the series heads into its second year?

JR: Year One was getting to know Jaime Reyes. Year Two is how he becomes the third Blue Beetle. And that "third Blue Beetle" matters. He's going to be learning what this heritage means, and what lessons he can take from his predecessors. He'll be meeting heroes from the DCU, figuring out his "place" in that pantheon.

In unraveling the very cunning plot of the Reach, Jaime is overmatched, out-powered, ill-informed -- and to battle those odds, that's what defines a hero. Not the powers, not the suit. As things heat up and the Reach strikes at him openly, he's going to be pushed, to see how far an average 16-year-old kid will go when faced with saving the world. There's been three Blue Beetles -- nobody's saying there won't be a fourth, some day. Maybe soon. That hangs over him.

NRAMA: Last chance, John -- for the people who haven't checked out the series, tell them what they're missing and why they should give it a chance.

JR: Teenager Jaime Reyes has a spiffy, homicidal armored suit made by aliens who hate him. He has no instruction manual for the armor -- that's stuck in the brain of his mentor, who may soon shoot him in the face. His best friend's Mom is his nemesis, the other superheroes left him to die in space, and he has midterms and no date for the prom. He's El Paso's only superhero. He has no idea how to do that job, and El Paso has no idea how to have a superhero. Jokes are told, things blow up, New Gods and Batman and Green Lanterns and other superheroes visit to punch and wise-crack and occasionally weep over a bloody, tragic demise. It's old-school adventure comics drawn by an artist you can brag about discovering ten years from now. Come for the ride.

[[NM]]

I love this series and happy of it still being around! first post ( always wanted type
it)

[nietoperz]

I'm tempted by this interview to add this book to my pull. Nice wok Vaneta!

[BubbaKanoosh]

I enjoyed this series from the get go...

glad its on year 2.

[tbumpkins]

I just read the first trade, and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The interview only excites me more. I'll just have to check out this new penciller first, but this looks like its getting a pull list spot.

[Truthseeker]

This is a really wonderful read. I have been on it since the begining and the team has been consistent and delivered some really exciting stories. I wish DC managed all their line with this commitment to consitency and quality.

[DeTroyes]

I've been really enjoying this series since it started, and hope it continues for a very, very long time. Its probably my third favorite read every month, just behind 52 and Teen Titans.

Good to hear DC has plans to keep Jaime around.

[Ranadiel]

One of my favorite series. I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here. Although as a side note, I thought Jamie's nemesis was his best friend's aunt not mom.....or did her aunt adopt her at some point(I guess my memoery is starting to fail me).

[BornToRun]

What is it with DC using "things blow up" as a plot summary?

[wonderfish]

It really warms my heart to see how much thought and craft has been put into laying this out. No "let's throw him into being a hero and he'll immediately take to it" like normal, but really crafting the character first and his relationship with his destiny later. Beautiful. Add some sparkling dialogue on top of that and you have a real winner.

Mr. Rogers, if you read this, thumbs up and I definitely look forward to this coming year.

[AbbaZabba39]

Originally Posted by Ranadiel

One of my favorite series. I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here. Although as a side note, I thought Jamie's nemesis was his best friend's aunt not mom.....or did her aunt adopt her at some point(I guess my memoery is starting to fail me).

I thought it was her aunt as well...

[Kilowog]

Want to get caught up on Blue Beetle?

#13 comes out next week, here's a summary of the first 11 and there's a link to a review of #12 at the bottom of this linked article!

[CandidGamera]

Originally Posted by BornToRun

What is it with DC using "things blow up" as a plot summary?

Because they have to compete with Marvel, who use it as an editorial mandate.

[Alexlucard]

You Killed Ted!

Actually as much as I am on the forefront of the "Bring back Ted Kord or hand me Didio's mutilated and despoiled corpse" bandwagon, I found that upon reading the series a year later, that I quite enjoyed it. My first few issues of BB3 were tempered with my "You killed Ted!" disdain.

[vbartilucci]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

Teenager Jaime Reyes has a spiffy, homicidal armored suit made by aliens who hate him. He has no instruction manual for the armor -- that's stuck in the brain of his mentor, who may soon shoot him in the face. His best friend's Mom is his nemesis, the other superheroes left him to die in space, and he has midterms and no date for the prom. He's El Paso's only superhero. He has no idea how to do that job, and El Paso has no idea how to have a superhero. Jokes are told, things blow up, New Gods and Batman and Green Lanterns and other superheroes visit to punch and wise-crack and occasionally weep over a bloody, tragic demise. It's old-school adventure comics drawn by an artist you can brag about discovering ten years from now. Come for the ride.

Y'know, that may be the best synopsis of a comic book in the modern age.

I've been on board since issue one, and I'm havin' a ball.

One of the things I like about the book is the way the teenagers are actually drawn like teenagers. Beetle is thin, gangly and ill at ease in his own body, let alone the battle armor.

I still want Ted back, tho. But I'm willing to let this kid be the Beetle.

[Kilowog]

Originally Posted by AbbaZabba39

I thought it was her aunt as well...

Well she is referred to as Tia Amparo…

[Matthew E]

Originally Posted by vbartilucci

Y'know, that may be the best synopsis of a comic book in the modern age.

I was about to say. It's quite a sales pitch.

[KyleCowstar]

Great interview. I definately want to check this book out again now. I feel that this guy gets it.

[Northstar04]

I have been a fan of this series since issue #1. Why? It's fun!! Check it out if you haven't already.

[yenaled]

It is a great book, constantly good fun and a great addition to the DCU. It succesfully passes under the radar each month but never fails to entertain.

[Foobster]

NorthStar summed it up.

The book's fun.

If you want pure, simple, "Fun", then go get it! I'm a fan.

[dadthedude]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Jaime Reyes has a spiffy, homicidal armored suit made by aliens who hate him. He has no instruction manual for the armor -- that's stuck in the brain of his mentor, who may soon shoot him in the face. His best friend's Mom is his nemesis, the other superheroes left him to die in space, and he has midterms and no date for the prom. He's El Paso's only superhero. He has no idea how to do that job, and El Paso has no idea how to have a superhero. Jokes are told, things blow up, New Gods and Batman and Green Lanterns and other superheroes visit to punch and wise-crack and occasionally weep over a bloody, tragic demise. It's old-school adventure comics drawn by an artist you can brag about discovering ten years from now. Come for the ride.

Does no one in the DCU know that the new Beetle is just a teenager? Because the question I have is if Nightwing can ask Robin to have Ravager join the Titans, why can't Batman ask Robin to have the Titans look in on Beetle?

[Ye Olde Iowa]

I'm glad to see more people warming up to this book. It's one of the best reads that DC is putting out and I think it got way too much flak because it wasn't Ted, but I think if you give it a chance it's clear the book has a lot to offer. I've been loving it since issue #1 and I hope that it continues on the great precedant that it has set for itself.

[Ye Olde Iowa]

Originally Posted by dadthedude

Does no one in the DCU know that the new Beetle is just a teenager? Because the question I have is if Nightwing can ask Robin to have Ravager join the Titans, why can't Batman ask Robin to have the Titans look in on Beetle?

Batman and Booster know for sure, but I'm not sure who else. While I think having the Titans stop by would be an interesting mini-arc, I think that having Jaime on his own in El Paso is part of the books charm.

[EmeraldGuy32]

I almost owned this...


Anyway, I really regret dropping this book. I'm going to be getting all the tpbs.