Blue Beetle #6 (2016)

"Jaime Reyes: Reluctant Wielder of the Power of the Blue Beetle Scarab. Ted Kord: Billionaire Industrialist and Sidelined Superhero. Together They Are The Blue Beetle...Whether They Like It Or Not." Last issue Mordecai showed up, went after Jaime's mother, and all hell broke loose! Keith Giffen and Scott Kolins are back for round 2 with issue #6 and a story called "Fury!"

Blue Beetle #4 (2016)

"Jaime Reyes: Reluctant Wielder of the Power of the Blue Beetle Scarab. Ted Kord: Billionaire Industrialist and Sidelined Superhero. Together They Are The Blue Beetle...Whether They Like It Or Not." Previously, a sleep-flying Jaime encountered a group of creatures called the Horde, learned about Dr. Fate's warning regarding the nature of the scarab, and reluctantly agreed to submit to additional tests by Ted and Teri Magnus. Keith Giffen and Scott Kolins are back with issue #4 and a story called "My Not So Secret Origin"

...And Death Shall Have No Dominion!

Last time Ted sparred with a jai alai inspired villain named Overthrow. If that wasn't strange enough, Dan Garrett was resurrected from the dead and looking to bring down the man who stole the name Blue Beetle! Len Wein and Paris Cullins pick up where things left off with issue #18, and a story called "...And Death Shall Have No Dominion!"

Blue Beetle #54 (Charlton)

This entry is bittersweet. A finale of sorts...the end of an era. We've reached the end of Dan Garrett's run as Blue Beetle in Charlton Comics. At least writer Roy Thomas, and the art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico, bring things full circle by tying things back to Dan's first adventure. Luri Hoshid, his first love interest, returns in a familiar setting in the story "The Eye of Horus"!

Blue Beetle #53 (Charlton)

What the what? Issue #53? Where's issue #52? Well, if you're just joining us I covered that way back in March of last year! I know, I covered that one out of order, but cut me some slack it was the first Dan Garrett issue I'd ever bought! So we're now down to the final two Charlton Dan Garrett adventures. Instead of dwelling on how sad that is, let's jump right in and look at "The People Thieves" from writer Joe Gill, and the art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico...featuring the return of the Praying Mantis-Man!

Hunter Mann, aka the Praying Mantis-Man, who we last saw way back in Blue Beetle #4 is at work in his lab. His assistant? A giant army ant named 119! Mann plans on using a colony of giant ants to take over the world. Will Blue Beetle stop him? He'll try...but the Praying Mantis-Man will be ready for him! 

Dan Garrett heads back to his own lab, after helping to put out a fire as the Blue Beetle, just in time to finish an experiment before his dinner date, Diane, arrives. Apparently Dan hasn't forgotten about Mann, and has been developing a bug spray in his free time just in case the villain returns. What an odd coincidence! As Dan and Diane head off to dinner, the Praying Mantis-Man and his army of ants attack a subway train. When the police arrive and try to stop him he trades insects for ice and freezes them with a gun that sprays carbon-dioxide "snow". 

He orders the ants to load their victims into waiting trucks, then the ants drive them to his secret mountain base. Dan's dinner isn't going as well as expected. The chef didn't show up for work, and the waiter tells Dan and Diane he heard a whole subway train full of people is rumored to have vanished! That's all Dan needs to excuse himself and begin his own investigation as...the Blue Beetle! And once at the subway station he discovers Mann's carbon-dioxide gun and a frozen police officer. 

Instead of thinking this was a cross-over event, and Captain Cold or Mr. Freeze was involved he deduces that this must be the work of the Praying Mantis-Man?! Really? Meanwhile, using spy pigeons (not sure why he ditched the insect angle so soon) Mantis-Man learns that Dan went to the restaurant with his date, but Blue Beetle left...so Garrett must be the hero! Doing what any gentleman villain would do, Mantis-Man calls the restaurant pretending to be Garrett and orders the lady a cab. 

Of course he happens to be driving it when she steps out, so he kidnaps her, taking her to his mountain hideout to act as bait for the Blue Beetle. When Dan gets back to the restaurant and the doorman mentions his date leaving with a cabbie who looked a little "green", it's quickly time for Blue Beetle to go back into action. He takes to the air, and spots a caravan of trucks driven by ants and follows them back to Mann's secret mountain lair. In the meantime Mann takes out a plane full of people...more than 100 people to add to his "colony". 

Both men arrive back at Mantis Mountain at nearly the same time, but Blue Beetle stares at the cave walls, fascinated...there's something familiar about them. Stopping to look at the cave walls was a mistake, as Mann quickly sneaks up on Blue Beetle and blasts him with the Carbon Monoxide freeze gun! While his insect army hauls Blue Beetle's body away, Mantis-Man reveals more of his plan to Diane. First, the mountain it seems isn't a mountain at all...it's a giant ant hill! Next he unleashes giant wasps. Their sting will prove to be deadly within seconds. And then gargantuan termites to obliterate the nearby cities. Diane decides her best chance of survival is to flirt with the Praying Mantis-Man. When she asks for somewhere she can clean up, Mann directs her to a nearby steam room. She opens up the valves, leaves the door open, and starts looking for Blue Beetle's frozen body figuring the steam should warm things up enough to thaw him out. The process is sped up when she touches the blue scarab on Dan's belt. 

Blue Beetle leads Diane to Mann's lab where he mixes up a batch of the insect spray he was developing at the start of the issue. Now armed, the duo head off into the giant ant hill and begin taking out the enormous insects! Seeing his plans falling apart, Praying Mantis-Man takes to the air on his dragonfly to make his escape. Blue Beetle approaches, and in a surprising moment of super dickery, he blasts the dragonfly and refuses to rescue the falling Dr. Mann.

WOW! This was a balls to the wall crazy story! Non-stop craziness! I mean insect themed villains using spy pigeons?! Really? I for one, enjoyed every wacky minute of it. It makes it that much sadder when you realize there's only one more Charlton Dan Garrett story left! And we'll be looking at that next month.

UPDATE: The Charlton Blue Beetle Contest That Was

Hey Beetlemaniacs! I have an update on the 1964 Charlton Blue Beetle contest I covered here and here. 

In case you don't remember, or don't feel like following the links, in Charlton's Blue Beetle #4, they ran a contest asking fans to vote on a costume for Dan Garrett. Winners were selected at random and awarded pieces of original art. 

The Charlton Blue Beetle Contest That Was Part 2

So, remember that post about the 1964 Charlton Blue Beetle contest? Pick which costume you prefer and win original art? Well, issue #50 listed the winners...

Blue Beetle #51 (Charlton)

We're (sadly) inching closer to the end of Charlton's adventures of Dan Garrett...the Blue Beetle. There's only 4 issues left, and I've already covered one of them! (#52...the first Dan Garrett book I ever bought!) So from writer Joe Gill, and the art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico here's "Mentor The Magnificent"!

Blue Beetle #50 (Charlton)

I know, I know..."Issue #50?! You just covered #5 a month ago!" Yes, I did. See, Charlton decided (for reasons unknown to me) to cease their book "Unusual Tales" at issue #49, and have Blue Beetle pick things up with #50 just a couple months after #5 hit the stands. It's probably best not to think about those decisions too hard, and just jump into the story instead. So from writer Joe Gill, and the art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico here's "Blue Beetle Meets The Evil Mister Crabb And His Monster Of Doom...The Scorpion"!

 

Miss Doris Byers has asked Dan Garrett to accompany her to the Texas Gulf. She's hoping he can help her locate her father, who disappeared from a collapsing oil rig. 

The duo approaches a nearby rig owned by Crabb Oil and are greeted first by a billy-club wielding bully, then by a gun toting thug. They're eventually led to Crabb, who Ms. Byers says is an outsider, a new comer to the oil business. Dan immediately suspects he may have had something to do with the disappearance of Mr. Byers, and when one of Crabb's men lets something slip about Byers and an oil rig it looks like his instinct is correct. For his part Crabb has heard of Garrett "a notorious meddler", and he's none too happy about them asking questions. He calls for one of his thugs to deal with Garrett and Byers, but the duo escapes. Dan shouts for Doris to dive into the sea, while he holds back Crabb's men. 

He then follows her into the sea shortly after, and uses the cover of the ocean to take the scarab from his pocket and become the Blue Beetle! Just in time too, as Doris went from the frying pan and into the fire...a hammerhead shark is soon circling them in the water! As the Blue Beetle he takes out the shark with a single blow, and rescuing Ms. Byers assures her Dan Garrett is safe...and that's when a giant mechanical scorpion from the depths of the ocean and snatches Ms. Byers in its claws!

Blue Beetle follows the metal beast down into the water, but soon finds himself captured in a giant metal claw. He fights with the strength granted him by the Pharaohs and nearly frees himself before being grabbed by the second claw and "stung" by the scorpion's stinger! 

Mr. Crabb pulls his body inside the mechanical monster to prove to Ms. Byers that no one can stop him. They make their way to an undersea base, where we learn that Mr. Byers is still alive, and has been held captive by Crabb. The villain wants Byers to sign away all of his oil rights, but so far he's held out. Using Doris as leverage he believes he'll get what he wants. But when one of the thugs brings Doris to her father's cell, something unexpected happens. Mr. Byers manages to knockout the henchman and steal his gun! 

If that wasn't enough, Blue Beetle leaps back to action, taking out three more of Crabb's men...before finding himself trapped behind a steel door as Crabb fills the room with deadly carbon monoxide gas. It's the Byers family to the rescue! Mr. Byers tries to get the drop on Crabb, but the villain is surprisingly quick on the draw! It's enough of a distraction to allow Blue Beetle to punch through the wall. 

Crabb manages to slip away. The trio discovers Crabb has been collecting barrels upon barrels of oil and gasoline. They also learn that even though Crabb has vanished, his thugs haven't. With Blue Beetle back and at full power again, the thugs don't stand a chance! 

He takes them out with relative ease, and then moves on to tearing apart the scorpion! During the fight though several barrels were damaged. Oil and gas are leaking and in danger of catching fire, locating Crabb will have to wait. Quickly Blue Beetle grabs Byers and his daughter and rushes them to safety. Crabb has gotten away for now, but if he ever turns up Blue Beetle will be ready for him!

Ok...I have to confess, as much as I've loved these silver age adventures, this one left me a little flat. I mean, Crabb got the better of Blue Beetle not once, but twice! Our hero seems to stumble through this story getting by on dumb luck, not how I prefer to see him. Crabb's motivation, his plan and purpose, are never really fleshed out either. He's hoarding oil and gas, presumably it's a money making scheme, but its not really clear. On the plus side...it's a Blue Beetle comic, and that's something we don't have right now.

Blue Beetle #5 (Charlton)

Writer Joe Gill, penciller Bill Fraccio and inker Tony Tallarico are back with another Silver Age adventure of Dan Garrett. This time around Charlton's Blue Beetle challenges the Red Knight to protect the White Queen..and the world!

Dan Garrett is enjoying dinner, and a game of chess, with his old friend Lewis Coll and Lewis' fiancee Regina White. Lewis, in an insanely obvious bit of foreshadowing, takes a loss at chess (involving the red knight and white queen) surprisingly hard. 

It seems Lewis has been working on some experiments with rocket heat shields for the government, and is a little tired or stressed. Lewis asks Dan if he'd watch after Regina, as he plans to take the rocket for a test spin. He's going to take the rocket into space in search of a metal called siliconium. In no time at all, with a mighty "vvrrooshh", Lewis is off...but in less time than that the 2nd stage rocket fails. Luckily Blue Beetle is on the scene and does some emergency repairs (I thought he was an archaeologist...not a rocket scientist!) allowing Lewis to complete his journey to...Saturn? Yup, siliconium is found on the ringed planet! 

When Lewis returns he runs into some more trouble. He passes out and nearly crashes. Once again, Blue Beetle is on the scene (mostly because Dan is still watching out for Regina). But after the miraculous save Lewis gives Blue Beetle the cold shoulder...heck, he tells him to leave! 

And when Dan comes back, he pushes him away too. He even says some pretty mean things to Regina. Once everyone is gone Lewis descends deeper into madness. While testing his new heat shield technology, and playing chess by himself, he decides to become...yup, you guessed it...the Red Knight! Once he's designed his costume and armored a horse, he heads out to rob banks and joust with fighter planes. 

Dan and Regina immediately know who's under the Knight's helmet, and Dan believes he knows why too! Lewis is obviously under the influence of poisonous gasses he inhaled while on Saturn. So, as Blue Beetle, he tries to reason with his friend. And, when that doesn't work, they come to blows...with the Red Knight getting the upper hand! Dan flies out into space to try to get some siliconium of his own, with no success. While he's gone Lewis kidnaps Regina and plans to make her his Queen. With no siliconium, Dan does the only other thing he can...he heads to Egypt to ask the ancient pharaohs for help. 

They give him a fist full of mummy dust. Interestingly enough, powdered mummy was at one time considered a cure all...not sure it was used in the battle of good vs. evil though. When Blue meets Red for the rematch, Dan punches his old friend with a fist full of mummy for the win. 

Lewis thinks it's all been a dream, but Dan explains it was the poison gas, Regina forgives him, and everyone lives happily ever after!

So, that was...interesting. These silver age stories are pure silliness and fun, but this one seemed a little more ridiculous than some. I really need to check my copy of the "Handy Space Answers" book...I'm no expert, but I'm not sure you can really get to Saturn and back that quickly.

This was also the issue that featured Alan L. Weiss' suggested costume design we covered a while back.

The Charlton Blue Beetle Contest That Was

If you were around in 1964 you could have had a chance to win some original Blue Beetle art...just by picking between these 2 images. I wonder who won?

Well, come to think of it, I think we fans won...really glad they didn't go with those striped shorts!

Silver Age Blue Beetle Pin-Up

From Charlton's "Blue Beetle" #4, here's a cool pin-up page. I wasn't able to find any credit for the image, but it doesn't look like the normal art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico. Any ideas who did this one? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Blue Beetle #4 (Charlton)

Writer Joe Gill, penciller Bill Fraccio and inker Tony Tallarico are back with another Silver Age adventure of Dan Garrett. Charlton's Blue Beetle takes on "The Praying Mantis-Man".

Did you know that archaeologist Dan Garrett was also a chemist and a physicist? Neither did I until the first page of this story. I guess that explains why he was called in on the "Superstar" aircraft project last issue. So when sheep are dying in Baja, California from something that looks like a giant insect bite, Dan's just the man to assist Dr. Juanita Rivera, a Mexican entomologist. Wait, what?! Archaeology, check. Chemistry, ok. Physics, sure...but now biology too? I guess that's just the silver age, like writers giving Superman whatever power he needed. 

Dan and Juanita quickly find themselves on his private plane, and on a first name basis. When they land, Juanita hires some trucks to transport them and their equipment to a nearby field station, but before they arrive a swarm of foot-long mosquitoes descend on them. Dan takes a few shots at the bugs with his pistol, but misses. Luckily the noise seems to scare them off. 

The duo figures the big bugs must be responsible for the dead sheep The other scientists at the field station don't exactly agree...until one coincidentally flies into Dan's room and he manages to kill it with some bug spray. They discover an odd chlorophyll compound is responsible, and Dan excuses himself to investigate more...as Blue Beetle!

From the air, Blue Beetle spots a densely vegetated canyon, populate by several buildings. Flying in for closer look, he encounters more giant mosquitoes, an enormous coral snake, and a gargantuan rat. He handles them all with the relative ease of a Kaji Dha powered punch, but is caught off guard when he encounters the Praying Mantis-Man! 

The green beast zaps him with eye beams that seem to sap his strength, but in a last ditch effort he throws a mighty punch scaring the insect away. He decides to investigate the buildings, and finds that at least one of them is the lab of Hunter Mann, famed naturalist. Quickly switching back to his identity of Dan Garrett, he decides to check in with Mann. It seems that Hunter Mann has been experimenting with...duh-duh-dunn...chlorophyll to stimulate cell growth. 

The experiments have also turned his skin green! When Dan tries to probe for more detail, Mann quickly shows him the door. No sooner is he back outside, then he sees the Praying Mantis-Man take to the sky. Dan says the magic words Kaji Dha, and as Blue Beetle hurries to alert Juanita. 

The warning comes too late as Juanita has already been cornered by the Praying Mantis-Man! She tried, unsuccessfully, to defend herself. She even had the help of some field station guards, but their bullets just bounced off the creature. 

Blasting them with his eye beams, the Mantis-man made his getaway before Blue Beetle ever arrived. Once on the scene though, Dan discusses his findings with Juanita, and the duo head off to Mann's lab to end this once and for all. The villain is ready for them though, and attacks on sight blasting Blue Beetle with his eye beams. Blue Beetle blasts back, but is distracted when a giant lizard approaches Juanita. No sooner does he save her from the reptile, then they're attacked by another giant rat, then a bee. Dan decides to take the fight to Mann's lab, right as the mad scientist is preparing another batch of his chlorophyll formula. Mantis-Man tosses chemicals, trying to distract the hero again, but only angers him more. Dan whirls about, destroying the lab and "traveling faster than sound" lands a mighty punch with a thunderous "KAPOW"! Without the Praying Mantis-Man and his chlorophyll formula, the creatures of the canyon return to normal and Dan travels home, in search of his next adventure.

Well...that came to a somewhat abrupt end. Still, a giant Praying Mantis-Man was a fun, apropos, rogue for the Blue Beetle. What's in store for that next adventure? Check back next month! 

Blue Beetle #3 (Charlton)

Writer Joe Gill, penciller Bill Fraccio and inker Tony Tallarico are back with another Silver Age adventure of Dan Garrett. Charlton's Blue Beetle takes on "the sinister mastermind of a plot to destroy Earth" in and adventure called "Mr. Thunderbolt and the Superstar".

There's no time for set-up with this story! The action starts on the first page with Blue Beetle being struck by lightning attempting to protect the experimental aircraft, the Superstar. Who's trying to destroy it? Mr. Thunderbolt, who coincidentally is on the plane. Maybe he didn't think this through? After the lightning stops, Blue Beetle resumes his civilian identity of archaeology professor Dan Garrett and re-boards the plane. Dan was invited along on the Superstar's maiden voyage, but why they wanted an archaeologist along is never explained. He quickly identifies Mr. Thunderbolt as the cause of the electrical attack and confronts him. 

Thunderbolt zaps Dan, with little effect. Dan responds by knocking the villain out. He calls for the crew to lock the villain up, but they refuse. Thunderbolt is wealthy and world famous, they're not messing with him. Once they land the duo confront each other again. Dan realizes that Thunderbolt is an alien, an advance guard for a coming invasion. The foe will not allow anything to get in the way of his plans and, as he drives away from the airport, orders his chauffeur to drop everything and work on eliminating Dan Garrett. For his part Garrett goes to the specialists behind the plane's construction to suggest some modifications to protect it against lightning.

The Superstar will allow man to travel from country to country, across the globe with in minutes. With some additional work it will soon be capable of space travel as well. Thunderbolt cannot let this happen! He begins traveling across the world destroying factories that will provide the components to create a fleet of these high tech aircraft. 

In every location, he uses his alien abilities to call down lightning from the sky to do his work. When word gets back to Dan Garrett, he calls out the words "Kaji Dha!" and transforms into the Blue Beetle tracking Mr. Thunderbolt across the world to Tokyo. A Japanese officer spots Thunderbolt loitering (directing the strike on Tokyo) and orders him to move along, earning himself a blast of the villain's volts. 

Blue Beetle swoops in, landing a powerful punch that knocks the alien out, then takes to the sky hoping he can become the focus of the storm to prevent any more damage. 

He succeeds, but at a cost. Weakened, Blue Beetle finds himself cornered by Mr. Thunderbolt! Luckily, the Japanese officer has returned with back-up giving Dan a chance to get away and escort the Superstar to a safe landing. Once the plane is on the ground, Dan decides to rest up at a nearby hotel. Thunderbolt figures this is his chance to put an end to his opponent and sends his thugs in. Dan easily dispatches the thugs, and once again dons the blue tights to defend the Superstar. Thunderbolt is already on board the aircraft and tries calling down the lightning again...but the bolts have no effect! The crew made the modifications Dan suggested. Blue Beetle grabs the alien, and flies him deep into space, hurling him back to his own planet, saving mankind and the future of space travel!

So there you have it, another action packed silver age adventure of the Blue Beetle...mustache twirling villain and all! The coolest thing about this issue? This little gem from the letter column...a message from future "Game Of Thrones" author, George R. R. Martin!

Blue Beetle: 1st Thursday with Bill Walko

Hey Beetlemaniacs! Trick or Treat?

Treat? Alrighty then! Welcome to the first of what I hope to be a long running monthly segment we'll call "Blue Beetle: 1st Thursdays" 

As a former art major I'm well aware of the tradition most (if not all) art museums have of having special events and/or free admission on the first Thursday of each month. So, using my own collection of con sketches and commissions, as well as deviantART, I'll be presenting some of my favorite Blue Beetle art for your viewing pleasure!

If you love the Blue Beetle as much as I do, then you're going to go nuts for this piece Bill Walko (The Line Is Drawn, The Hero Business, and all around nice guy!) did for me at the Baltimore Comic Con!

Enjoy!

My Continuing Adventures With Mego-style Blue Beetle Customs

You may recall that I've been working on some custom Mego-Style Blue Beetles. (here and there) When I finally wrap this epic project I'll have at least 8 figures! Costumed heroes and secret identities. So far, the costumed heroes have posed the bigger problem. I could buy or commission custom clothing and custom heads, but the artist in me has decided to make them myself...though it's proving to be a lengthy process full of trial and error.

In the meantime, I have been working on the secret identities by mostly using existing pieces. Buy and outfit here, a body there...which leads me to today's post...Jaime Reyes!

For Jaime, I used a 6 inch "teen" body. I chose to go with the "adult" 8 inch figure clothes though. I liked how it gave him a baggy, youthful style. Where as I left Dan and Dan's somewhat generic heads untouched I did thicken the eyebrows, and change the eye color on Jaime. I used a head I found online that seemed a better fit that most of the generic "teen" heads...but I'm pretty sure this used to be "Bud" from "Married With Children."

So, that's Silver Age Dan Garrett the archaeologist, Modern Age Jaime Reyes the teenager, and Golden Age Dan Garret the cop done. Next up...Bronze Age Ted Kord! Then back to the costumed heroes...sewing, and possibly silk screening, tiny spandex outfits and sculpting and casting the heads...it's going to be a lot of work, but this is a labor of love, and an adventure!

And thanks again to Anthony Durso of the awesome Toyroom for the boxes!