Blue BeetleHBO Max is giving Blue Beetle the live-action treatment, and that will boost values for a couple of key Infinite Crisis issues.

Although Jaime Reyes has been a staple of the animated Young Justice and Batman: the Brave and the Bold, he hasn’t been featured in live-action, so this is a big deal. It also is significant that it will be a series starring a Latino superhero. 

Blue BeetleTHE HBO MAX EFFECT

During his time on Young Justice, Jaime has resonated with a younger crowd, and that was likely the point of his character in the first place. In the comics and cartoons, he has been depicted as a teenager, and it is likely HBO Max will portray him at the same age. 

It is interesting that HBO Max is going with the Jaime Reyes' character over the previous versions of Blue Beetle. Jaime’s predecessors, Dan Garrett and Ted Kord were more or less street level, but Jaime’s mystical blue scarab gives him a cosmic presence. That leads me to believe that Blue Beetle will be connected to HBO Max’s Green Lantern series, and we could see crossovers between the two.

 

Blue Beetle - Infinite Crisis #3INFINITE CRISIS #3

Jaime Reyes made his first appearance in Infinite Crisis #3 in 2005. At this point, he was simply a kid from El Paso, but he would soon become a major character once he donned the suit. When it comes to Jaime’s first appearances, this is the first issue you will want, and it is a steal at the moment. 

Just two years ago, a standard 9.8 Crisis #3 set a record high with a $250 sale. It ended the year with a $120 average and remained a hot issue into the spring of 2019, selling for a high of $180 on March 15. Over the summer, it began to slow down, growing cold by the fall and eventually topping out at $60. 

It has shown signs of life this month, and it has already sold five times in January, though it hasn’t sold for more than $80. That leaves it with a 90-day average of $61, which will be half its value once a trailer is released.

Blue Beetle - Infinite Crisis #5INFINITE CRISIS #5

Following in the footsteps of Garrett and Kord, Reyes assumed the mantle of Blue Beetle in Infinite Crisis #5. In this version, the scarab was jolted to life by the wizard Shazam’s magical lightning, and it bonded with Jaime in symbiotic fashion. 

Crisis #5 mirrors its predecessor in terms of values for the past two years. Like Crisis #3, this issue gained popularity in 2018 when the graded 9.8 standard cover averaged $97, and one copy brought $300 that December. It fell off the pace slightly in 2019, though it still maintained an $88 fair market value and sold for as much as $250. So far this year, it hasn’t sold for over $80 in three sales, but it will pick up very soon. 

Personally, I would aim for the Jim Lee variant cover, which, at a graded 9.8, sold for $80 on January 7. Before that, it brought $300 in 2018 and $250 last February. If you can get one for less than $100, go for it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

HBO Max is beefing up its DC Comics property, and it is likely that more will be added to the slate in the coming months. After the success of Watchmen, HBO will be looking to keep the DC ball rolling, and if the Green Lantern and Blue Beetle series are hits, then this will only be the beginning. Who knows? Maybe this will help DC’s film universe make up ground against Marvel.

Need more Blue Beetle speculation? Keep on the lookout for my follow up in the coming days.

 

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