by Julio Anta (Author), Jacoby Salcedo (Illustrator)
2025 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Great Graphic Novels for Teens
2025 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List (Starred Title)
Writer Julio Anta and artist Jacoby Salcedo take readers on a gripping and inspiring journey filled with both high stakes and heart as Jaime embraces his new calling as Blue Beetle!
Jaime Reyes is an ordinary high school student in El Paso, Texas, with a deep love for his family, culture, and home. Whether it's working with his dad at the auto shop or a multi-generational barbecue filled with music and dance, Jaime loves nothing more than his neighborhood's spontaneous gatherings that go late into the night. But lately he's begun to realize that he and his border community are being used as pawns in an increasingly toxic immigration debate.
The last few months have seen armed troops deployed along the U.S. and Mexico border, manufactured crackdowns at official border crossings, and now at the community level, a mounting resentment amongst a group of disaffected and reactionary youth who believe they're being "replaced" by El Paso's growing immigrant population. And to make matters worse, one of Jaime's oldest friends, Riley, has bought into the propaganda. 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.
But Jaime's problems get even more complicated when he finds an odd bug-like artifact while stargazing. He starts feeling a little different--like there's another voice in his head pushing him towards his most base instincts. And to make matters worse, 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. In fact, according to his dreams, Jaime is meant to pave the way for the Reach's impending invasion!
Author Biography
Julio Anta is the author of many graphic novels and comic books for young readers and adults, including Frontera, his young adult debut illustrated by frequent collaborator Jacoby Salcedo, and Sí, Se Puede, a non-fiction graphic novel illustrated by Yasmín Flores Montañez. Julio was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and currently resides in New York City where he works to tell narratively rich stories about a diverse range of Latinx characters for readers of all ages.
Jacoby Salcedo, is a comic book illustrator who is based in Portland, Oregon. He is the co-creator of the HarperCollins YA graphic novel,
Frontera with frequent collaborator, Julio Anta. He is also the artist on Dark Horse mini-series,
It's Only Teenage Wasteland. Jacoby has also been featured in multiple comic anthologies such as DC's
Legion of Bloom,
Panel X Panel, Graphic Mundi's
Covid Chronicles, and the GLAAD award winning
Young Men in Love from A Wave Blue World.
Number of Pages: 208
Dimensions: 0.4 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN
Illustrated: Yes
Publication Date: October 01, 2024
