TwoMorrows Publishing Comics - Blue Beetle Companion

HISMANYLIVESFROM

1939 TOTODAY

Author’s Note 3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

THE GOLDEN AGE: 1939-1950The many faces of Officer Dan Garret. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

“The Blue Beetle”, from Mystery Men Comics #1, 1939 . . . . . . . . . . . 23“A Tougher Bird to Catch!”: The ill-fated Blue Beetle comic strip . . . . . 27

The Jack Kirby Blue Beetle daily strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Mystery Men #20 excerpt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

“Nippin’” it in the bud: the Blue Beetle’s foray into radioland . . . . . . . . 49“The Dope Peddlers” radio script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53The Blue Beetle radio show episode guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

The Golden Age II: From Holyoke to Fox and back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61The enigma of the U.S.S. Blue Beetle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71The Golden Age Blue Beetle appearances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

THE SILVER AGE: 1954-1983Blue Beetle’s rebirth at Charlton Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Appreciation: Alan Weiss on completing a long circle . . . . . . . . . . . . 91The Silver Age Blue Beetle issue guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Taking a final bow...and a Last Kiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

THE MODERN AGE: 1986-TodayThe Blue Beetle becomes part of the DC Universe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Appreciation: Alex Ross on The Blue Beetle and his re-interpretationsof the character. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Appreciation: Cully Hamner on his Blue Beetle design . . . . . . . . . . 115

The Blue Beetle Influence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Appreciation: fan film-maker Chris .R. Notarile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Character files: The many lives of the Blue Beetle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Afterword: “Ace” Irving on the inside by Jon B. Cooke . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Author’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Comic books exploded as an industry in the 1930s,taking pop culture by storm in a four-colored blur. Whilean army of four-color mysterymen and crimefighters weresuccessfully jettisoned upon an unsuspecting world,changing the mighty course of movie serials, merchandising,and radio shows, dozens more would-be heroic successesfell between the cracks, washed away with the gutter trashfrom the Great Depression.

The Golden Age of comic books began withSuperman’s premiere in the first issue of Action Comics inJune of 1938. The first true superhero, Superman was acombination of Flash Gordon, the mysterymen of thepulp magazines, and Captain Easy from the Wash Tubbscomic strip. Even though, Detective Comics only printed200,000 copies of Action Comics #1 and sold 130,000, a factDetective wasn’t made privy to until three months afterthe comic’s release.

The Blue Beetle was neither jettisoned, nor did henecessarily fall between the cracks: he just hung on andremains to do so more than sixty years after his birth.Kind of an anomaly unto himself, the Blue Beetle couldhave easily disappeared from comic pages everywherebefore the end of World War II…or he could have been araging success that would have given Superman andCaptain America a run for their tights-clad money.

Like many figures in the formative days of the comic book medium,Victor Fox was a colorful character straight out of a Dickens novel.

“Victor was short, round, bald and coarsely gruff, with horn-rimmed glasses and a permanent cigar clamped between his teeth,”artist Al Feldstein told historian Jon Berk. “He was the personificationof the typical exploiting comic book publisher of his day- grinding outshameless imitations of successful titles and trends, and treating hisartists and editors like dirt.”

“Victor Fox actually had his own apartment in the same buildingwith the Fox Features offices,” Chuck Cuidera revealed. “One day,he asks me to do a favor for him. He has this box of liquor, and asksme to take it up to his apartment, near the top floor of the building.I go up there, and who answers the door but a beautiful womandressed only in a slip! She invited me in, asked if I wanted a cup ofcoffee or anything. I was polite, but got out of there fast as I could!That was Fox, though — he always had a girl around, stashed awaysomewhere!”

“Fox found out I was also a painter,” Don Rico said in a 1975interview with Barry Alfonso for Mysticogryfil. “So he commissionedme to do a mural for his home and he kept me prisoner in his house.”

The Golden Age 7

THE GOLDEN AGE

1939-1950

A young Will Eisner,in 1941.

THE BIRTH OF THE MYSTERYMAN:The many faces of Officer Dan Garret

Judge Woolsey found Fox guilty of infringement, “both textually andpictorially”, after reviewing publications from both parties (specificallyciting the issue of Wonder Comics).

“Short of ‘Chinese copies’ of the plaintiff’s ‘Superman’ strip,”Woolsey decided, “the defendant could hardly have gone further thanit has done.”

Woolsey decreed a “permanent injunction forbidding the furtherpublication by [Fox Comics] of its cartoon character ‘Wonder Man’,in such form as will make that cartoon character trespass in anyrespect on the plaintiff’s cartoon character, ‘Superman’.” Damagesand profits owed by Fox began at $1,500, before the addition of courtand legal costs.

Not content with the decision, Fox appealed Woolsey. On April 29,1940, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Woolsey’s verdict.Circuit Judge Augustus N. Hand stated that:

“Each publication portrays a man of miraculous strength and speedcalled ‘Superman’ in Action Comics” and ‘Wonder Man’ in the magazineof [Fox]. The attribute and antics of ‘Superman’ and ‘Wonder Man’ areclosely similar. Each at times conceals his strength beneath ordinaryclothing but after removing his cloak stand revealed in full panoply inskintight acrobatic costume. The only real difference between them isthat ‘Superman’ wears a blue uniform and ‘Wonder Man’ a red one. Eachis termed the champion of the oppressed. Each is shown running towarda full moon off into the night and each is shown crushing a gun in hispowerful hands. ‘Superman’ is pictured as stopping a bullet with hisperson and ‘Wonder Man’ as arresting and throwing back shells. Eachis depicted as shot at by three men, yet as wholly impervious to themissiles that strike him.

12 The Blue Beetle Companion

(below) These panelshighlight just a few ofthe Superman-esque momentswitnessed in Wonder Man'sfirst (and final)adventure. The entirestory can be read in AlterEgo #48. All scans arecourtesy of collector JonBerk (who also contributedmore Golden Age coversfor this book).

“Whatever he was given, he would pencil fourpages ( I think...or it could have been three) a day,every day, no more, no less. At the rate we were gettinghe had determined that he needed to do that muchwork to support his family. Of course, this was notthe best work that Charlie could do, stock shotswere employed to save time and one story penciledby Charlie looked pretty much the same as any otherstory penciled by Charlie. But top management didnot care what the art looked like, just that it wasdone. And Charlie realizing that this was prettymuch the last stop in his career just did what he hadto do! I never heard him complain except withhumor and he rarely spoke of his family or outsideinterests but he smiled a lot, had an offbeat sense ofhumor and seemed well adjusted to his situation. Hewas exceptionally easy to get along with and I never heard a crossword about or from Charlie.”

The other artist to lay claim is more established: the late ChuckCuidera, the co-creator of Blackhawk for Quality Comics, was bornCharles Nicholas Cuidera. Chuck Cuidera was hired by Joe Simonand Al Harvey to work at Fox for $25 a week. The son of an Italianimmigrant and a Jewish mother, Cuidera was the only one of threesons to pursue the arts: both of his brothers had started to studymedicine, but became cops instead. He startedhis career at Fox Studios, working behind ayoung Jack Kirby. His stint there was short-lived, as he defected to the Eisner shop in 1940.

Cuidera was an abrasive tough guy, accordingto fellow studio artists, one who never clicked withWill Eisner. In his later years, an embitteredCuidera would angrily stake his claim toBlackhawk’s parentage.

“During the summer, and after school, I wasworking for Will [Eisner],” Joe Kubert said of hisearly career in comics. “I got paid twelve and a halfbucks a week. It was a wonderful thing for me, itwas terrific. The guys treated me really well.

“It was there that I met Chuck Cuidera for thefirst time. He was doing Blackhawk; one of theexperiences of working...was cleaning up ChuckCuidera’s covers for Blackhawk. I was so into working,and loved so much what I was doing, and gratefulfor the opportunity, that when I had Chuck’s coverto clean up, I’d erase the hell out of it, and clean upas best as I knew how. Part of the cleaning upprocess is using white paint wherever there’s asmudge, or wherever you feel the line’s not as sharpas it should be.

“I remember that the cover was one whereBlackhawk was climbing up a rope and he was in aspotlight. The rope had little hairs, it was one ofthose Hauser-type ropes. I was so into it that Iwhited out all of the hairs, and drew one here andone there, that Chuck Cuidera said to me ‘You’reonly cleaning up, you’re not drawing!’ He was onlykidding, of course.”

In later years, calling Cuidera up on the phone,Cuidera would start a conversation with “I created Blackhawk!”, a point ofpride he’d always felt Eisner had taken away from him.

Cuidera’s memory was fuzzy in later years, with several inconsistenciesin his claim to the Blue Beetle’s creation: At one point, he claimed to

The Golden Age 15

(above) The mysterymandrawn by mystery artist

Charles Nicholas,from Mystery Men

Comics #7 (February 1940).(below) Blue Beetle puncheshis way to the newsstandswith The Blue Beetle #1

(Winter 1939/1940).

Dan’s senior year that he receives a telegram notifying him of his policeofficer father’s fatal wounding in the line of duty. Rushing to his father’sdeathbed, Dan vows revenge against the murderers. Shortly aftergraduation, Dan Garret becomes a cop, partnered with his father’s bestfriend Mike Mannigan (the typical bumbling Irish cop, with shadesof Green Hornet’s Mike Axford or Dick Tracy’s Pat Patton). Using aminimal amount of detective work, the Blue Beetle, “A dark figure in astrange costume” finds out his father’s murderer and avenges his deathin the few remaining pages.

The premiere story appears drawn by the same artist asthe earlier Blue Beetle stories (from Mystery Men), but a hintmore dynamic. There are definite Eisner earmarks present,from creepy angles and overblown fight scenes. Perhaps,aware that it would be more than a mere back-up, WillEisner or someone else in the Tudor City studio had providedrough breakdowns for the original “Charles Nicholas” to dofinishes over. Also, the artwork is considerably better thanmost of what would follow in that period of the character’scareer. Rather than the bland and constipated layouts of theearlier Mystery Men stories, there is diversity in panel sizeand layout in the origin, and moodier with a wide variety ofshots. The standard Fox lead story for The Green Mask wasnine pages; the fact that The Blue Beetle exceeds that by fourhints that it may have been intended for a solo book from theoutset, rather than as a lead in Mystery Men.

With the estrangement of the Eisner-Iger shop in late1939, Fox needed to create his own bullpen of artists. Foxinitially tried to raid the Eisner-Iger studio with a classifiedad from December 2, 1939, specifically asking for the originalartists of many of the Fox features. Victor Fox would alsorent more office space to accommodate his impending stableof artists by December 29.

Responding to such an ad was Joe Simon, who would goon to become one of the most influential figures of theGolden Age. At the pay rate of $85 a week, Simon worked asan editor for Fox, the self-proclaimed “King of Comics”.

Standing at 6’3” and weighing in at a buck-fifty, the ganglySimon got his job through a sterling letter of reference bythe Syracuse Herald’s James Miller. The con man was conned— Fox didn’t know that “James Miller” was in actualityJimmy Miller, copy boy.

“[Fox] started, and he got bigger offices there in thesame building—more impressive offices than DC,” Simonsaid. “He was a very strange character. He had kind of aBritish accent; he was like 5’2”—told us he was a formerballroom dancer. He was very loud, menacing, and really ascary little guy. He used to say, ‘I’m the King of the Comics.I’m the King of the Comics. I’m the King of the Comics.’We couldn’t stop him. So that’s the task I had when I wentin to start that job.”

The newspaper ads continued in The New York Times, offering “Highprices and cash on delivery” for “TOP NOTCH artists.” All interviewswould be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, between 4 and 5 P.M. only,with “Mr. Roberts” at Fox’s offices at 480 Lexington Avenue, Room 912.As “Mr. Roberts,” Simon interviewed and hired new talent and, as JoeSimon, he produced several covers and stories for Fox.

“[The] easy way for him to get Will Eisner’s staff over there [towork for him] was to just advertise in the papers: ‘Artist who did WonderMan call Mr. Roberts at this number’ at Fox’s office; and he didn’twant us to use our real names because we could do the same thingWill Eisner did. We could take the characters and leave. So anyway,


Victor Fox's attemptto gain staff artists:Joe Simon answered thebottom one.

The Golden Age 23

What follows is The Blue Beetle's first appearance from Mystery MenComics #1 (August 1939), with special thanks to Michigan StateUniversity.

The following Blue Beetle strips, written and drawn by Jack Kirby, were reproduced from bothmicrofilm of The Boston Transcript and copies of original proofs. Thanks to Will Murray for providing theproofs. Alas, we can only give you the first part of Kirby's Blue Beetle adventure.

THE GOLDEN AGE“THE KING” AND THE BEETLE:The Jack Kirby Blue Beetle daily strip

The Golden Age 33

The Golden Age 39

Gorilla gangsters with tommy guns? This Blue Beetle story from MysteryMen Comics #20 (March 1941) is an example of the Azure Avenger in hisGolden Age prime, from creepy chain mail to dropping off of rooftopslike his namesake. A tip of the hat to historian Will Murray for providingthe scans from his original comics.

In its Golden Age, the land of radio harboredmore than a handful of masked crimefighters andavengers: the Lone Ranger rode, the Shadow cloudedmen’s minds, and the Green Hornet stung criminals.Before the advent of the television, radio shows basedoff of popular comic strips were not unusual. Heroeslike Dick Tracy and Superman found themselvestransformed from agents of the funnies pages to soundeffects and disembodied voices.

The Blue Beetle first hit the airwaves on May 15,1940, in a syndicated attempt that was perhaps doomedfrom the get-go. Frank Lovejoy, who would eventuallybecome a prolific radio and movie actor (with partsranging from the villainous Laugher on The Shadow tothe starring role of reporter Randy Stone on Nightbeat),voiced the Blue Beetle and his alter ego Dan Garret foronly the first four shows. Lovejoy brought a rathermaniacal, almost sadistic, cackle to the character. HisBlue Beetle seemed as if he took some sick pride inhurting criminals, not unlike a homicidal version ofThe Shadow.

Born in New York City in 1917, Lovejoy’s fatherwas a salesman for Pathé Films. Frank was a runner onWall Street when the infamous 1929 stock market crashthrew the country into the Great Depression, observingthe “naked emotion” displayed by the people aroundhim. After attending New York University and becominga player in stock companies, he debuted on Broadway in1934. The play, Judgement Day, went from September12 to some time in December, with 92 performances.

The lights of Broadway didn’t work well with Lovejoy, and he wentback to stock companies. While waiting two weeks for a stock companyto assemble in Cincinnati in 1934, Lovejoy got work at radio stationWLW and stayed for a year. It was an unplanned entry into the foray ofradio acting, a lightning bolt carried on radio waves, launching Lovejoy’scareer more than any stock company or Broadway role had before. By1950, (by his estimation) Lovejoy had acted in 4,000 radio programs.

He was eternally the tough guy, his gruff and cocky voice emanatingthe type of guy you’d like to have covering your back in a barfight; hebecame a succession of cops, hard-nosed reporters, private investigators,thugs, and FBI agents. The 1949 movie Home of the Brave launched a filmcareer that would befit every great character actor: a part in the cultVincent Price vehicle House of Wax (playing, unsurprisingly, a cop), and afew starring roles like I Was A Communist for the FBI. On the televisionfront, Lovejoy starred in the detective show Meet McGraw.

The Golden Age 49

THE GOLDEN AGENIPPING IT IN THE BUD:The Blue Beetle’s Foray into Radioland

Veteran character actorFrank Lovejoy.

THE GOLDEN AGETHE BLUE BEETLE RADIO SCRIPT (TRANSCRIBED)“The Dope Peddlers,” Part IAired May 15, 1940; Syndicated

(organ music, whistle blowing)

ANNOUNCERThe Blue Beetle!

(Magic Ray sound effect)

Sweeping down upon the underworld to smash gangmencomes a friend of the unfortunate! Enemy of criminals! (organ music)This mysterious, all-powerful character is a problemto the police, a crusader for law. In reality, DanGarret, a rookie patrolman loved by everyone, butsuspected by none of being The Blue Beetle! As The Blue Beetle, he hides behind a strange mask anda suit of impenetrable blue chain armor, flexible assilk, but stronger than steel!

Today's episode of The Blue Beetle sends The BlueBeetle swooping down on a group of powerful underworldcharacters whose racket is dope. Will he be able toferret them out? Can he cope with this mysterious ringof ruthless men single-handed? Can he discover theirleader and bring him to justice?

As our story opens, our hero, Dan Garret, is visitinghis friend and secret advisor Dr. Franz, who operatesa little apothecary shop in one of the great city'sside streets. He is restlessly pacing the floor in Dr.Franz's living room.

DANLook, Doc, why does there have to be so much red tapein police work?

FRANZWell, Danny, every officer has to have rules andregulations. That makes for efficiency.

DANYes, but the criminals and the crooks we're set tocatch aren't bound up in rules and regulations. I likepolice work, but I also crave action.

FRANZYou seem to get plenty of it as The Blue Beetle. I'veworried about you, Danny, the terrible risks you take.These crooks and gangsters are vicious, cold-bloodedkillers. They'd have no mercy on you if they caughtyou.

DANI can take care of myself. Besides, that suit of bluechain armor and that mask are great protection.

FRANZI hope they never catch you without it, or ever dis-cover who The Blue Beetle really is. I'm afraid itwould mean the end of Patrolman Dan Garret.

DANWell, after all, Doc, you're the only one who knows.Even Mannigan is always saying what he'd do if hecaught The Blue Beetle.

FRANZHe's the officer on the beat next to yours, isn't he?

DANYes, he was my father's pal.

FRANZI see.

DANHe got me on the police force after my father waskilled by a gangster's bullet.

FRANZAnd, doesn't he suspect at all?

DANNo, he doesn't. He's a good cop, but he's not veryheavy above the ears.

NEWSBOY (background)Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

DANWhat's that newsboy talking about? Something about amovie star committing suicide? Wait, I'll go get apaper!

NEWSBOYExtra! Extra! Read all about it!Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

DANHere you are, boy, give me one of those papers.

NEWSBOYYes, sir.

DANThank you.

NEWSBOYExtra! Extra! Read all about it!

DANHey, look at this, Doc. Sandra Beaumont, the movieactress, committed suicide last night. The paper saysshe left a note on the dressing table which said 'Dopehas become my master. No longer can I live without it.This is the end. Let my fate be a warning to all.' (beat)What do you think of that, Doc?

The Golden Age 53

THE DOPE PEDDLERS(5/15/40) The premiere show also makesmention of Dan’s father’s deathat the hands of gangsters andintroduces Vitamin 2-X when it’sadministered to Dan after he isnearly gunned to death. He useshis new strength and the BlueBeetle’s Magic Ray weapon, topursue the Dope Ring. Adapted from The Blue Beetle #1and The Blue Beetle #4

SABOTAGE AND LIQUIDATION (5/17/40) Dan is sent on detail to guard aspecial experimental fighterplane. He and Mannigan watch itcrash and, through both thewreckage and Dr. Franz’s expertisewith a microscope, Dan finds outthat it had been sabotaged. JaneDarryl comes out of nowhere toserve as the damsel in distress,and the Blue Beetle fights theevil spy X-13.Adapted from The Blue Beetle #2

MURDER FOR PROFIT(5/22/40) When a banker is murdered onthe operating table, Dan suspectsit is so a gang of crooks canmanipulate the stock market.Armed with Formula X-4, whicheats through steel, the BlueBeetle is charged up by Franz’s“Radio Locator,” which zaps himfull of enough energy to beat thebaddies. An unusual side effect:it makes his “eyes shine likesearchlights”...Adapted from The Blue Beetle #2

BLASTING THE DYNAMITE GANG (5/24/40)A band of burglars dynamitearound the city, bringing terrorand mass burglary. The headof the gang is the Octopus,who sends a threateningtelegram to the Mayor, orderinghim to shut off the electricity.The Octopus plans on stealingBlue Beetle’s armor and MagicRay, and the Blue Beetle mustfight his way through the vil-lain’s lair.Adapted from Mystery MenComics #8

THE INVISIBLE GHOST(5/29/40)Like the Green Hornet, theBlue Beetle battles slot machinefraud. The new actor steps intothe role of Dan Garret with thisepisode. This episode alsomarks the use of Dr. Franz’s“invisible paint,” which allowsBlue Beetle to emulate TheShadow this time around!Adapted from Mystery Men Comics #6

DEATH RIDES ON HORSEBACK (6/3/40) A masked rider shoots cops andretreats into the ‘vast wildernessof the city park.’ The Blue Beetleinvestigates while Joan Mason, agirl reporter no longer contentto write about “gardens,” goesmissing while investigating themasked rider. The Blue Beetlesaves Joan after he is also subduedby the masked rider. She helpshim out, claiming to be ‘a TexasRanger’s daughter.’Adapted from a text story in TheBlue Beetle #1

The Golden Age 57

THE GOLDEN AGEMAIN TITLE:The Blue Beetle Episode Guide

Blue Beetle #2(May-June 1940).

Despite the twin failures of the strip and radio show, theBlue Beetle continued on exclusively in comic books, appearingin all thirty-one issues of Mystery Men Comics and in the short-lived Big 3 anthology.

Big 3 was most likely Fox’s answer to Detective Comics’1940 New York World’s Fair comic book: the cover to World’sFair (drawn by Jack Burnley) is not only the first timeSuperman, Batman, and Robin appeared together, but wasan action-packed promotional comic between Detectiveand...well, the World’s Fair. The cover of Big 3 #1 featuresthe Blue Beetle, Samson, and the Flame, and is almost adead ringer for Burnley’s cover, even down to Blue Beetle’swaving like Superman.

Blue Beetle gets the main story, drawn slickly by“Charles Nicholas”...the Blue Beetle called into action bythe fifth page. He’s no longer sticking to the shadows, but isdropping bug-like off of rooftops in his creepy chain-mailarmor, his body twisting powerfully to grab ledges as he continueshis descent. The Blue Beetle would hop from the ground,knees bent up towards his chest, leaping over cars and fromroof to roof. He almost always made Joan Mason’s apartmentthe first stop, getting information from her on whatever casehe was working on, or ironically arriving in the nick of timeto save her from kidnappers or villains. It was a new angle to thecharacter, going from pulpy crimefighter to acrobatic adventurer...but one that worked.

The adventures would remain off-the-wall, with the BlueBeetle solving the mystery of exploding gorillas and villainswho used voice projection on corpses to cash out on life insurancepolicies. They possessed a crude charm and, for a time, always had anexplosion around the third panel: an edict from Victor Fox, given toeditor Joe Simon as a means to boost sales.

An ad for the Blue Beetle radio show is tucked after the Blue Beetlestory, urging kids to “Ask your favorite local station to have The BlueBeetle on the air.” Given Fox’s Blue Beetle Day on August 7, 1940 andthe Fall, 1940 cover date of Big 3, Fox may have put Big 3 together tocompete with Detective’s World’s Fair comic.

Many of the early 1940s Fox Comics were drawn by the trio ofPierce Rice and Arturo and Louis Cazenueve. Aside from several BlueBeetle stories (Cazenueve’s work appeared as early as The Blue Beetle#2), their artwork also appeared on The Eagle and The Green Mask.Like the early Fox line-up, this team originated from Eisner and Iger.

The 23 year-old Rice arrived at Eisner and Iger in 1939, where hemet the Argentina-born Arturo Cosine. Cosine’s brother Louis wouldjoin them, and the three would leave for their own studio space on 42nd

The Golden Age 61

THE GOLDEN AGETHE GOLDEN AGE PART II:From Holyoke to Fox and Back

The Blue Beetle’s new home was built by yetanother immigrant with a court record: JohnSantangelo, who came to America from Italy in theearly part of the 20th century as a manual laborer.Living in Yonkers, New York and traveling to Derby,Connecticut to lay bricks in the ’30s, Santangelobegan pursuing a young high-school girl in theneighborhood. Unable to fulfill her wish of findingprinted popular song lyrics in the city, Santangelocame across the idea to print them out on his own.

The beginnings of the Charlton PublishingCompany stemmed from crude printed single piecesof paper, folded in half and printed at a fellow Italianfriend’s print shop. Santangelo drove aroundConnecticut and New York with his wares, droppingthem off with cigar store owners. The lyric sheetscost Santangelo 2 cents to print, and he split the 10cent price tag 50% with the store owners.

“He had a saying many years later,” Santangelo’s sonCharlie said. “When he’d become wealthy, that ‘I nevermade a dollar; I always made a half-dollar’.”

Pretty soon, Santangelo’s song sheet took off andSantangelo increased production. Copyrightinfringement caught up with John, and he foundhimself sentenced to a year and a day in the New Haven County Jail.

“My old man was an immigrant and he didn’t know anything aboutcopyright laws,” Charles said. “It certainly wasn’t terrible or intentional,but he did violate the law.”

THE SILVER AGE

1954-1983FROM CHAIN-MAIL TO STROBE GUNS:Blue Beetle’s rebirth at Charlton Comics

The Silver Age 77

(above) Steve Ditko wasknown to bring candy to

Charlton's female employees.(below) The Charlton

Publications complex inDerby, Connecticut.

assignment, and I liked the concept of the character. Ithink that with the art and all, it didn’t live up to what itshould have been.”

“The Eye of Horus” was Thomas’ attempt at makingBlue Beetle into a Marvel Comic: complete with Dan’sunrequited love for a fellow Egyptologist, Luri, from hisfirst appearance. In short, it consisted of the Blue Beetlefighting a giant eye reawakened by an unscrupulous museumhead. The issue, and the series, ended with Dan Garrettpondering his unrequited love for Lori over his magicscarab in a very Lee and Ditko Spider-Man-like fashion.

Blue Beetle was once again sent to comics limbo, whenhis title was taken over and retitled Ghostly Tales. It would beanother short-lived hiatus, one ended by Charlton’s prodigalson: cartoonist Steve Ditko.

Best known for his collaborations with Stan Lee on TheAmazing Spider-Man for Marvel, Ditko returned toCharlton after a creative disagreement with Lee. Ditko’sdeparture from the relatively high page rates of The Houseof Ideas for the bottom-of-the-barrel Charlton rates isrepresentative of the artist’s firm philosophical convictions,something that would come more into being during hissecond stint at Charlton.

The gangly Ditko, with Coke bottle glasses and slicked-back dark hair, is one of the more prolific cartoonists of theSilver Age. Ditko never drew beautifully: he drew effective-ly. The figures in his work contort off the page, joints bend-ing and fingers splaying in directions impossible in real life—but completely effective on the comics page. Hiswork could be simultaneously colorful andeerie, allowing him to work in a variety of genres,be it science fiction, monsters, or super-heroes.

“Ditko was all right; we were goodfriends,” Gill said. “We’re not the same kindof people, but he and I were both living in thesame hotel in Derby. Steve has ethics andstern beliefs, and he kept them. He wouldn’tdo bad work just because he was getting badpay. He tried to do just as well for Charlton ashe was for Marvel. He is a fine guy, and a goodartist. He did everything ‘The Ditko Way,’but he did a good job, and he made Spider-Man what it was.”

“Steve and I cemented our friendship,”Giordano continued. “He was suffering from alung ailment all his life from, I think,Tuberculosis when he was younger. He wasyounger then and needed to exercise, so Steveand I used to spend a lot of time playing ping-pong. They had a table in the cafeteria, andwe’d work up a sweat—that’s how I learned toplay, with Steve—and I had to defend myselfwhen we started. By the time we finished playing,we were fairly equal, I think, but he’d still beatme more often than not.”

“Ditko lived in a local hotel in Derby for awhile,” McLaughlin said. “He was a veryhappy-go-lucky guy with a great sense ofhumor at that time, and always supplied the[female] color separators with candy and otherlittle gifts.”

(above) Blue Beetle artistBill Fraccio.

(below) Steve Ditko's originaldesigns for Blue Beetle.

The Silver Age 83


In November of 1966, the new BlueBeetle premiered as a back-up adventurein Captain Atom #83, and had traded in thetraditional blue and red costume for atwo-toned light and navy blue costumewith a beetle design draped down over hisshoulders, chest and back. Completing thecostume was a distinctive goggled mask.Working without superpowers, this newBlue Beetle was young inventor Ted Kord,who operated out of his airship “TheBug.” Rather than being vitamin-enhanced or a powerhouse, Kord relied onhis acrobatic prowess and various inventionsto fight crime.

The Captain Atom back-up stories werescripted by Gary Friedrich, who workedwith plotted pencils by Ditko.

“As best I recall, Steve sent me veryrough pencils which I dialogued,”Friedrich stated. “I went up to Derby,

Connecticut to meet with Dick before I started working for him.Then I seem to recall I went back one time when I met briefly withDick and Steve Ditko about the Blue Beetle, but I really don’tremember anything about the meeting other than that Steve didn’thave much to say.”

Friedrich’s dialogue was littered with such phrases as “By Ringo’sbangs!” and “the swingingest hideout in town” that made it read likethe lovechild of Lee’s dialogue on The Amazing Spider-Man and BobHaney’s writing on Teen Titans. It came across as a square trying toohard to be a hipster.

Ted’s assistant Tracey and meddling police detective Fischer werethe only regular supporting cast members (both of whom respectivelytried to crack Ted’s odd behavior and Dan Garrett’s unexplaineddeath). Fischer’s pursuit of the truth behind Garrett’s death on PagoPago island was a recurring theme throughout the three CaptainAtom stories and then June 1967’s Blue Beetle #1. The next issuepromised to reveal not only the origin of Ted Kord as the BlueBeetle, but also the fate of Dan Garrett.

Dick Giordano recalled the creation of this new Blue Beetle:“I used to go into the city once a week—[Charlton] had a New

York office—and meet with the freelancers operating out of NewYork. Steve Ditko was originally on the staff of artists. After he left

The enigmatic Steve Ditko,co-creator of Spider-Manand the Ted KordBlue Beetle.

Emerging in the wave of 1970s car-toonists was Alan Weiss, whose workranged from Westerns (DC’s El Diablo,following his friend and mentor GrayMorrow’s run), to horror (House ofSecrets for DC), to super-heroes (TheAvengers and The Amazing Spider-Manfor Marvel). Weiss has done work formany companies, also including GoldKey, Defiant, Archie (on Steel Sterling),and Acclaim. Most recently, his art hasgraced the Young Tom Strong serial inAlan Moore’s Wildstorm/DC comicbook Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales.

But before his firm body of professionalwork developed, Alan Weiss had artworkprinted in Charlton’s The Blue Beetle(vol. 2) #5 from early 1965. The teenageWeiss’s fan redesign of the Blue Beetle isreprinted here...along with a new take,courtesy of Weiss.

On why he redesigned the Blue Beetle:I thought that the Blue Beetle had one ofthe dullest, most uninteresting super-hero outfits I’d ever come across. Icouldn’t believe they were even doing itand, of course, at the time I wasn’t evenfamiliar with the original Blue Beetlewith the chain mail and all. I thoughtthis guy needed something...But theydidn’t say anything about anoriginal...This is right before comicsfandom exploded, and you could [learnabout comics] history.

Even as a teenager, I thought I coulddo better than that. I tried out a coupleof ideas that didn’t go too far from theoriginal design that they had, but just jazzedit up a little bit. In essence, it was just alittle piping here and a little color there.Here was a guy with no symbol, no cape —nothing. It was just so weak.

I just did it on a lark. I certainly didn’t think there was an opportunityto have it published, and I’m not even sure there was a letters pagewhen I did it. It came as a total surprise when I opened an issue of themagazine and there the thing was, and in color, too.

The Silver Age 93

THE SILVER AGEAPPRECIATION:Alan Weiss on completing a long circle

Alan Weiss' firstpublished artwork was on

this letters column.

FIRST SERIESCharlton Comics1954-1956Space Adventures #13(Oct.-Nov. 1954) Cover: Al Fago“Murder in the Ring” Writer: UnknownArt: Dick Giordano (Pencils andinks on one page only)(The remainder of “Murder inthe Ring” was reprinted fromFox’s The Blue Beetle #58)“Joan Mason, Reporter”(Fox Comics reprints)

Space Adventures #14(Dec. 1954 - Jan. 1955) Cover: Al Fago“Perils of the Blue Beetle” Writer: UnknownArt: Unknown“Reproduction of Terror: JoanMason, Reporter”Writer: UnknownArtist: Jack Kamen(Fox Comics reprint)

Blue Beetle #18 (Feb. 1955)Cover art: Dick Giordano (?)“Masks of Mystery”Writer: UnknownArt: Otis“The Spider’s Parlor: Joan Mason,Reporter”Writer: UnknownArtist: Art Allen“The Man Who Stole 24 Hours” Writer: UnknownArt: Otis(Fox Comics reprints from TheBlue Beetle #40)

Blue Beetle #19 (Apr. 1955)Cover art: Dick Giordano (?)“Mystery of the Tolling Bell”Writer: UnknownArt: Unknown“Anonymous Atom!” Writer: UnknownArt: Unknown

Blue Beetle #20 (June 1955)Cover art: Dick Giordano (?)“Rookie Trouble”Writer: Joe Gill (?)Pencils: Ted Galindo Inks: Ray Osrin“Last Chance” Writer: Joe Gill (?)Art: Ted Galindo &Ray Osrin

Blue Beetle #21 (Aug. 1955)Cover art: Dick Giordano (?)“The Unmasking”Writer: Joe Gill (?)Pencils: Ted Galindo Inks: Ray Osrin“Captured” Writer: Joe Gill (?)Pencils: Ted Galindo Inks: Ray Osrin

Nature Boy #3 (Mar. 1956)Cover art: John Buscema“Unmasked”Writer: Joe Gill (?)Pencils: Charles NicholasInks: Sal Trapani(Note: This story is unrelated tothe one printed the year prior)

THE SILVER AGETHE SILVER AGE BLUE BEETLEISSUE GUIDE

The Silver Age 95

The following information was taken from Charlton Portfolio, TheGrand Comics Database (www.comics.org) and an article in ComicBook Marketplace #17 by Michelle Nolan. Only the Blue Beetle storiesare noted, omitting the filler and text stories.

Space Adventures #14 (Jan.1955) and The Blue Beetle

#20 (June 1955).

Writer John Lustig, infamous for redialoguing Charlton’s First Kissromance comic book into his wonderfully demented Last Kiss comic strip,sunk his claws into a few issues of the Charlton Blue Beetle and gave DanGarrett the same. Smattered throughout this chapter are Lustig’s informative(yet hilarious) spin on the Silver Age Blue Beetle! You can check out moreof John’s unique brand of humor at www.lastkissentertainment.com.

THE SILVER AGETAKING A FINAL BOW...and a Last Kiss

The Silver Age 99

By the 1980s, Charlton had one foot well in the grave; the company thatonce published an empire’s worth of comic books and magazines was nowdown to a handful of magazines. It isn’t known exactly when Blue Beetleand the other Action Hero characters were bought outright from the sputtering Connecticut publisher (the exact figure has not been disclosed,due to proprietary reasons). Paul Levitz, DC’s publisher and former comicsfanboy, apparently bought them as a present to DC’s then editor-in-chiefDick Giordano, the original mastermind behind the line in the ’60s.

1986 was a huge year for DC: they launched their landmark twelve issue“maxi-series” Crisis on Infinite Earths, which resulted in massive company-wide editorial changes. When the Blue Beetle landed on a rooftop andfought a gang of thugs holding a girl hostage in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1,George Pérez drew him to move like Ditko had him move...and writerMarv Wolfman had him speak like the Ditko version.

“That’s my job,” Beetle tells the grateful lady. “It goes with the blueunion suit!”

And then...the Blue Beetle was pulled into the continuity of the DCUniverse, and things would never again be the same for him.

THE MODERN AGE

1986-PresentA WORLD NOT HIS OWN:The Blue Beetle becomes part of the DC Universe

The Modern Age 103

Ted Kord's entrance:Crisis on Infinite Earths

#1 (April 1985). Blue Beetle TM & © 2007 DC Comics.

Giffen, however, had a different view of the proto-typical Ted Kord:

“You couldn’t take him seriously. He was soderivative of so many characters. The name ‘BlueBeetle,’ to me, said that the guy was not taking it allthat seriously himself. I want to point one thing out,just for the record: nothing we ever did with the BlueBeetle was meant to denigrate the character. MarcDeMatteis and I had a great deal of affection for thecharacters that came to be known as our JusticeLeague. We’re very proud of the way theBeetle/Booster team evolved.

“People will look at the old Blue Beetle of Ditkoand even Paris Cullins and say ‘How dare you makefun of him?’ We were trying to do something with thecharacter. Would you rather have this Blue Beetle, orno Blue Beetle? That was the only choice DC wasgiving at that point.”

The Blue Beetle lasted in the Justice League booksfor about eight more years, only to disappear againfor a couple more. Meanwhile, Dan Garrett appearedas a bit player in flashback stories, particularly theJustice League of America: Year One maxi-series, wherehe became a repeat victim of invading aliens.

In the summer of 1999, Dick Giordano and BobLayton, both formerly of Charlton Comics, made anattempt at reviving the Charlton characters in amini-series titled The L.A.W..

“The Blue Beetle has been turned into a laughablebuffoon,” Layton said in 1999, before the mini-series’release. “But that’s not how I remember the characterfrom when I was a kid. I actually play off the Beetle’sreputation as a clown to drive some serious pointshome in the series.”

The L.A.W. didn’t result in any lasting effects inthe DC Universe, especially not with the Blue Beetle. Layton andGiordano’s portrayal of Blue Beetle was more of a throwback to theLen Wein/Cullins version which, in itself, was a throwback toDitko’s Spider-Man.

In March 2000, writer Chuck Dixon brought Ted Kord back in thepages of Birds of Prey #15, a title featuring the crime-fighting duo ofOracle (Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl) and Black Canary. Dixon’sportrayal of Ted Kord straddled the line between the light-heartedadventurer of Giffen’s run, and the able-bodied crimefighter of Ditko’s.Coming in to the picture as a friend of Barbara’s, Ted Kord had retiredas the Blue Beetle and decided to focus on running his company,Kordtronics. When Barbara and Ted encounter a burning train wreckwhile flying the Bug over Gotham City, Ted is forced to become the BlueBeetle once more, and continued to do so for a few issues.

“I approached him kind of like he was a more well-roundedBruce Wayne,” writer Chuck Dixon says of his Blue Beetle.“He had a full private life and was very involved in hisbusiness as both a technological innovator and a capitalist.He enjoyed being the Blue Beetle and used it as an outletfor the frustrations he built up working in the corporateworld. I also liked the idea that I think Keith Giffeninitiated, that Ted had to work harder than mostheroes to stay in shape.”

In Birds of Prey #39, Ted Kord encountered agreater villain than any he ever faced: degenerative heartdisease, diagnosed after Ted had unknowingly sufferedfrom about three heart attacks.

The Modern Age 107

(above) Beetle and BoosterGold swap insults in thispage from JLA: Classified#4 (April 2005). Art by

Kevin Maguire. (below) BobLayton, Charlton alum andwriter/inker of The L.A.W. Blue Beetle, Booster Gold TM & © 2007

DC Comics.

done a monthly project in a while, and had a coupleof attempts in a few years previous, but they didn’talways work out. Because of things like that, myreputation at DC was not that of a monthly guy.Joan Hilty wanted, as she put it, a ‘Gaijin’ look.

“She asked if I was interested and filled me inon what the intent of the book was. She sent me apackage with some of the outlines of what Johnand Keith had written, and a couple of designpasses that other artists had done. I sat on it forabout a week, and sat down on a Saturday to seewhat I could come up with for a design. Therewere a couple of false starts, but the first one Ididn’t tear up halfway through, was the first one Ifinished.”

Giffen and Rogers, with artist Cully Hamner,created the fourth version of the Blue Beetle (thethird for DC Comics), in time to become animportant player in Infinite Crisis before launchinginto his own comic book. Johns did the honors ofwriting Jaime into the DC Universe, placing thenew hero on an outer space mission with Batmanand other super-heroes, to defeat Batman’s out-of-control spy satellite: Brother Eye.

“What’s interesting is that the one characterwho can help Batman locate his greatest sin, theBrother Eye satellite, represents the one characterwho died for it,” Johns reflected. “The fact thatthey took one of Blue Beetle’s Bugs up to fight thesatellite goes back to the Blue Beetle’s importanceas a character. Ted Kord can’t be forgotten.”

Blue Beetle #1 came out with a cover date ofMay 2006. Jaime Reyes is a far cry from TedKord...or any of his other predecessors. Wherethe scarab was a gift to the Silver Age Dan Garrettversion, and useless to Ted Kord, it is a curse toteenage Jaime Reyes, leaving him unable to

account for a year of his life. Despite the vastly different approachand premise, the new Blue Beetle will not completely ignore whathas come before.

“It’s about a kid, and the scarab is giving him the kind of powersyou don’t want,” Giffen said of the latest Azure Avenger’s career. “If,in getting super powers, you have to have this scarab enter into yourbody and attach itself to your spine, you might think twice.”

“But, that said, another thing people thought was that it would be aDay One re-imagining of the Blue Beetle, and that I would cross out thehistory. I’ve always tried as hard as possible to keep the past history of thecharacter; not continuity [though]. Continuity binds, history enriches.There is a reason the scarab is reacting to Jaime differently. There isa reason that Ted Kord didn’t get any superpowers when the scarabwas in his possession, and there is a reason that Dan Garrett did.We’ve got the whole history of the scarab worked out to the day DanGarrett found it. We’re being very careful to not violate anythingthat came before. I was surprised when I started looking into it, howit almost points to what we’re doing. People who have been fans ofthe Blue Beetle, ever since he was wearing chain mail, will find outthat we’re respecting the history of the character. We’re saying‘Here’s how it all works out and applies to the new character. Wehope you get a kick out of it, because we want you to know you’renot wasting your time in following this character.’

“If you’re a new reader, it’s still a damn good, horrific story.”

Jaime Reyes, the new kid,in Infinite Crisis #5(April 2005) and (below)Blue Beetle #1 (May 2006). All characters TM & © 2007 DC Comics.


That was essentially the design forBlue Beetle now, the only differencebeing that DC wanted something onhis chest, as an insignia or graphic. Idecided to do something similar to theTed Kord insignia, and it works intying the whole thing together.

He doesn’t have two B’s on hischest. It’s a graphic that has a little bitof history behind it, which is justenough history to make it work, withoutit being slavish to the previous BlueBeetle. It worked for me, because partof the rationale that they wanted was asuit that was multi-functional andarmor-ish. My thought was to domore of a second-skin that would havean armored exo-skeleton look that abeetle has, but not be so technical-looking. The conceit is that you don’tknow what the source of the armor is,whether magical or technological;the nature of things is going to berevealed, but you don’t know whatside of the spectrum the armorcomes from. There are also severalother influences: the mask is slightlyinfluenced by Mexican wrestlers...

You look at a character likeBatman, and you know him by silhou-ette. You just have to see the two earsand cape. All the best characters havethat sense: even Spider-Man has agraphic to him, even if he’s a black figure,you just have to put those two eyes onhim to know. My intention was that ifyou even just saw him backlit, you’dknow who it is. The bugpack (as I callit) backpack that he wears, gives itthat. That was a very purposefulthing on my end.

The Modern Age 117

THE MODERN AGEAPPRECIATION:Cully Hamner on his Blue Beetle design

Blue Beetle, 2005 style: Cully Hamner's originaldesigns for the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle.

Blue Beetle TM & © 2007 DC Comics.

BLUE BEETLECOMPANION

NOW IN A REMASTERED, FULL-COLOR DIGITAL EDI-TION! Follow the Blue Beetle’s 60+ years of evolution—from the world of Fox Comics to an in-depth history ofCharlton Comics—all the way to the hall of today’s DCComics. Find out what really happened to infamous GoldenAge publisher Victor Fox, and get an in-depth look at theBlue Beetle radio show and Jack “King” Kirby’s Blue Beetlecomic strip. Also, presented for the first time since 1939:the first appearance of The Blue Beetle from Mystery MenComics #1! Featuring interviews with Will Eisner, Joe Simon,Joe Gill, Roy Thomas, Geoff Johns, Cully Hamner, Keith Gif-fen, Len Wein, and others, plus never-before-seen BlueBeetle designs by Alex Ross and Alan Weiss, as well as art-work by Will Eisner, Charles Nicholas, Steve Ditko, KevinMaguire, and more!

(128-page Trade Paperback) SOLD OUT(Digital Edition) $5.95 ISBN: 9781893905702

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