Some comics and graphic novels are not just extremely well created, but also perfectly timed. This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story by Eisner-nominated duo of writer Julio Anta and artist Jacoby Salcedo is one of those comics. Given our current political climate, this graphic novel is both poignant and timely.
Jaime Reyes is an ordinary high school student in El Paso, Texas, with a deep love for his family, culture, and home. But lately he’s begun to realize that he and his border community are being used as pawns in an increasingly toxic immigration debate. One of Jaime’s oldest friends, Riley, has bought into the propaganda of El Paso’s growing immigrant population. What started off as innocent web searches has now led Riley down a path to joining an unabashed hate group with a chapter in El Paso looking to cause some real-world violence.
Jaime’s problems get even more complicated when he finds an odd bug-like artifact while stargazing. He’s been having surreal dreams that show him that the true threat El Paso faces isn’t “illegal aliens,” but actual aliens known as the Reach. According to his dreams, Jaime is meant to pave the way for the Reach’s impending invasion!
Not know much about what we were getting involved with when opening This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story for the first time, we were extremely pleasantly surprised at an original story that deals with important political and personal issues while also telling a origin story. Tackling one well is a feet on its own, but nailing both is a truly wonderful thing.
Julio Anta’s compelling writing is smooth and easy to follow. He seamlessly weaves topics of identity, friendships, family and social justice together to make a timely and relevant story for all ages. The message of doing the right thing, even if it is difficult resonates in today’s world. While we deal with important issues within this original graphic novel, there is plenty to be sad about telling a great origin story of Jaime Reyes becoming the Blue Beetle and fending off an invasion.
As we have seen in the Eisner-nominated Frontera, Anta’s writing pairs extremely well with Jacoby Salcedo’s artwork. Salcedo illustrates a simple, yet elegant 200+ pages that captures the emotion and real issues while still keeping things on the lighter side. The characters are well designed and executed allowing us to connect on a personal level. We can immerse ourselves into the story without being overwhelmed by complexities of more detailed artwork. Salcedo, along with the colors by Francesco Segala and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, create a visual appealing experience.
At its heart This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story is a superhero origin story, but truly is so much more. It’s a poignant reflection of societal issues and personal responsibility. While Jaime grows from cover to cover, other characters grow and redeemed themselves as well. It’s a powerful story with a superhero suit on.
With This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story, Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo have created a truly outstanding and thought-provoking graphic novel with high stakes, heart and a sense of responsibility. While fans of Blue Beetle and DC Comics will take a lot from this story, there is so much more packed into a this graphic novel making it one of our comics of the year contenders. Those in charge would do themselves a favor by allowing this creative team handle a few more stories in the DC Universe, that’s for sure.
This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story hits bookstores everywhere on October 1, 2024 from DC Comics.
