The Rise of the Blue Beetle! - Recap

The villainous Clock King has captured Green Arrow and Batman and strapped them to the balance weight of a gigantic cuckoo clock. The Lock King and his henchmen depart for their next height and Batman tries to free himself. The clock strikes 12 and the balancing weight starts to lower into a vat of acid. Batman triggers Green Arrow’s rocket arrow, allowing Green arrow to cut them loose. Batman jams the gears and reverses the balance weight, bringing them back up. They take on the clock’s automated guardians

Jamie Reyes and Paco are in Jamie’s bedroom discussing how Batman can beat anyone. They catch a news broadcast of Batman and Green Arrow defeating the Clock King and his henchmen. The heroes triumph and Jamie wonders if he could ever become a hero. Paco doesn’t think he has a chance and leave. Jamie the goes to his window and finds Batman waiting for him. He wants Jamie’s expertise to deal with a meteor. Jamie tries to summon his powers, and the blue scarab on his back activates, covering him in battle armor. He flies uncontrollably out through the window and Batman uses his jetpack to give pursuit. He’s interested in seeing if Blue Beetle has what it takes to become a hero.



They arrive in orbit and Blue Beetle’s suit takes control and launches him toward the meteor. As Batman follows, the suit creates a hyperspace portal and the two heroes go through it and find themselves on an alien planet far across the galaxy. A space cruiser is attacking the local amoeboid inhabitants, the Gibbles, and sucking them up into the ship despite their efforts to fight back. The ship’s commander, Kanjar Ro, departs with his cargo of captives. The heroes enter the town and the Gibbles hail one of them as their greatest hero. Blue Beetle figures they’re talking about Batman, until he sees a gigantic statue of himself.



The Gibbles explain that Kanjar Ro has returned to harvest them as a fuel source, and they didn’t think Blue Beetle would return after his defeat. Batman figures the last person with the scarab was the one who was killed. The Gibbles wonder why Batman, who they figure is Blue Beetle’s sidekick, isn’t bowing. Blue Beetle tries to explain but Batman kneels before the Blue Beetle and gets the Gibbles to hail him as well. Later, Batman explains that the Gibbles need someone to believe in. When a child Gibble gives Blue Beetle a heroic drawing of himself, Blue Beetle gives in and manages to encourage them. The heroes take a squad of Gibbles to attack Kanjar Ro’s spaceship and Blue Beetle warns that he’s worried about whether he can be a hero. Batman tells him to rely on his brains, not his suit.



Kanjar Ro is busy stripping the Gibbles of their energy and goes outside to find the heroes and the Gibbles attacking. Kanjar Ro recognizes Blue Beetle’s suit and attacks him, and the hero manages to get his suit to create cannon gauntlets. He knocks the villain back and Kanjar Ro opens fire on the Gibbles and aims at Batman. Blue Beetle generates a reflective shield and knocks the villain back and then sends him through the floor. The Gibbles ooh and ahh as their nemesis is defeated. As the Gibbles carry away their hero, Kanjar Ro goes to armory and takes the dreaded Gamma Gong from the wall.

As the Gibbles take the soldiers prisoner, Kanjar Ro frees his soldiers and confronts Blue Beetle. Batman says he needs to take the lead but Blue Beetle confidently attacks Kanjar Ro. As the soldiers immobilize Batman, Kanjar Ro uses the Gamma Gong and its vibrations disrupt Blue Beetle’s armor. Batman frees himself but Kanjar Ro stuns him and uses the Gamma Gong to remove Jamie’s armor. He realizes he killed the last Blue Beetle and his new opponent is only a child. The Gibbles are defeated and Kanjar Ro notices the scarab. He fastens Batman and the Gibbles to a satellite and leaves them for a nearby herd of carnivorous space creatures, then departs with Jamie. Batman frees his hand with an acid capsule and uses the Gibbles as a power source to electrify the satellite and drive off the creature. The Gibbles start to realize they have a power of their own.



Kanjar Ro uses the Gamma Gong to try and find the right frequency to remove the scarab. Meanwhile, Batman boards the spaceship and subdues the soldiers one at a time. He breaks in and knocks Kanjar Ro into the Gamma Gong, triggering the frequency to release the scarab. Kanjar Ro attaches it to himself and grows a suit of battle armor. He knocks Batman outside and the overpowered hero is barely able to stay ahead of him. Below, Jamie uses his brain and tries to think of what Batman would do. He spits on the release controls, short circuiting them and freeing himself. He takes the Gamma Gong and heads above, where Batman is on the ropes. Jamie uses the Gamma Gong and the scarab is shocked free. Jamie takes it and Kanjar Ro goes for his gun. The Gibbles arrive and shoot him unconscious.



Back on the Gibble planet, the aliens thank the Blue Beetle for saving them, and showing them how to save themselves. They recognize the Batman’s efforts and give him a (smaller) statue of his own. Blue Beetle creates a new wormhole and they return to Earth’s orbit. As they deal with the meteorite, Batman has to admit to himself that Blue Beetle has become a hero, and acknowledges him as a full partner.

Share this article with your friends