Spec Alert: Infinite Crisis #3-5 and the Blue Beetle Movie

BY MATT TUCK

Get your hands on Infinite Crisis #3-5 because Blue Beetle is on the cusp of becoming a major star.

We all knew this day was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. After years of speculation, it appears that Time-Warner and DC Comics have given a Blue Beetle movie the greenlight. 

After the success of Shazam!, the writing was on the wall for Jaime Reyes to make it to live action. Jaime’s Blue Beetle targets the same teen and family audience as Shazam!, and it expands the comic movie genre to include its first film starring a latino superhero. Plus, Jaime is a great character that fits into the action-comedy formula that Marvel Studios has perfected. Unless Time-Warner completely drops the ball, this is sure to be a box office success (if there is such a thing in our pandemic reality), and it will create an entire new fandom for what is an obscure character in the eyes of non-comic, mainstream fans. That will inevitably lead to a market boom for Jaime’s key issues. 

Here is your Blue Beetle checklist.

INFINITE CRISIS #3

The Blue Beetle is a Golden Age creation with a range of characters having taken up the mantle, but it was Jaime who brought the character into the modern age. Following Ted Kord’s death at the hands of Maxwell Lord, the magical scarab found a host in the teenage Jaime, who made his first appearance sans costume in the pages of Infinite Crisis #3.

Being Jaime’s first appearance, this comic will get an immediate dose of steroids from the movie hype. Overnight, the DCEU announcement has already caused shockwaves. Soon after the news broke, four graded 9.8s were gobbled up, with prices increasingly escalating. The first two sold for $130 and $150, which was well above the 2020 average of $73. Only hours later, two more 9.8s were purchased, and these brought an eye-popping $249 and $250. Now that the news is making the rounds, that balloon will only get bigger. If you can find a graded 9.8 for less than $300, take the gamble. 

What should be noted is that there are two covers for the Infinite #3 first print. One was drawn by George Perez, while Jim Lee did the second. Tracking the price differences is tricky because CGC has just one label for both, noting “Jim Lee & George Perez covers.” Thanks, CGC.

Don’t forget that there is a second print of Infinite Crisis #3. Those subsequent printings have become serious speculative investment fodder, and this could be the diamond in the rough. Just like the first print, it is quickly heating up. Just yesterday, a 9.8 sold for $119.

INFINITE CRISIS #4

Could Jaime Reyes be DC’s answer to Miles Morales? Time will tell, but speculators are already hopping on the bandwagon. Infinite #4 is the second overall appearance of Jaime Reyes, and this issue marks his first meeting with Booster Gold. Booster has been rumored for a live-action movie role in the past, and there is a possibility that he will be cast for the Blue Beetle movie. In that event, this issue could get a boost, as it were. 

Of all three keys on today’s list, this is the cheapest, and rightfully so. While it is an early appearance of Jaime Reyes, it is not as significant as the other two issues. That explains why we have not seen a sale of a 9.8 since December. Even then, it sold for just $60.

INFINITE CRISIS #5

This could prove to be the Blue Beetle key to have. This is the first full appearance of Jaime Reyes, the third Beetle in full costume. What truly separates it from Infinite #3 as far as collecting is the Jim Lee cover, in which we see Jaime as the new Blue Beetle front and center. 

At the moment, prices for Infinite #5 are in line with #3. The values are already on the move, and there is no time to lose if you need a copy. Four 9.8s swapped owners yesterday, but the last sale was for a year-high $262. 

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Marvel Studios created the formula for debuting a superhero team to the big screen. Introduce the characters one at a time, let audiences get to know them, then gradually hint at the larger team up for huge rewards. That being said, the DCEU could have yet another team forming, Young Justice, but that is a theory for another day. In the meantime, watch the blue sparks fly.

Matt Tuck is the author of the novel, Lost Bones of the Dead. He is also a teacher, freelance writer, comic collector, and an international man of mystery. You can follow him on his Facebook page, The Comic Blog.