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The most promiment is the character published by DC Comics , which in 1983 acquired the rights to the name and character from Charlton Comics . DC's Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, had evolved from the Charlton Comics' version of the character, '''Dan Garrett''', created in 1939 by the pseudonymous Charles Nicholas for Fox Feature Syndicate . Charlton purchased the rights from Fox in the 1950s, and eventually revised the character, retaining only his civilian name. Charlton then introduced the completely new Blue Beetle that DC would acquire. DAN GARRETT Fox Feature Syndicate The original Golden Age Blue Beetle was Dan Garret, son of a Police officer killed by a criminal. This Fox version of the character debuted in ''Mystery Men Comics'' #1 (1939), and began appearing in his own 60-issue series shortly thereafter. Rookie patrolman Dan Garret had invented a bulletproof costume (described by Garret as being made of a chain-mail which was "as thin and light as silk"), and temporarily gained Superhuman strength from ingesting the mysterious Vitamin 2X. The supporting cast remained fairly stable throughout this original run, and included Joan Mason, a crime Reporter for the ''Daily Blade'' who would ultimately star in her own backup stories, and Mike Mannigan, Dan's stereotypically Irish partner on the force. Dr. Franz, a local Pharmacist and inventor of the 2X formula, played a large role in the first few issues, but eventually faded from the cast. A popular character of the era, he had his own short-lived Comic Strip , drawn by a Pseudonymous Jack Kirby and others, and a Radio Serial that ran for 48 thirteen-minute episodes. When superheroes fell out of vogue in the late 1940s, Fox downplayed the Beetle's superheroic aspects (his superhuman abilities were removed) and eventually relegated him to a host for True Crime stories before the character went on hiatus. Charlton Comics Charlton Comics obtained the rights to the Blue Beetle, and reprinted some stories in its Anthology titles and in a four-issue ''Blue Beetle'' reprint series numbered 18-21. During the genesis of the Silver Age Of Comics , Charlton would revise Garret's character for a new Blue Beetle series. Charlton's new Blue Beetle retained the original's name, but none of his powers or origin. This Beetle was an Archaeologist who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including enhanced strength, flight and the ability to generate lightning) from a mystical Scarab he found during a dig in Egypt , where it had been used to imprison an evil mummified Pharaoh. This version by writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico was played at least initially for Camp , with stories like "The Giant Mummy who was Not Dead". Dan Garret would return briefly in the DC comics, when he was resurrected by his mystical scarab to do battle with his successor. TED KORD See Also: Ted Kord .]] The second Blue Beetle created by Charlton Comics, and later published by DC Comics , Ted Kord was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete. A former student of Dan Garrett, when the two were investigating Ted's Uncle Jarvis, they learned Jarvis was working to create an army of androids to take over Earth. Garrett changed into Blue Beetle, but was killed in the battle. As he died, he passed on the responsibility of being Blue Beetle to Ted, but wasn't able to pass on the mystical scarab. As the Blue Beetle, Ted funded his adventures through his company, Kord Industries, and was chronically short on cash. With his best friend, Booster Gold , he joined the Justice League, but was considered a second stringer. For many years, the Blue Beetle was a member of one second-rate superhero group or another. In '' Countdown To Infinite Crisis '', Blue Beetle discovered a renewed Checkmate organization led by Maxwell Lord , former bankroller of the JLA. He attempted to escape after discovering Checkmate's database of superheroes, but was shot in the head and killed by Lord. JAIME REYES See Also: Jaime Reyes (comics) .]] Jaime Reyes is a Hispanic teenager who lives in El Paso with his father, mother and little sister; his father owns a garage. Jaime has offered to help his father out at the garage, but his father has turned him down, feeling Jaime should enjoy his childhood for as long as he can. Jaime has an acute sense of responsibility for his family and friends, though he complains about being the one to sort out any messes. After the wizard Shazam was killed and the Rock of Eternity destroyed, the scarab landed in El Paso, Texas , where it was found by Jaime. When Booster Gold came to retrieve the scarab, it had fused to Jaime's spine while the boy had been asleep, making Jaime the new Blue Beetle. After a few minor encounters locally, he was swept up in the climatic battle with Brother Eye during Infinite Crisis . At its conclusion, he is hurled back to Earth where he discovers he has been missing for a year. POWERS OF THE SCARAB The scarab's bond with Jaime is vastly different from his predecessors; for one thing, the scarab never physically bonded with Dan Garrett or Ted Kord, at least while they were alive. Dan could command the scarab with a word ("Kaji Dha"); however, he died before he could pass on the scarab and tell Ted what the word was. When the scarab eventually came into Ted's possession, he was unable to learn how to command the scarab, and it never responded to him. Why it responds differently to different bearers has yet to be revealed. The scarab grants Jaime a number of powers. It provides him with a form of mystical sight, providing him with information in an unknown written language which operates whether the scarab is active or dormant. It is also capable of communicating with Jaime in a more comprehensible fashion, informing him of what it can - or needs - to do in a given situation. Under certain circumstances, the scarab activates, crawling out on to Jaime's back and generating a high-tech suit. When the situation passes, the scarab deactivates, dissolving the costume and retracting back onto Jaime's spine, causing intense pain. The suit has been seen to produce a seemingly electricity based energy cannon, and a set of dual-purpose wings/shields. It's also able to protect Jaime against atmospheric re-entry (although how is unclear). The scarab is also capable of negating the 'vibrational frequency' of extra-dimensional objects, bringing them into physical reality. The scarab's 'antennae' spark when activating one of the suit's powers, or when de-activating the suit. It seems to be nearly as powerful as a Green Lantern's ring, an impressive feat for such a little known mystical item. The Curse There have been occasional hints that the Blue Beetle scarab is not as benevolent as it might seem. In ''Blue Beetle'' #18 (1987), the scarab's power was able to resurrect Dan Garrett, driving him into battle with Ted Kord - apparently intending that Ted take up the scarab and become its new bearer. Dan was able to fight off the scarab's influence, shattering it; the strain of the struggle, however, killed him once again. Who, or what, used the scarab to resurrect Dan - or whether the scarab itself did so - remains unclear. Normally, a Green Lantern ring will 'buzz' when sensing magic. When the rings get close to the Blue Beetle scarab, however, they react in various unpleasant ways. John Stewart's ring gives off sparks, as if afraid (''Infinite Crisis'' #6) while Guy Gardner's triggers what can only be described as a 'super-migraine', along with the impulse to kill the scarab's host. Guy describes the feeling he gets from the scarab as wrong and evil. (''Blue Beetle'' #1) The scarab seeks to evade Green Lantern rings at the earliest available possibility (''Infinite Crisis'' #6); if it can't, then the host will most likely find themselves fighting the Lanterns. ALTERNATE VERSIONS Blue Beetle was seen in Alex Ross and Mark Waid 's comic Kingdom Come . He is shown with the rest of the Charlton 'Action Heroes' but not as a member of Magog's Justice Battalion, He was part of Batman's Web of Defense, and later of the HLF (Human Liberation Front). He would be shown later in the title in a blue beetle armor outfit, powered by the mystic scarab, working with Batman 's team, before being killed with most of the other heroes at the end. IN OTHER MEDIA The Blue Beetle has appeared rarely in the media. The few appearances are listed below: Radio
'' The Electric Company '' A bumbling superhero (Jim Boyd) who would often make matters worse instead of better for people who he tried to help. He wore a mask, a hood with antennas, wings attached to his back, tennis shoes, boxer shorts and a T-shirt with his name "Blue Beetle" on it and they were all colored blue. Some have claimed that it is this version that somehow has limited the Blue Beetle's appearances on the animated Justice League. Jim Butcher's fantasy series " The Dresden Files " references this version of the Beetle repeatedly, with no mention of the DC Comics character, even to clarify which one he means. TRIVIA
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