Spotlight: The Green Team - Teen Trillionaires #1

(w) Art Baltazar and Franco     (a) Ig Guara and JP Mayer

When DC announced The Movement and The Green Team as two sides of the socioeconomic coin it was intriguing, but also felt forced and dependent on the current economic climate. Dating yourself to a certain timeframe is never a good idea. I'm sure you can go back through DC issues in the early 90s and find all sorts of examples of how that's true. Fortunately, these two titles seem less invested in the economic instability so much as they're focused on how social hierarchy affects the superhero community.

The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires #1 gives readers a well-paced and detailed look at just what this campy, small concept from the 1970s has evolved into now that it's set in the inflated 21st century. I did not imagine I would enjoy this series at all.

The Movement was alright, but had a messy first issue, and while I'm not some Robin Hood character, I just could not see myself getting into a book like The Green Team that glorified extreme wealth to such a degree. Fortunately, Art Baltazar and Franco deliver a story that's about character development, creating a solid premise, and showing skeptics like me why this might just be the next great DC title.

Reader proxy characters are meant to mirror the audience's own lack of knowledge while reading a comic book. Prince Mohammed Qahtanii fills that role pretty blatantly, but it's clumsy because the whole situation is clumsy. Mo -- as he's referred to throughout the issue, and, I'm guessing, going forward -- is reaching out. He's trying to make a name for himself outside his father's considerable shadow by attending a Green Team PoxPo (Pop-Up Expo) to find the next best technology to take home and prove he's worthy to follow in his father's steps and rule. 

Most of us aren't royalty with our paternal relationships on the line, but any new reader is just like Mo in that we're reaching out. For Mo, it's to the PoxPo, for readers, it's The Green Team #1. We're taking a chance on something that sounds ridiculous and extravagant at first glance, but becomes more enticing and interesting the more we learn. Prince Mo as a metaphor for the reader works because he asks all the right questions and has the same flaws as any other kid his age; he likes to tweet. Not all readers of The Green Team #1 are going to be teenage social media machines, but it still grounds Mo as an organic character who I'm genuinely interested in reading about.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **


The basic concept is that the Green Team, led by mega-trillionaire Commodore Murphy, is a group of young, super-rich teenagers from all walks of wealth who come together to find the most advanced and cutting-edge technology available, buy it, fund it, and reap the rewards. Seems simple, right?

But it's not this premise, per se, that makes The Green Team #1 work so well. More, it's how Baltazar and Franco find the effects of such a concept and how it affects those involved. Murphy and his other Team are in a unique position that requires unique ways of thinking about how they live their lives (not ethically, but logistically). In fact, all of these mega-wealthy teenagers are forced to find new ways to be the Green Team all the time because they are what is desirable: youth and wealth. The Team is the extremity of this trope.

The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires #1 is an awesome issue. It's fun, it's intriguing, it's solid. Baltazar and Franco have found an amazing way to tell this story without every single character sounding completely pretentious, which is a feat. Ig Guara's artwork is a welcome addition after his brief absence after the cancellation of Blue Beetle. This is a buy. Never thought I'd say it, but it's a buy.

GRADE

9/10

BLUE BEETLE #0

STORY: Tony Bedard and Keith Giffen
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

NOOOO!!!! TED KORD!!!!!! At least, I think that's how I should be reacting to Blue Beetle #0, which delves into the history of the plucky scarab, Khaji-Da with literally no reference to the original Blue Beetle. Of course, the scarab's time on Earth after separating from it's first host is somewhat glossed over, left to the readers' imagination as to where Khaji-Da travelled in the years before meeting Jaime Reyes. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Tony Bedard is joined by Keith Giffen for Blue Beetle #0, a (mostly) straightforward origins issue for the Reach scarab currently connected to Jaime's spine. We already know that Khaji-Da is a sentient scarab symbiote that latches onto a host to carry out the will of the Reach, a clandestine alien race that has millions of scarab soldiers at it's control across the universe. We also already know that Ol' Da can't control Jaime like the other scarabs can control their hosts' minds, but we don't know why. Beyond this basic information, not a whole lot has been unveiled concerning the scarab, until now.

"Sky Witness" provides a full character history for Khaji-Da, from the days before his creation, to his first unsuccessful mission, and through his time on Earth up until meeting Jaime. While the textbook-style narrative isn't exactly invigorating or engaging in any particular way, it serves to develop Khaji-Da beyond being the loony voice inside Jaime's head telling him to kill people and destroy the planet. And it does a good job! One of the most important aspects of the scarab - that Bedard makes sure is clear and understandable - is that they are actual sentient beings. It's easy to slip into thinking of these little blue bugs are simply just pieces of a larger technological goal, but they each have a voice, they each have a personality. I was hoping to meet another scarab this month, maybe one that's got an extreme personality to show the diversity of the scarabs.

The first half of the issue explores the origin of the scarab, followed by his very first test mission, wherein he finds a suitable host in the Stygian Expanse. Upon attempting to fuse with his new host - a small, blue/black skinned girl with four eyes - the scarab is rebuffed by a sudden explosion of psionic energy. Turns out that energy is coming from the child, who has tapped into her latent abilities to control antimatter. After being damaged, Khaji-Da recognizes his slim chances of survival, and escapes the girl who controls dark energy. Turns out she goes on to become Lady Styx, a villain on the same level as Darkseid before the 'New 52' relaunch. The scarab's first mission is important because it gives a possible explanation for Khaji-Da's inability to fully control Jaime - due to dark matter interference? - as well as sets up Lady Styx to be featured throughout the DCnU in the future.

The latter half of the book focuses on Sky Witness, a Mayan chieftain who descends into the wreckage of Khaji-Da's crash landing onto Earth's surface. The scarab was shot down by an unnamed Green Lantern, providing a second possible reason for the malfunction concerning total mind control. It's odd to feel sympathy for a robot bug whose sole purpose is to take total control of a host being and cause unspeakable destruction to worlds around the universe. But there it is: Khaji-Da is a good, good character.

Sky Witness uses the scarab to defend his home from the violent Nahua Tribe. The Nahua go on to start the Aztec Empire, according to Bedard, and Sky - in his scarab armor, of course - becomes known as the vengeful god Quetzalcoatl. Sky Witness's story comes to an end when even the scarab's advanced systems can't prolong his life any further. This is how Khaji-Da gets trapped in the ruins of a Mayan temple, only to be found years later by archaeologists unfettered by ancient signs of death and destruction.

I'm not exactly sure where Blue Beetle #0 should fit in chronologically amongst other issues. Even though a majority of the story is dedicated to the years before Jaime bonds with the scarab, the final few pages recap Jaime's journey so far, and we eventually get to the current day with Jaime stuck in Reachworld space after being abruptly transported there by O.M.A.C. in the pages of Justice League International Annual #1. So, one could place it before issue one purely for it's historical content, or it could go right after Blue Beetle #12. It's a conundrum for chronological perfectionists like myself. That one nitpick-y criticism aside, Blue Beetle #0 does a fantastic job giving readers a fleshed out, meaningful history of the scarab Khaji-Da, as well as placing the building blocks for future stories. And really, what more could you ask for from this series?

GRADE

B+

BLUE BEETLE #12

STORY: Tony Bedard
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

Blue Beetle #12 is the culmination of a year's worth of stories. Sure, this might sound familiar to the likes of Batman and Action Comics, but for a smaller title such as Tony Bedard's about a teenager who suddenly inherits seemingly unending power, taking the longer, better developed path can be a risky endeavor. Fortunately for Jaime Reyes and his scarab, this gamble has paid off and Blue Beetle is one of the most solid, well rounded titles that DC offers every month. While the first few months felt a bit rushed and convoluted, it soon became clear that Bedard was emulating the adolescent experience - that of misunderstanding, universal awkwardness, and coping with change. Unlike Teen Titans or Superboy - both of which have spent their entire runs steeped in heavy superhero mythos - Tony Bedard has only lightly touched on grander plot points with Blue Beetle, opting instead to develop Jaime as a person, as opposed to simply another hero like, say, Bart Allen thus far,

 And really, the use of universal teenage emotions is only one of of the ways Bedard keeps Blue Beetle grounded, while also making sure that the armor gets a good workout each issue. I'm not a religious person, but I appreciate religious symbolism and it's inclusion in art when it's done with integrity and without bias. Simply put, Tony Bedard understands the that a lesson from religion doesn't translate into dogmatic belief. The issue's opening scene involves the scarab scanning Jaime's grandmother's apartment and focusing on the crucifixion hanging on the wall, and it's confusion over an idea like self-sacrifice for the good of others. It's a short scene, but one that resonates throughout the issue, then more specifically when Jaime goes up against the 'Blood Beetle'.

Probably the weakest part of the issue is the actual 'moral of the story'. In the middle of the final fight, Jaime wishes he could find a way to remove the armor's medical implant without killing Paco in the process. Contrary to it's explanation during the Beetles' first bout some issues back, the scarab is able to remove the 'med-tick' only by cloning part of Jaime's heart to replace the implant. It's a risky procedure, apparently, but it pays off; Paco is safe, the med-tick is safely back within the scarab armor, and Jaime is reunited with his friends. Jaime asks the scarab why it didn't just save Paco in this fashion the first time around, to which the scarab replies, "Because victory through self-sacrifice was an alien concept. Until today." It's because Bedard is so good at subtly conveying ideas and emotions that it's jarring when he changes pace and writes more frankly.

The ability to make a generally lesser-known character more popular is an under-appreciated skill these days. Characters like Wolverine, Batman, and Superman have a built-in fan base. Now, that's not to say that writing these characters doesn't present their own challenges, but starting from scratch can be a daunting task for any writer. Tony Bedard aptly handles the teenaged Blue Beetle, offering up a narrative flow that keeps the series grounded enough to be relatable, but includes enough weirdness to keep it interesting. If you haven't read Blue Beetle, you should.

GRADE

A

BLUE BEETLE #11

STORY: Tony Bedard
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

One constant throughout Blue Beetle thus far has been the misunderstanding concerning the scarab attached to Jaime Reyes' back and whether he presents a threat to the human race. it doesn't help that the scarab is, in fact, a tool of an warmongering intergalactic cult known as the Reach, or that a few questionable pictures pinning Jaime as a violent menace have received worldwide media coverage. Add to that a piece of scarab getting lodged in Jaime's friend Paco - turning him into a bloodthirsty Reach solider - and you get one hell of a story about a kid just trying to understand what's happening to him.

If Jaime's predicaments sound familiar, they are. Much of how Tony Bedard tells Beetle's story is symbolic of normal, regular, everyday teenage issues. Now a part of his body, the Reach armor continues to surprise Jaime with new and unusual abilities, an element of this narrative that parallels the changing bodies of teenagers, however uncomfortable that is to type. Similarly, the pictures and video of Blue Beetle lashing out at innocent people has turned Jaime into an enemy of the state purely because of miscommunication and out-of-context situations, both sentiments of which almost any teenager has had to endure from their parents, school administrators, police, and adults in general. Lastly, the constant scarab "voice" in Jaime's head is representative of the many new elements of a teenager's life that influence his/her decisions and actions. There are a lot of other examples, too: no one wants to listen to Jaime, only control him; strained relationships with his friends due to his new responsibilities; the search for a mentor; and even running away from home. While some of these are more subtle than others, Bedard uses all the ammo he can to show how becoming a superhero isn't that different from being an awkward teenager.

This month brings the long-awaited (by me, at least) reunion of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle! While the Silver Age Beetle doesn't seem to be active in the 'New 52' (at least not yet), this team-up hearkens back to the days when Michael John Carter and Ted Kord would bumble around town, tripping over each other just trying to do good deeds and be remembered for them. Of course, DC's relaunch has been about reintroducing characters and relationships in a new way. For Blue Beetle, that means making Booster Gold at-odds with Jaime from the get-go. Booster gets the spotlight for the first few pages, appearing on a talk show where he chides the more conservative guest over bullying Beetle without hearing the boy's side of the story. And actually, their meeting starts out innocently enough; Jaime introduces himself and goes on about being grateful for Booster's desired friendship. That's all before Booster sucker punches him across the bay.

Booster reveals that he knows about the Reach, giving a little more credence to his violent outburst. But like most adults in this series, he basically refuses to listen to Jaime, opting instead to shoot first and ask questions later. Their fighting takes them across the city and into Washington Square Park where the citizens of New York City watch in horror as Booster Gold beats the Blue Beetle down. A pause in the fist-throwing lets Beetle attempt to explain his unorthodox situation to Booster while the people in the park listen in and start to see that a there's a scared, confused kid trapped in a suit of armor being framed for crimes he didn't commit or couldn't control.


Booster Gold knows about the Reach and is convinced Jaime is under it's control, yet is forced to stand down when the surrounding crowd, and Jaime's grandmother in particular, starts chastising the adult hero for beating up a kid. Lying through his teeth, Booster covers his tracks by claiming it was all a test to be a member of the JLI and giving Jaime a more open-minded chance to prove himself.

GRADE

B+

(COMIC) BLUE BEETLE #10

STORY: Tony Bedard
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

Blue Beetle has had it's ups and downs since day one. While the first arc re-introduced us to Jaime Reyes and his relationship with the Blue Beetle scarab - an artifact that we came to know is actually a malfunctioning tool of the Reach, an intergalactic hive-empire that can destroy entire worlds with a single soldier - it wasn't especially interesting. Beyond the spacefaring origins of the scarab, Jaime's run-ins with El Paso's criminal underground felt forced and came off as underwhelming. Nonetheless, Blue Beetle is an extremely interesting character and Jaime is written very well - his personality shines through Tony Bedard's clumsy plot, and this fact remains the title's anchor as far as quality goes. Throw in an upcoming crossover with Green Lantern and you've sold me. This month, however, focuses on Jaime's dealings with the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) and it's director, Mr. Bones.

Bones is a staple of the old DC universe, using his cunning intellect and detective skills to help out the big-leaguers. Fortunately, our skull-headed friend has made several appearances now in the 'New 52', which is a good sign for the future of the character.


Blue Beetle #10 pulls an Alias on readers by starting the issue with scenes of Jaime's torture on Bones' orders before flashing back seven hours earlier on page three. Jaime is still buzzing around (pun definitely intended) New York City, but he doesn't really have a plan of action. One reason Blue Beetle is fun to read is how relatable Bedard has made Jaime. If you were somehow connected to a crazy interstellar beetle that intermittently took control of your body and turned you into a whack-job hero/menace, would you have any clear-cut plans? Last month, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner (who didn't actually reveal his identity to Jaime) suggested that Beetle go to the DEO and meet with Bones. With little else to do, Jaime takes Kyle's advice only to be handcuffed and escorted down to the department's lower basement levels.


This is where things get interesting. 


Bones has the bounty hunter from last issue (who was after GL) locked up and he immediately recognizes and talks with Jaime. A quick mention of the scarab's connection to the Reach - and it's true potential as a weapon of mass destruction - sends the DEO agents into a frenzy that ends with Jaime fastened to a torture machine. Bones is a great character because he's actually intelligent. When Jaime escapes, Bones knows they shouldn't go after him. More often than not, there's a chase because it gives more room to have more fighting. Instead, Bedard writes Bones like a rational detective: he hears Jaime's side, sees the evidence, and realizes that authority is not the right way to approach the Blue Beetle. Again, intelligence is often lacking in enemies these days.


The end of the issue brings back up the unfortunate video footage of Blue backhanding a girl in El Paso. Some reporters are yammering on about the difference between writing Blue Beetle as a hero, or as a menace. The decide on the latter, hoping to turn a one-off situation into a scandal, when Booster Gold shows up to put a stop to it.


This is what excited me most about this issue. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold have a long history together - when the Blue Beetle was Ted Kord, albeit - so it's fantastic that DC is building that relationship once again. In the 'New 52', Ted Kord is only a memory (I assume), so it will be interesting to see how a dead character will affect events throughout DC's imprint.

GRADE

B

(COMIC) TEEN TITANS #9

STORY: Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

"The Culling" has been a mixed bag when it comes to crossover events. While the series connected to the event - Superboy, Teen Titans, and Legion: Lost - haven't really been the critical achievements DC probably hoped they would be (except Legion: Lost - who knows why this book is around), this crossover between the three has made for a compelling read. I mean, what better way to introduce a whole cadre of characters into the 'New 52'? But instead of bringing "The Culling" to a satisfying conclusion, Teen Titans #9 wades around in it's own ridiculous plot so long it becomes tedious.

Harvest has, so far, been an enigmatic villain. With no backstory and only minute references to his true agenda, it's hard to find any sense - and thus, meaning - in anything he does. Villains need just as much motive as heroes to affect their actions, and Harvest has no motive, so to speak. It's incredibly frustrating as a reader because Harvest simply flies away after the Titans and Legionnaires destroy his base (or whatever compound of weirdly-named locations he traipsed about.) There is literally no conclusion.

Basically, Caitlin Fairchild gets all the metahuman teenagers out of the Scarlett Letter the Crucible and the two teams go all-out on Old No-Eyes. The fighting isn't even satisfying because throughout the pages and pages of brawling, Harvest keeps blathering on about his new world order, or whatever it is he talks about. He's basically reduced to a super-annoying demi-god with no real purpose. Supposedly, he meant for the kids to escape so they can be dangerous in public so the government will need organizations like N.O.W.H.E.R.E., not only to curb the rise of teenage metahuman crime, but also to placate the job demand for silly name acronyms. Then he flies away. That's it. Oh, then the Titans wake up on some island?

If you look back at my review of Superboy #9 and even Teen Titans Annual #1, you'll see that I was actually enjoying this story more than I have for either series thus far. But this sloppy, uninteresting "conclusion" is so weak, it drags down the entire crossover.

GRADE:

C-

(COMIC) TEEN TITANS #8

STORY: Scott Lobdell
ART: Ig Guara and JP Mayer

As the creative force behind Teen Titans, Superboy, and Red Hood and The Outlaws, Scott Lobdell has a lot of room to create fantastic stories that involve a great lineup of characters that could possibly evolve into a sort-of mini-universe within DC's larger mainframe. Unfortunately, Lobdell has completely squandered both Teen Titans and Superboy with trite dialogue, a ridiculously convoluted tale about the organization called N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (a pet peeve of mine is unexplained acronyms) that captures/recruits teenaged metahumans for some mysterious use. Also, some weirdo mutant thing called Harvest is the ringleader of the whole thing.

Apparently, Lobdell is building toward some 'official' crossover between Teen Titans and Superboy called "The Culling". By dictionary definition, a culling means a trimming down, a reduction. I can only assume this is the central idea behind Lobdell's crossover because there's been absolutely no indication of what this culling actually is. This month's Superboy carried the same "The Culling: Prelude" tag as this issue of Teen Titans, yet there's nothing to in either issue that points to this event - the exception being the cameos of Beast Boy and Terra at the end of Superboy #8.

This month in Teen Titans, the team is somehow already balls-deep in a fight with Omen, a metahuman teenager who can manipulate reality and...minds? Maybe? It's not really explained, like most things in Teen Titans, so I suppose I should stop complaining, huh? Mostly, Omen brings out the insecurities and fears of each team member, using these feelings to pit them against each other. But at the end, it turns out that the entire issue was a dream being collectively shared by the team. They've been strapped to steel lab beds the entire time, all of their struggles simply a made-up reality courtesy of Omen.

Honestly, it feels like a lot of wasted time. If all of it was a just a hallucination of-sorts, what was the point? What purpose did this entire issue serve? And with painful dialogue like, "Wha--? Last thing I remember was writhing in Omens grip...and now I'm dressed like Superboy's prom date. And bound to this table, to boot. Super strength would normally be enough to break free but..." This monologue by Wonder Girl made me literally cringe while reading it. Nobody talks like that ever. It's an affront to basic intelligence to make a character literally say what they are thinking. It's abhorrent and Lobdell better start taking a look at how he treats this title or he will lose all of his readers.

Also, Superboy is on the cover, yet not in the issue. This is sooooooo aggravating I cannot tell you.

GRADE:

D