Blue Beetle Mania

The Blue Beetle’s history extends as far back as Batman’s, a fact that has been obscured by a convoluted publishing history – accompanied by an ever-changing plethora of reboots and other gimmicks – that in all probability inspired the equally checkered past of Michael Chabon’s metafictional Escapist.

Created by Charles Nicholas, Rookie policeman Dan Garret debuted as The Blue Beetle in a crudely written and drawn four-page story that appeared near the back of Mystery Men Comics #1 (Fox Feature Syndicate, August 1939). The character at that point was a straight rip-off of the Green Hornet … which is a good a explanation as you’ll get for Garret’s alliterative codename.

He adopted a variation of the more familiar chain-mail gear in his second appearance and -after a few more visual tweaks –  soon gained enough popularity to earn his own title, a radio show and a syndicated newspaper strip ghosted by Jack Kirby.

To keep up with the ever increasing number of super-powered heroes clogging up the newstands by 1941, the Blue Beetle gained extraordinary abilities thanks to the miracle drug “Vitamin 2x.” Those powers would wax and wane throughout the Golden Age depending upon the needs of the story.

Everything remained status quo until the 12th issue of the Beetle’s own comic, when the Fox imprint seemingly dissolved and the character’s title continued under the auspices of Holyoke. Two issues later, Garret received a teen sidekick.

After 19 issues, Victor Fox regained the rights to the character and erratically published Blue Beetle comics until the ‘50s. During that time, the opportunistic Fox ensured the title reflected the trends of the day.

When “headlight comics” proved to be sure moneymakers, the Beetle found himself shoved off-stage by a succession of femme fatales. (Sparky had long since disappeared, poor kid.)

He also narrated “true crime” stories once Charles Biro’s Crime Does Not Pay started dominating the field.

And frankly, many stories were just plain bizarre.

After the Fox imprint finally gave up the ghost in the mid-‘50s, Charlton acquired the rights to Blue Beetle and printed a few stories that did little to alter the character … aside from changing his name to Dan Garrett.

When the success of Marvel and DC’s Silver Age titles brought super-heroes back into vogue, Charlton called upon writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico to revamp the Blue Beetle.

To their credit, Gill and Tallarico tried to provide a rationale for the Beetle motif by reintroducing Garret as an archaeologist who finds a mystic scarab. Otherwise, this all-new origin story was essentially Fawcett’s Captain Marvel with Egyptian trappings.

That particular incarnation wasn’t successful, so Garrett was killed off and replaced by this guy …

Sadly, Steve Ditko’s Blue Beetle was no more successful than the previous attempt and faded into comic-book limbo. Eventually, however, DC picked up the rights to the Beetle and other Charlton characters and incorporated them into their universe following the cataclysmic events of the company’s wildly successful Crisis On Infinite Earths mini-series.

The Ted Kord Blue Beetle evolved from that point into the Bwa-ha-ha hero so many modern fans loved … at least until DC decided to make headlines several years later by blowing the poor sod’s head off.

Leading, of course, to yet another new incarnation of the Blue Beetle.

*Phew.* I suppose the one constant throughout the decades of Blue Beetle’s existence has been change, which means we’ll probably see a few more versions of the character before everything is said and done.

In the meantime, however, let’s go back to a simpler time and enjoy the original, Golden Age hero who briefly found enough success to become a multi-media sensation a la Superman and Batman.

From Blue Beetle #1 (Fox Publications, Winter ’39-’40), here’s the “Origin Of The Blue Beetle” as drawn by Will Eisner (!) and the character’s creator, Charles Nicholas.

Hmmm … Dan Garret’s working-class background – replete with snobs and bullies – and desire to avenge his father’s death is somewhat similar to Marvel’s Daredevil. I guess there are only so many ideas under the sun.

Cleanup Time

Although Golden Age comics are frequently marred by racial stereotypes deemed acceptable at the time – heck, some are considered acceptable in the supposedly enlightened 21st century – I’m constantly struck by how super-heroines of the ‘40s are much more competent than many of their Silver- and Bronze-Age counterparts.

(Especially the ones written by Stan Lee … )

Although Sue eventually toughened up after a couple decades of boosting Reed, Ben and Johnny’s morale, your average World War II-era heroine set boots to a$$es straight from the get go. Case in point: Miss Victory, who needed little more than a mop to clean up a nest of dirty Nazi spies.

But what else could you expect from a stenographer named Joan Wayne?

The following tale was originally printed in Captain Aero Comics (Holyoke, July 1942). The art is by Charles Quinlan.

Devil In The Details

The Hood was pretty much your standard Golden Age vigilante who enjoyed smashing criminals who tried to cheat the law via legal loopholes.

(And that was back in 1941. Just imagine how much Miranda requirements would have ticked off this guy…)

He generally dealt with crime bosses, saboteurs and the like, but there was that one time he faced off against…

Well, read the story and discover for yourself.

“The Man Who Sold His Soul To The Devil” – there’s a pretty big spoiler – originally appeared in Cat-Man Comics #26 (Holyoke, September 1944). The story was drawn by the criminally underrated Bob Fujitani.

Brrrrr … good advice Hood.

Too bad your warnings are for naught, as tomorrow marks the first of the Time Bullet’s 13-day countdown to Halloween! Let’s see just how strange things can get in heaven and earth!

V For Victory

Holyoke’s Miss Victory first donned the stars and stripes on August, 1941 – four months before a certain Amazon princess came to Man’s World and taught the virtues of loving obedience.

(She wasn’t alone that month. Phantom Lady, The Black Cat, Nelvana of The North and other distaff characters also debuted that August, spearheading a Gold Rush of super-powered heroines that remains unmatched to this day … )

Appearing as a back-up feature in the first issue of Captain Fearless, Miss Victory’s civilian identity was Joan Wayne, a stenographer who decided to spend her spare time bringing criminals to justice. End of origin. The Greatest Generation apparently didn’t need much motivation to chip in and do their bit for God and Country.

Although Captain Fearless only lasted two issues, Miss Victory remained a strong supporting character in Holyoke’s titles and eventually found a permanent home in the Captain Aero comic. Judging by the following story, she also dumped stenography for a career as an Air Force officer.

Miss Victory slipped into comic-book limbo, along with many other Golden Age crime-fighters, after the conclusion of World War II. Ms. Wayne proved to be hardier than most of her contemporaries, however, when she reemerged nearly 40 years later as the leader of AC Comics’ Femforce.

From Captain Aero Comics #22 (Holyoke, April 1945), here’s “Devils With Wings.” The art is by Nina Albright, a true pioneer herself among Golden Age creators.

Wow … able to take out a Nazi goon and a bird of prey with a single punch! Impressive.

Stray Cat-Man Strut

When Gail Simone rescued DC’s Catman from the Brad Meltzer Memorial Scrap-Heap Of Silver-Age Villains™, she asserted the nearly-forgotten character had the potential to be every bit as cool as a certain Dark Knight.

In fact, Ms. Simone suggested that Bob Kane and Bill Finger could have just as easily named their seminal creation “Catman” instead of pinning their hopes and aspirations on a winged rodent. Heck, if history had continued down that path maybe Bruce Wayne would have ended up a pathetic has-been in Meltzer’s Green Arrow instead of poor Thomas Blake.

The joke of it all, of course, is that a “Cat-Man” very similar to Blake in appearance and methodology battled crime during comics’ Golden Age for a small, nearly forgotten publisher who probably hoped to cash in on the Caped Crusader’s popularity.

Cat-Man (or “Catman,” as he was later known) first appeared in the fourth issue of Holyoke Publishing Co.’s Crash Comics (1940). Created by artist Irwin Hasen and a writer whose name is lost to the ages, the “Cat Crusader” (sorry, couldn’t resist) was David Merrywether, who – much like Batman – witnessed the death of his parents after the family was attacked by bandits while traveling across Burma.

The young Merrywether, however, was fortunate enough to be rescued by a kindly she-Tiger who raised the child as her own in the wilds of Burma. (Any resemblance to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan at this point probably isn’t coincidental … )

Through the magic of comics, the child somehow absorbed the physical attributes of his foster mother and found himself endowed with augmented strength, agility and vision. After the tigress passed on, her spirit also granted Merrywether the gift of nine lives.

Not a bad deal.

The young man returned to America and, shocked by the injustices he witnessed in so-called civilized society, adopts the identity of “Cat-Man.” He later enlisted in the U.S. Army and even adopted an 11-year-old girl who became his trusty sidekick, Kitten.

(Unlike Robin, who remained a prepubescent for decades, Kitten aged throughout the duration of the strip and was eventurally drawn with more … er …  ”adult” attributes.)

The Cat-Man feature ran for about five years and even spawned a Phantom-esque Australian doppelganger. Years after Holyoke went under, the Golden Age Cat-Man enjoyed a semi-renaissance under the auspices of Bill Black and – more recently – Alex Ross.

Not too bad for a second-tier character that never enjoyed the benefits of a large publishing house or superstar creators.

From Cat-Man Comics # 25 - nearly 20 years before Bill Finger and Jim Mooney sent the Thomas Blake incarnation after Batman* -  here’s the Golden Age hero and his able assistant in “The Eyes Of Justice.”

The art is credited to Charles Quinlan.

* I’m not even going to get into the Catman who fought Blackhawk in 1959…