Featuring: Blue Beetle
Release: August 9, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Concept and art: Steve Ditko
Script: Gary Friedrich
7 pages
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Guess that wraps up the first episode in the life of the new Blue Beetle! Wonder what Dan Garret would say if he could see me today?
I’d like to see what Steve Ditko is up to since leaving Marvel. And in 1966, he introduces a new version of the Blue Beetle.
Let’s review the history of the Blue Beetle before we dive in.
Blue Beetle was created in 1939 by Charles Wotjkoski and introduced in Mystery Men Comics #1, published by Fox Comics. Wotjkoski was credited as Charles Nicholas. The GCD suggests Will Eisner may have been involved with the scripting. I can’t intelligently weigh in on that.
Dan Garrett is a police officer who occasionally dons a mask and calls himself Blue Beetle to handle cases in his own way. Blue Beetle is considered a fugitive from justice.
By his second appearance, Blue Beetle had more of a superhero costume than just his business suit with a mask. Though this costume has no mask, so it’s not clear how it protects his secret identity. As Dan Garret doesn’t even wear glasses.
He seemed to notice the issue and by his third appearance, he added a mask. And also antenna to complete the beetle theme.
By his fourth appearance, he has settled on a costume that will largely stick. Mask, no antenna.
The following year, he was popular enough to get his own series.
We learn his origin. He was a good guy, worked hard, good in school and at sports… his father was a police officer who died in the line of duty, inspiring Dan to join the police force himself after college. And also put on a costume to fight more crime.
It was in Blue Beetle #5 that he added super-powers to his abilities. Dr. Franz gives Dan Vitamin 2X, which seems vaguely similar to the super soldier serum another costumed hero would be receiving at about the same time.
Eventually, the rights to Blue Beetle went to Charlton Comics, and they revamped the character with his own series in 1964, in a story by creators Joe Gill, Bill Fraccio, and Tony Tallarico.
Dr. Dan Garrett was an archaeologist on an expedition in Egypt when he found a magical scarab item which transformed him into the superhero Blue Beetle when he said his magic phrase “Kaji Dha”, and also allowed him to make psychic time-bending communications with an ancient Pharaoh.
This type of story was common and popular in the 1940s, but already out of date by the time Blue Beetle was introduced in the 1960s. The 1960s are modern and hip. Superheroes don’t get their powers from magical artificats in Egypt. They get them from science.
For example, Hawkman. In his 1940 story, he was an archeologist in Egypt who found some weird mystic thing that showed him he was a reincarnated ancient Egyptian prince and allowed him to become Hakwman.
But that story wouldn’t fly in 1961, so DC made Hawkman an alien. Way more sensible.
The ancient Pharaoh who guides Blue Beetle reminds us of the magician Shazam who guided Captain Marvel. And they share that they transform from a magic word. But Captain Marvel in the comics found his powers in a New York subway. However, the Captain Marvel in the 1941 film did get his powers on an archeological dig in Egypt.
So Blue Beetle would have fit in well in the 1940s, but was out of place in the modern world of the 1960s. His series only lasted about 10 issues.
In 1966, they brought in Steve Ditko to fix it.
Why would they think Ditko would know what to do with a bug-themed hero?
Steve Ditko had recently returned to his character, Captain Atom, and would use the back-up to reinvent Blue Beetle. This time as a science-based superhero appropriate for the modern world.
This new Blue Beetle uses gadgets and a cool bug-shaped vehicle to fight crime.
We see him on his first mission.
And learn that this does follow the continuity of the earlier Charlton comics, as the criminals know of the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle, but recognize this is a new person.
That’s a good action sequence above. But very familiar, somehow.
This new Blue Beetle did know Dan Garrett and knew of his secret identity.
Which leaves lots of unanswered questions. What happened to Garrett? How did this dude become the Blue Beetle? What is this dude’s name?
Coming issues will explore those questions. In the following issue, we learn this dude’s real name is Ted Kord. But only get more hints about his connection to Garrett, as now he is wanted for the murder of Dan Garrett.
It is in Blue Beetle #2 that we finally learn the truth. Ted and Dan were old college friends. Ted was a brilliant scientist working with his Uncle Jarvis. But when he learned Jarvis was evil, he went to Dan. On Pago island, Dan revealed his identity to Ted. In the course of events, Garrett and Jarvis were both killed, and Ted promised to carry on as the Blue Beetle. Not using a mystical amulet, but his science skills.
Charlton went out of business and the rights to the Charlton characters, many of whom were created by Steve Ditko, eventually were bought by DC. Alan Moore was hired to write a story about these characters, and he pitched quite the story.
But not a story that fit with DC’s plans for the characters. So Moore revamped his story and made Watchmen, featuring entirely “new” characters, that greatly resemble the old Charlton heroes he’d intended to write the story about.
Instead of Captain Atom, we got Dr. Manhattan.
The previous issue of Captain Atom (which we didn’t cover– should we have?) introduced his partner Nightshade.
Watchmen would instead introduce Silk Spectre as partner to Dr. Manhattan.
And instead of Blue Beetle, we got Nite-Owl.
Ted Kord meanwhile became a major DC superhero, eventually joining the Justice League and such.
As happens, Ted Kord eventually died, and a new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, was introduced to carry on the legacy.
It’s this latest version that made it onto the big screens in the 2023 film.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
I read this story in DC Finest: Blue Beetle: Blue Beetle Challenges the Red Knight.
On a side note, I’m quite excited by the new DC Finest line, which seems to finally be DC’s answer to Marvel’s Epic Collections.
You can find this comic for free on Comic Book Plus!
Characters:
- Killer Koke
- Blue Beetle
Story notes:
- Blue Beetle in vehicle–“Flying Bug”– jumping across rooftops.
- Blue Beetle uses ship’s sound wave magnifier to learn what’s going on.
- Blue Beetle turns on ship’s sonic radar to head toward shots at a bank robbery.
- Blue Beetle turns on the remote control pilot and hangs by a wire from his vehicle.
- This is Blue Beetle’s first mission. He’s been training.
- The crooks recognize the original Blue Beetle, but not this person. Blue Beetle acknowledges he is a different hero from the original.
- Crooks can’t unmask him, because metallic cloth won’t rip.
- Beetle insignia on back of glove has series of electronic buttons which can control the ship.
- Flying Bug pursues and captures gang.
- Killer Koke tells cops that Blue Beetle was the mastermind behind the robberies, but betrayed them.
- This new Beetle knew Dan Garrett and knows he was the Blue Beetle.
- Under-chin control button removes mask.
| Previous | Next | |
|---|---|---|
| Daredevil #23 | Reading order | Sgt. Fury #36 |
