Blue Beetle: Encyclopedia II - Blue Beetle - Charlton Comics

Blue Beetle - Charlton Comics

Blue Beetle - Dan Garrett 1950s

Charlton Comics obtained the rights to the Blue Beetle, and reprinted some stories in its anthology titles and in a four-issue Blue Beetle reprint series numbered 18-21 (Feb.-Aug. 1955), continuing the numbering of the defunct Charlton title The Thing.

Blue Beetle - Dan Garrett Silver Age

During the genesis of the Silver Age of comics, Charlton would revise the character for a new Blue Beetle series. It ran a total of ten issues, numbered 1-5 (June 1964 - April 1965) then 50-54 (July 1965 - March 1966, taking up the numbering from the discontinued Unusual Tales). Charlton's new Blue Beetle retained the original's name, but none of his powers or origin. This Beetle was an archaeologist who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including enhanced strength, flight and the ability to generate lightning) from a mystical scarab he fought in Egypt. This version by writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico was played at least initially for camp, with stories like "The Giant Mummy Who was Not Dead".

Blue Beetle - Ted Kord

Charlton's next Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, was created by Steve Ditko, and first appeared as a back-up feature in Captain Atom #83 (Nov. 1966), with Gary Friedrich scripting from Ditko's conception and plot. This Blue Beetle was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete, sharing much more in common with the Fox original than did Charlton's earlier reimagining of the character. This Blue Beetle's signature equipment is his bug-shaped personal aircraft, which he enters and exits typically with a cable suspended from the cockpit. He also generally eschews personal weaponry except for a pistol that makes a blinding flash of light and, additionally, a strong airblast to gain the advantage when he closes in for hand-to-hand combat.

Ditko is best known as the co-creator (with Stan Lee) and original artist of Spider-Man at Marvel Comics. While Blue Beetle and Spider-Man have some similar characteristics, such as being wise-cracking, acrobatic, arthropod-themed urban heroes, they evolved into very different characters. Both characters are accomplished inventors (Ted Kord is considered one of the premier minds of the DC Universe), great athletes, and skilled acrobats. Both characters also have strong, if sometimes ill-timed, senses of humor that they use to mask their insecurities — moreso in the case of the Beetle, who has no powers of his own (and in later years has to deal with occasional weight gain). On the other hand, the Beetle has none of the angst associated with brooding vigilantes like Batman. Unlike Spider-Man, Blue Beetle is a team player and a loyal friend; Beetle is the only hero who put up with the narcissistic pretty-boy superhero Booster Gold when the two were paired in the Justice League.

The Ted Kord Blue Beetle ran as a backup feature in Captain Atom #83-86 (Nov. 1966 - June 1967) before getting his own title, which ran from #1-5 (June 1967 - Nov. 1968). A sixth issue was produced, but published in the Charlton Portfolio. The Question ran as a backup series, with the fifth issue featuring a quasi-team-up in which the Blue Beetle story continues in part in the Question tale.

An origin was given in #2, linking Ted Kord to the previous Blue Beetle. Ted was revealed as a former student of Dan Garrett, and when they were investigating Ted's Uncle Jarvis, they learned the uncle was working to create an army of androids to take over Earth. Garrett changed into Blue Beetle, but was killed in the battle. As he died, he passed on the responsibility of being Blue Beetle to Ted, but wasn't able to pass on the mystical scarab. There was a hint that one android was still left in stasis, but this was never resolved.

In the early 1980s, the first issue of Charlton's in-house fanzine Charlton Bullseye, featured had a team-up of the Blue Beetle and the Question. Later, AC Comics would publish a story intended for Charlton Bullseye in Americomics #3, and a one-shot of a team-up of all the Charlton "Action Heroes", as the company called its lineup.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Charlton Comics", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki