THE ULTIMATE COMPLETE BLUE BEETLE GOLDEN AND SILVER AGE COMIC BOOK COLLECTION THIS COLLECTION INCLUDES ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY FOX, HOLYOAKE AND CHARLTON, ALL HIS APPEARANCES IN MYSTERY MEN COMICS AND ARCHIVE COMPILATION SETS FEATURING SOME GREAT STEVE DITKO WORK IN THE CHARLTON RUN #1-12 (FOX) #12-30 (HOLYOAKE) #31-60 (FOX) *PLEASE NOTE #43 WAS NEVER PUBLISHED* #18-21 (CHARLTON) 1955 SERIES #1-5 (CHARLTON) 1964-1965 SERIES #50-54 (CHARLTON) 1965-1966 SERIES #1-5 (CHARLTON) 1967-1968 SERIES *ALL FULL RUNS, NO MISSING ISSUES* *THIS ULTIMATE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES A 3 PART COMPILATION SET OF ALL BLUE BEETLE APPEARANCES IN MYSTERY MEN COMICS AND 2 ARCHIVE COMPILATION SETS COLLECTING ALL OF THE ABOVE TITLES* RARE VINTAGE GOLDEN/SILVER AGE SUPERHERO COMIC BOOKS ON DVD ROM FREE POSTAGE AND PACKING (UK ONLY) BOOKS COME IN ECOMIC (CBR/CBZ) FORMAT ON A FULLY PRINTED DVD-ROM IN A CLEAR PLASTIC WALLET FOR SAFE KEEPING ECOMIC READING PROGRAMS FOR PC AND MAC ARE ALSO INCLUDED ON THE DISC The original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939), with art by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski (as Charles Nicholas), though the Grand Comics Database tentatively credits Will Eisner as the scripter. A rookie police officer, he wore a special bulletproof costume and took "Vitamin 2X" which endowed him with super-energy, and he was assisted by a neighbourhood pharmacist in his fight against crime. Blue Beetle starred in a comic book series, comic strip and radio serial, but like most Golden Age superheroes, he fell into obscurity in the 1950s. The comic book series saw a number of anomalies in publication: 19 issues, #12 through #30, were published through Holyoake Publishing; no issue #43 was published; publication frequency varied throughout the run; and there were gaps where issues were not published, with large ones occurring in early 1947 and between mid-1948 and early 1950.In the mid-1950s, Fox Comics went out of business and sold the printing plates for some stories featuring the Blue Beetle to Charlton Comics. Reprinted stories from the original Blue Beetle series were initially published in Charlton's anthology comic Space Adventures #13-14 (Oct. 1954, Jan. 1955). Charlton Comics then began publishing their own Blue Beetle series, taking over numbering from the horror anthology series The Thing!, beginning with issue #18 (Feb. 1955). Issues #18-19 consisted entirely of reprinted Fox Comics stories; #20-21 included new adventures of the Golden Age character. The series was cancelled after these four issues, with numbering taken over from #22 onwards by Mr. Muscles. One more original story starring the Golden Age incarnation of the character was published as a backup feature in Nature Boy #3 (Mar. 1956).In 1964, Charlton Comics began publishing a new series of Blue Beetle which substantially revamped the hero, reinventing him as a university professor and altering the spelling of his name to Dan Garrett. The first issue (Jun. 1964) was a new origin story that depicted Dan Garrett coming into possession of a mystical Egyptian Scarab that granted him superpowers and beginning his career as the Blue Beetle. After five issues were published, the next issue was numbered as #50 (Jul. 1965), taking over numbering from the anthology comic Unusual Tales. The series ended with issue #54 (Feb.-Mar. 1966), its numbering taken over afterwards by the anthology comic Ghostly Tales. Issues #1-5 and #50-53 were written by Joe Gill and issue #54 by Roy Thomas; art for all ten issues was by Bill Fraccio and Tont Tallarico.Later in 1966, Blue Beetle was reinvented again in a set of backup stories published in captain Atom #83 (Nov. 1966) through #86, plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko: they introduced Ted Kord, a student of Dan Garrett's, who took on the role of Blue Beetle following Garrett's apparent death. Kord was an inventor hero, using a variety of gadgets, with a day job of running his own research lab. This Beetle received his own series in 1967, also by Ditko, which ran for five issues until the entire Charlton "Action Heroes" line of comic books ceased publication in 1968.
1939 SeriesPublisher: Fox Publication Dates: [Winter 1939-40] – August 1950 Number of Issues Published: 40 (#1 – #60) Colour: Colour Dimensions: 7 1/2″? x 10 1/4″? [pre-War]; 7 1/4″ x 10 1/8″ [= 1950] Paper Stock: Glossy cover; Newsprint interior Binding: Saddle-stitched Publishing Format: Was Ongoing SeriesNumbering continues from Blue Beetle (Holyoke, 1942 series) #30 [Fox regained control of Blue Beetle. Other features from this series continued in the new Holyoke series Sparkling Stars.] Numbering continues with Blue Beetle (Holyoke, 1942 series) #12Often titled The Blue Beetle (with the definite article) throughout the series run, on both cover and indicia. No issue #43 was published.1942 SeriesPublisher: Holyoke Publication Dates: June 1942 – February 1944 Number of Issues Published: 19 (#12 – #30) Colour: Colour Dimensions: Standard Golden Age U. S. Paper Stock: Glossy cover; Newsprint interior Binding: Saddle-stitched Publishing Format: Was Ongoing Series Publication Type: magazineNumbering continues from Blue Beetle (Fox, 1939 series) #11 Numbering continues with Blue Beetle (Fox, 1939 series) #31 [Fox regained control of Blue Beetle1955 SeriesPublisher: Charlton Publication Dates: February 1955 – August 1955 Number of Issues Published: 4 (#18 – #21) Colour: Colour Dimensions: Standard Silver Age US Paper Stock: Glossy cover; newsprint interior Binding: Saddle-stitched Publishing Format: Was ongoing Publication Type: magazineNumbering continues from The Thing (Charlton, 1952 series) #17 Numbering continues with Mr. Muscles (Charlton, 1956 series) #22Name: Blue Beetle A.K.A.: n/a Secret ID.: Daniel ‘Dan’ Garret Type: Costumed Hero Affiliation/Team: Sparky (Side-Kick) 1st Appearance: Mystery Men Comics #1 Year: 1939 Publisher: Fox Features Syndicate Country of origin: USACHARLTON 1964 SERIES Publication Dates:June 1964 - March-April 1965Number of Issues Published:5 (#1 - #5)Color:colourDimuensions:standard Silver Age USPaper Stock:glossy cover; newsprint interiorBinding:saddle-stitchedPublishing Format:was ongoing seriesPublication Type:magazine CHARLTON 1965 SERIES Publication Dates:July 1965 - February-March 1966Number of Issues Published:5 (#50 - #54)Colour:ColourDimensions:Standard Silver Age USPaper Stock:Glossy cover; newsprint interiorBinding:Saddle-stitchedPublishing Format:Was ongoingPublication Type:magazine CHARLTON 1967 SERIES Publication Dates:June 1967 - November 1968Number of Issues Published:5 (#1 - #5)Color:colourDimensions:standard Silver Age USPaper Stock:newsprint interior; glossy coverBinding:saddle-stitchedPublishing Format:was ongoing seriesPublication Type:magazine