Batman #5 and Blue Beetle #5

I continue to be impressed with the New 52 from DC. The relaunch of the DC Universe just continues to do great things in the comic book world.

Batman #5 continues the tale of the Court of Owls vs Batman. According to legend, the Court of Owls is the unofficial guardians and rulers of Gotham City. Years ago, Batman investigated the Court of Owls and determined they didn't really exist, but if they do not exist, then who is sending a Talon (the trained assassin and agent of retribution of the Court) after Batman, and who is currently holding Batman captive.

Scott Snyder (writer) continues to impress with this tale weaving a new legend into Gotham City's mythos. The Court of Owls is as worthy an adversary for Batman as the League of Assassins has ever been and their agent, Talon, is more than formidable and has already fought Batman to a standstill once almost killing Bruce Wayne in the process.

The artwork by Greg Capullo is incredible and tells the tale as much as the words by Snyder. The darkness of Gotham fits the mythos of old. Batman continues to look the way he should dark and brooding, and in this issue, brooding while obviously drugged and trying to fight off the effects of the drugs.

Start reading Batman now if you haven't already. This is sure to be a tale for the ages of Batman and is as gritty and Gotham'esque as any tale has been in a very long time.

Blue Beetle #5 continues the origin story of Jaime Reyes. Blue Beetle is impressive and while I never read any of the previous series for this character, I definitely regret that at this point. I'm glad of the new 52, which has allowed me to jump in like new readers for the entire DC universe. I'm not sure if the previous incarnations of Jaime Reyes's Blue Beetle included the origin initiated in Smallville where the Blue Beetle scarab actually belonged to an alien race bent on conquest, but that addition in this series works wonders for the story. Not only is Jaime having to try to learn how to use the scarab, he also has to fight against the programmed orders of the scarab to use him as an agent of conquest of the planet earth (it helps that the scarab is damaged and malfunctioning at present).

This intent by the scarab to protect and continue its mission even though it is not totally sure what that mission is at the moment leads to Jaime actually stabbing his best friend right through the heart in this issue. Jaime forces a small construct out of the scarab armor to resuscitate and heal his friend Paco just in time to turn him over to EMTs. Afterwards, Jaime is invited to the house of the archvillain of the story and almost captured. The cliffhanger at the end of the story sets us up for an epic battle no doubt in the next issue.

Tony Beddard's writing continues to do justice to this often overlooked character and his series, while Ig Guara's pencils do more than justice to the organic nature of Blue Beetle's armor and the overall look of the LA barrio where Jaime lives. An excellent read and a great comic.

Two great titles that I reccomend highly for fans of Batman, Blue Beetle, and even fans of Iron Man.

Thanks for reading!!