68 BLUEBERRY
was Dan Garrett, an archeologist granted super powers from an ancient Egyptian scarab
and resembling the original Garret (the spelling of the name sometimes moved between
the two variants throughout the series) in name and basic costume appearance, but little
else. Th e series ran for 12 issues over two years before it was canceled in 1966.
Th e following year brought yet another revival for the character, this time with art
by another rising star, Steve Ditko. Th is Blue Beetle was the scientist and rich inven-
tor, Ted Kord, and sported a distinctly diff erent costume, complete with beetle-like eye
goggles and a scarab design draping the hero’s mask and shoulders. Th is incarnation
only lasted fi ve issues, however, and soon collapses along with most other Charlton
superhero titles. Eventually DC Comics procured the rights to the character and used
him again in Crisis on Infi nite Earths in 1985 before off ering another eponymous solo
title the next year. In the DC universe, Kord was a member of the Justice League of
America and often partnered with Booster Gold. DC killed off Kord in 2005 and in-
troduced a new Blue Beetle, El Paso, Texas, teenager Jaime Reyes, in 2006. Reyes bonds
with a mystical scarab that covers his body in an insect-like exoskeleton, giving him
various powers of which even he doesn’t know the limits. Th e scarab is eventually re-
vealed to be alien technology, and its intentions for its host and earth were explored in
the most recent Blue Beetle series, which was canceled after 36 issues. Th e latest Blue
Beetle series dealt with issues of immigration, border traffi cking, and citizenship before
it was cancelled, sending Jaime to join the Te e n T i t a n s in their team book. Issue #26
of this series was written mostly in Spanish by Jai Nitz, making it the fi rst mainstream
super-hero comic book title in the United States to be marketed in Spanish. One of the
series’ writers, Matt Sturges, has lamented that the 2008 election process made less of
immigration issues than he thought it might, which may have contributed to lack of
interest in the innovation of the title’s themes and gimmicks. Th e Reyes Blue Beetle has
also been featured in the cartoon series Th e Brave and the Bold. Th e original blue Beetle
has been viewed as a knock-off of the Green Hornet , the other Beetles likened to Iron
Man and Batman. Th is latest incarnation is more like Spider-Man with its teen pro-
tagonist dealing with real-life issues and with its symbiosis themes. Th e most intriguing
analogue in the character’s history may be heroes based on the Blue Beetle, however.
Night Owl I and Night Owl II from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s Watchmen are
based on the Garret(t) and Kord Blue Beetles, respectively. Th e television series Th e
Electric Company featured a Blue Beetle as a villain opposed by Spider-Man, but this
character has no relationship to any other Blue Beetles.
Selected Bibliography: Brancatelli, Joe. “Th e Blue Beetle.” In Th e World Encyclopedia of
Comics. Vol. 1., ed. Maurice Horn, pp. 119–20. New York: Chelsea House, 1976.
James Bucky Carter
BLUEBERRY. Blueberry (aka Lieutenant Blueberry ) is a Franco-Belgian We s t e r n comic
book series introduced by Belgian scriptwriter Jean-Michel Charlier (1924 – 89) and
French comic artist Jean “ Moebius” Giraud (1938–) with the album Fort Navajo
