A common method with comics in the superhero genre is to rebrand and reuse older heroes transforming their powers and identities so they appeal to later generations of readers. A best example of this is the saga of the blue Beetle.
There are lots of Blue Beetles and, just as in the case of characters like: Hawkman, green lantern or Flash (along with a number of others), the inter-generational stories, when told right, can create a sense of continuity and connection across different comic book series. nowhere is this better illustrated than in the case of Blue Beetle as a bit of history can help clarify.
Blue Beetle is a character whose constant rebranding over the years transformed his legacy, generally by linking the mythos of different stories spanning three different Beetles from three different publishers.
Originally published by Fox Comics starting in 1939, after Fox went bankrupt circa 1955 the character was acquired and re-branded by Charlton to be relaunched in 1966. considering that the mid-1980s, and the demise of Charlton, Blue Beetle appears in books published by DC. considering that DC was rebooting its universe at the time it acquired the Charlton heroes, the first issue of crisis was released in 1985, this allowed the possibility of the development and evolution of the blue Beetle saga. The Beetle’s story arc, therefore, is one that has an inter-generational connection like few others, and what this means, from a comic fan point of view, is that the character has lots of crucial crucial comics. Let’s take a look at the ones worth seeking out.
Mystery men Comics #1 (August 1939) – first appearance of Blue Beetle
It’s hard to believe that this August marks the 79th anniversary of the introduction of Blue Beetle, but here we are. This comic published by Fox Comics in 1939 introduced Dan Garret to the world. created by will Eisner and Charles Nicholas, Garret – a police officer – was the first and original Blue Beetle. His powers in his earliest appearance were his imagination for inventions (like a microscopic telephone that he uses to call the Police), and his two fists. later he would get a special costume and augmented strength through the ingestion of a special vitamin called 2-X. This comic is rare with only 29 copies on the CGC census. highest recorded grade is a 9.2 and best returns over the last eight years have been on 5.0 (+177.8%) with the last sale, a Heritage Auction on August 9 2014, fetching $5,975.00. This is a great addition to any collection if you can find and afford it.
Captain Atom #83 (November 1966) – first Ted Kord as the Beetle
In issue #83 of Captain Atom, Charlton launched the second Blue Beetle. given a makeover by Gary Friedrich and Steve Ditko, not only was the history of the first Beetle now changed (his former identity of Dan Garret was kept but he was understood to have been an archaeologist who had found a special scarab from which he got powers) but Charlton went even additionally and introduced Ted Kord. Kord inherited Garrett’s mystical scarab, but not knowing how to use it, instead relied on his gadgets and battling skills (a lot like the earliest Fox Comics version). This comic featuring Kord’s first appearance is quite useful in higher grades. You can still find a CGC 7.0 copy for under $200.00 and raw for a lot less. best returns, however, have been on CGC 9.0 grades over the last three years, showing + 233.3% return on investment.
Blue Beetle #1 (June 1986) – first DC solo series with post-Crisis Ted Kord
In 1983 DC Comics acquired the ideal to a lot of of the Charlton comic book characters. With this stable of heroes came the need for a platform to market them. The task of developing that platform was put in the able hands of British writer Alan Moore. regrettably the story Moore came up with (a dystopian tale called Watchmen) eviscerated the legacy of these same characters. So DC and Moore then did the next best thing and changed the names and identities of the Charlton properties in buy to secure the ongoing viability of the characters. The character of Blue Beetle, therefore, was renamed ‘Nite Owl’ in Watchmen (and considering that there were actually two Blue Beetles Moore, following suit, had introduced two Nite Owls: Hollis Mason and Daniel Drieburg). This ended up being a good step on the part of DC, considering that if they hadn’t transformed Blue Beetle into Nite Owl, the subsequent adventures of the Beetle would have been completely different. continuing the adventures of Ted Kord, the DC version’s first appearance is actually crisis on limitless Earths #1, but this comic is the a lot more useful key. A 9.8 CGC copy will cost you $150.00 and returns have been mixed over the last few years.
Infinite crisis #3 (February 2006) – first Jamie Reyes as the Beetle
Jamie Reyes is the third Blue Beetle. This most current version is a teenager and has taken on traits and powers of both the first and secnull
