OMAC PROJECT versus BLUE BEETLE

Brother's Keeper (DC)
Where: Blue Beetle #7 When: November 2006
Why: John Rogers How: Cully Hamner

The Story So Far...
Before the Second World War; a man named Dan Garrett retrieved a mysterious blue scarab from the tomb of Pharaoh Kha-Ef-Re -- transforming him into the daring mystery man known as Blue Beetle!

Upon his death, the scarab passed to the hands of his successor, Ted Kord, but the brilliant industrialist was never able to unlock the secret of its powers. That would be the fate of Jaime Reyes -- a hapless high school student who discovered the lost scarab in the desert and became the third Blue Beetle!

Transformed in the midst of a multi-faceted crisis threatening reality itself -- Jaime is hastily recruited to use the scarab's mysterious alien technology to find and bring an end to the threat of AI satellite Brother Eye, and its endless hordes of citizens-turned-killing machines known as OMACs!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: OMAC 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: OMAC 4 (Tactician)
Speed: OMAC 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: OMAC 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: OMAC 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: OMAC 5 (Lasers)
Total: OMAC 28 (Metahuman)

The OMAC Project is a collective of common American citizens unwittingly injected with a nanotechnology virus derived from Brainiac-13.

Upon activation, the sleeper agents are transformed into Observational Metahuman Activity Constructs connected via a digital hivemind.

"OMACs" are capable of manipulating the nano-cybernetic coating over their limbs to form a variety of weapons, including blades and energy cannons, which can also deploy specialist counter-measures for dealing with key metahuman targets, and adapt machine-learned strategies for new threats.

If that doesn't sound Terminator 2 enough for you -- the OMACs are controlled by an AI satellite called Brother I, which was originally created in secret by Batman, usurped by Maxwell Lord & Checkmate, and ultimately achieved independent sentience while becoming hellbent on killing all organic lifeforms on Earth!

Unfortunately for rookie hero Blue Beetle -- that includes him!

Jaime Reyes discovered the blue scarab when it inadvertently landed in the desert of El Paso, Texas after a battle between Shazam and The Spectre.

Grafting itself to Jaime's spine; the scarab transformed him into another kind of hi-tech blue soldier, capable of generating powerful energy weapons and blades with his alien suit. He can also detect spectrums of electricity and magic -- making him the perfect tech weapon against the undetectable Brother Eye and OMACs!

Young Jaime has been thrown into the deep end of superhero conflict, but what he lacks in experience, his onboard alien AI can make up for. We saw it help defend against the Green Lantern when their respective weapons turned against one another. So how did it cope with an army of OMACs? Let's find out!

The Tape: OMACs Ranking: Blue Beetle (#467)

What Went Down...

On board Brother Eye, Jaime is left by the rest of the Justice League to guard Ted Kord's Blue Beetle Bug that they flew in on, but it soon becomes the target of a swarm of OMAC soldiers. The blue scarab compels him to run!

An eye beam blasts the Blue Beetle in the back as he tumbles through the halls of the satellite with flying OMACs firing in hot pursuit!

He calls for assistance from Booster Gold, but the time travelling hero isn't there to help him. Fortunately, the blue scarab comes with its own sophisticated onboard artificial intelligence -- and fingertip electric shocks that disrupt OMACs!

The sudden whip of his arm being pointed behind him leaves Jaime feeling worse for wear, but his troubles get far worse when he runs into another chamber filled to the brim with OMACs!

The suit forms a massive shield on his forearm and directs the Blue Beetle through the clambering horde -- barging his way through in what Jaime thinks is the wrong direction.

Reaching a smaller room Blue Beetle finally finds some friendly faces -- Green Arrow and Black Canary!

The emerald archer spots the young hero arriving and quickly fires off a couple of "super-conductor goo" arrows invented by Ted Kord to cause a feedback loop that turns the OMAC's energy blasts back against them!

GA kicks the control to close the doors, doing his best to drive the OMACs out.

With a moment of calm, the scarab begins analyzing its technology -- determining it to be the device responsible for keeping Brother Eye undetectable by generating sub-dimensional artificial reality space.

A sonic canary cry and electric finger blasts make light work of the technology!

With explosions following them, the trio of heroes race through the satellite halls until they come across another chamber filled with OMACs and an ensnared Black Lightning!

Brother Eye's database doesn't contain the newly minted hero, so Black Canary tells the Beetle to put everything into his shot to disable the OMACs before they can adapt to his attacks.

The combined might of Blue Beetle's energy blast, Black Canary's sonic shriek, and the Green Arrow's quiver proves enough to put the OMACs out of commission!

Mister Terrific shows up at the perfect time to lead the heroes back onto the flying Blue Beetle Bug, where John Stewart, Metamorpho, and Sasha Bordeaux are waiting to pilot them off the exploding satellite!

It looks like they're home free, but the scarab wants nothing to do with the Green Lantern on board. It phases Blue Beetle out of synch with reality, shifting him out of the Bug as it takes off -- leaving Jaime on board the exploding satellite!

The Hammer...

Even though it's mission accomplished for destroying Brother Eye and rescuing the innocent people turned into OMACs -- Blue Beetle is left behind all alone in space!

Even Batman can't rescue Jaime Reyes as he's carried out of the exploding satellite by Green Lantern -- completely unaware that they've flown directly past Blue Beetle, who's still phased into another plane of reality by the scarab.

It's a horrifying moment for a high school boy to find himself alone in, but we have the comfort of knowing it's all in the past. These events happened between the panels of Infinite Crisis #6, which focused on other Leaguer's efforts to bring down Brother Eye, most specifically Batman, Black Lightning, and Mr. Terrific.

In Blue Beetle #7, Jaime is recounting the memory of what happened, unlocking part of a lost year in space, while standing in the desert crater made when he finally crash-landed back to Earth in Blue Beetle #1.

As we've already documented, The Beetle's fiery return to Earth caught the attention of Guy Gardner, resulting in some spectacular superhero smackdown as his Green Lantern ring began reacting adversely to the Blue Beetle's presence.

Something similar happened with John Stewart in Infinite Crisis, and this aversion between the scarab and Green Lanterns was one of the intriguing mysteries that helped stitch a new Blue Beetle into the fabric of the DC Universe.

For those of us reading way back in 2006, it was understandably controversial that Ted Kord was killed off in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis special, but the new Blue Beetle was actually a pretty easy sell with or without a murder stunt. It was a fresh and vibrant new addition to the DC lineup, marrying forgotten aspects of Charlton Comics' 1960s revamp of Dan Garrett, with a bold new graphic conceit.

As intriguing as the new, alien Blue Beetle might've been in the pages of Infinite Crisis, it only got better once we met the boy behind the mask in his own on-going series. The art team of Cully Hamner and colorist David Self immediately sold the visual world of Jaime Reyes, in and out of costume, and with issue #4, new colorist Guy Major continued that aesthetic splendor seamlessly.

Things might look a little off in panels featured in today's entry. The colours & lines are a little less slick and sumptuous in this section, visually indicating a slightly different temperature for flashback sequences, but please note that these scans aren't very flattering. As always - seek this work out for yourself!

Blue Beetle was instantly colourful, bold, and exciting, with a palette reminiscent of contemporary animation, and the raw energy of a new young hero stepping into a fully developed superhero universe. It was little wonder the character soon found fans in cartoons through Batman: Brave and the Bold and Young Justice.

These types of characters tend to compare to early Spider-Man, but the third-generation aspect reminds me of the thrillingly uncertain energy that carried the first few years of Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. There's also something in that 2000s approach that feels consistent with Invincible, but the Image hero could only pretend to be part of something bigger. Blue Beetle had those genuine ties.

Of course, as easy as it would've been to drop Jaime Reyes directly into Ted Kord's spot, surrounding him with all the better-known DC icons of the Justice League -- they instead used a Green Lantern appearance in issue #1 to naturally transition the character far away from the other heroes, into his own naturally developing world of friends & family, and the burgeoning threat of The Reach.

We aren't quite there yet, but like a lot of DC Comics fans, I'll be rooting for the new Blue Beetle film to do well enough in theatrical release to expand the legacy on the big screen. I'm not quite expecting a five-star adaptation, but Cobra Kai fans know Xolo Maridueña has the goods to go all the way with Jaime Reyes, and there's plenty more material for the live-action character to explore. Peacemaker and Ted Kord seem like no brainers!

If you've enjoyed this entry and would like to see more exploration into the world of Blue Beetle -- consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for helping make it all possible you'll unlock additional content, an invite to the Discord community, and options to sponsor your own choice of featured content.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has recorded over 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! Find them all by following links throughout each and every post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter, Patreon & Discord!

Winners: Blue Beetle, Green Arrow & Black Canary
#174 (+293) Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
#16 (+3) Green Arrow
#38 (+5) Black Canary
#1019 (new) OMACs

GUY GARDNER versus BLUE BEETLE
"Blue Monday" (DC Comics)
Where: Blue Beetle #1 When: May 2006
Why: Keith Giffen & John Rogers How: Cully Hamner

The story so far...
During the countdown, Ted Kord unconvered a plot against the heroes led by his former Justice League colleage - Maxwell Lord.

Lord murdered the Blue Beetle, but the scarab once owned by original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, was already on a journey of mystic intervention which would eventually lead it to El Paso, Texas.

A Blue Beetle's death initiated the OMAC Project, but it would be the new Blue Beetle who would be instrumental in destroying the Brother I satellite that was plaguing the world and it's heroes. Along with Batman, Green Lantern and many others, this new Blue Beetle began his career by saving the world.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Guy Gardner 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Blue Beetle 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Guy Gardner 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Guy Gardner 5 (Marathon Runner)
Agility: Guy Gardner 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Guy Gardner 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Guy Gardner 7 (Solar Power)

At surface level you'd have to think ol' bowl cut himself, Guy Gardner, has the new Blue Beetle licked. Of course, that's where you'd be wrong.

Experience plays a major part in Gardner's dominance in the ratings, and with one of the most powerful weapons on his finger, even the Blue Beetle's magical scarb armor is dwarfed by the ring of a Green Lantern. Even if a lunkhead like Guy Gardner is wearing it.

The psuedo-scientific qualities of the magical Blue Beetle armor are quite new. With very little history behind him, it's difficult to be certain whether the new Blue Beetle's abilities have been accurately assessed. It's entirely possible that the capabilities of the suit have been greatly underestimated.

What we do know is that the suit is able to detect things unseen by the human eye. Beyond that, I would honestly have to say all assessments were made based on the information available in the new Blue Beetle on-going series we're featuring. Thusly, the speculative properties of the tape are compromised, but being as unaffected as possible, I render a verdict.

Experience alone on the part of Guy Gardner makes him a far more formidable opponent than he is often given credit. Despite being known for going down to 'one punch,' he's a rought and tough kind of guy, and isn't likely to go down to a kid in the latest Power Ranger togs.

The new Blue Beetle undoubtedly has a strong future, but for now, you'd be crazy not to tip the Green Lantern, Guy Gardner.

What went down...
A fireball descends from the heavens, and from the crater it leaves we are introduced to the new Blue Beetle for the first time officially in a solo capacity.

Having played a crucial role in defeating Brother I and the OMAC units, you'd think young Jaime Reyes would be pretty content to curl up into a ball and cry himself to sleep. And, if Guy Gardner hadn't shown up, he probably would have.

"Oh God... that's the crazy one. The crazy Green Lantern -- he's gonna kill me..."
For those keeping score at home, there have been at least two "crazy" Green Lanterns. One of them was absolved by a convenient Geoff Johns plot involving an evil yellow monster. The other got punched out by Batman.

The crazy Green Lantern, who has had his redeeming moments, probably could've argued he wasn't a threat to the boy. That is, of course, if he wasn't crazed and screaming that he wanted to kill him.

Like any trusty mystic armor, the blue Scarab goes into auto-pilot, protecting the young boy from the Green Lantern's offensive with large shields and by letting off a blinding flash.
A flash that gives young Jaime Reyes enough time to explain that he doesn't even know how to control the armor, and is just frightened and wanting to go home.

Perhaps it was the persistent glint of insanity in Guy's eye, or, perhaps it was the buzzing and sparking of the scarab armor, that inflamed the situation. We may never truly know, but, regardless, Blue Beetle learned another of his powers, shooting out a whopping lightning bolt of energy from his funnel fanning wrist gauntlet thingy... which knocked the seasoned GL on his arse.

Of course, what good would a mystic suit of pseudo-tech armor be without means of airborne propulsion?
Retractable beetle shields become back-mounted wings, as the reluctant Blue Beetle is torn away from battle, still pleading for his life.

Guy Gardner, ever the relentless hero with an iron will the GL Corp is famous for, continues the assault. With the energies of the ring, he fashions a giant jackhammer, and sets about trying to dismantle his pubescent foe.

Driven into the ground, the child makes one last plea as the funky Blue Beetle mask melts away to reveal his terrified little face. A face peppered with the tears of a little nancy boy, afraid of a scary-wary, greeny-meanie, lethally insane Green Lantern who is controlling a giant, green jackhammer.

In a moment of clarity ("A kid?"), Guy Gardner does what any self-respecting, college-cut redhead would do. He blames it on an inanimate object.
Glaring at his ring he cries, "It's just a kid! I... DON'T... HURT... KIDS!"

Who are you trying to convince, Guy? The ring, or yourself?

Now apparently recognising the black and blue motiff of the Blue Beetle (or is that a physically abused Latin minor, with a legitimate case against a Justice Leaguer?), Guy Gardner welcomes BB to the fold, and disappears into the night sky.

As for Jaime Reyes?
With the excitement dying down, the god damn scarab sees fit to disappear into his spine, and make him walk home from the desert, naked.

The hammer...
If I were to go on points, I'd probably have to say Guy Gardner came out with the win here, but because of the peaceful conclusion I'm gonna call this one a draw.

The real winner here is probably anyone who dared to check this issue out. Although running quite behind on updates, this was an immediate inclusion to the list when I read it. In fact, the first three Friday updates all carry that tag as new, unique and enjoyable reads.

Keith Giffen [and John Rogers, apparently] does something very interesting with this story. In it's essence, it's a very tired and cliched set-up: a new character fights an older character, and we learn a little more about the [boy] behind the mask.

Creatively this scenario could have very easily doomed the title to being in the twenty thousands [sales figures], and universally regarded as creative slag.
Instead, the team at work here spins out of Infinite Crisis with an opportunity to do a very strong, stand-alone issue, that uses those professional wrestling style conventions of 'putting a character over,' while still telling a very enjoyable, and inviting story.

Pacing is very successful here, defying the Brian Bendis style of introduction, in favour of cramming in backstory at constructed intervals during the fight.
Flowing, natural beats during the fight do well to allow a break from the traditional superhero slobber knocker, and justify the battle, which is really quite inconsequential.

All the fight really serves to do is elaborate on the abilities of the new Blue Beetle, while also insinuating there may be another side to the magic involved, which is the reason Guy Gardner enters the fray quite crazed.
The blue scarab antagonises the Green Lantern ring, delivering a mental rabbit punch to the already unstable, Guy Gardner.

Of course, there is one other thing the fight does provide. That, quite simply, is an enjoyable, and visually delightful story.
What makes this book such a creative success, in my eyes, is it's ability to cover all bases. The story itself is quite simple, and with another artist involved it may have fallen quite flat.

Cully Hamner's energetic, minimalist toony approach, coupled with a cool palette of David Self colours, serves up a visually appropriate masterpiece. The pencils dance a fine line of animation friendly simplicity, with a convincing seriousness, that does well to sell every moment of the story.

Yes, this title has done the unthinkable.
In the shadow of an abrupt send-off to Ted Kord, we find ourselves with a thoroughly acceptable replacement. This title is so enjoyable, it has to be sickening to any die-hard JLI fan.

That said, Giffen assures fans that there is no anymosity, or personal motivation for the recent string of JLI era slayings.
Maxwell Lord, Sue Dibny and Ted Kord were just asking for it purely on their own merits. Frankly, this reader thinks Wonder Woman snapping Lords smug neck was ten years overdue.

Buy Blue Beetle.
You'll feel better for it.

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 6.5

NEXT: A pleasant, pantheon of primary colours as the two super-heavyweights, Superman and Hulk, duke it out in Marvel vs DC action.