This Land Is Our Land

This Land Is Our Land by writer Julio Anta and artist Jacoby Salcedo invites readers on a gripping and inspiring journey filled with both high stakes and heart as Jaime embraces his new calling as Blue Beetle!

The book is a 2025 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Great Graphic Novel for Teens and is featured in the 2025 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List as a Starred Title.

Jaime Reyes is an ordinary high school student in El Paso, Texas, with a deep love for his family, culture, and home. Whether he's working with his dad at the auto shop or attending multi-generational barbecues filled with music and dance, Jaime cherishes his neighbourhood's spontaneous gatherings that last well into the night.

However, Jaime starts to notice that he and his border community are being used as pawns in an increasingly toxic immigration debate. Recent months have seen armed troops deployed along the U.S. and Mexico border and manufactured crackdowns at official border crossings. At the community level, there's mounting resentment among a group of disaffected and reactionary youth who believe they're being "replaced" by El Paso's growing immigrant population.

To complicate matters, one of Jaime's oldest friends, Riley, has bought into the propaganda. What began as innocent web searches has led Riley to join an unabashed hate group planning real-world violence in El Paso.

Jaime's situation becomes even more complex when he discovers an odd bug-like artefact while stargazing. Suddenly, he feels different, as if there's another voice in his head pushing him towards his basest instincts. Moreover, he starts experiencing surreal dreams that reveal the true threat El Paso faces is not "illegal aliens," but actual aliens known as the Reach. According to his dreams, Jaime is meant to pave the way for the Reach's impending invasion!