Daniel Garret, alternatively spelled "Garrett," is a fictional
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Fox Comics,
Holyoke Publishing,
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
, and
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. Garret was created by
Charles Wojtkoski, and made his first appearance in Fox's ''
Mystery Men Comics'' #1 during the
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...
. Garret is the first character to use the identity of
Blue Beetle, predating
Ted Kord
Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second fictional character to use the identity of Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. He was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a bac ...
and
Jaime Reyes.
Publication history
The character first appeared in ''
Mystery Men Comics'' #1 (August 1939), published by Fox Comics with art by
Charles Wojtkoski. Blue Beetle has starred in a comic book series,
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
and
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
serial, but like most
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...
superheroes, fell into obscurity in the 1950s. The comic book series saw several anomalies in publication: 19 issues, #12 through #30, were published through
Holyoke 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, Charlton Comics began publishing the character following Fox Comics's bankruptcy.
Fictional character biography
Golden Age version (Dan Garret)
Dan Garret
[In the earliest Golden Age appearances and during the mid-1960s run by writer-artist ]Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...
, the original Blue Beetle was referred to as Dan Garret, spelled with one "t". was a son of a police officer killed by a criminal. This
Fox Feature Syndicate
Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...
version of the character debuted in ''Mystery Men Comics'' #1 (August 1939) and continued through issue #31. He began appearing in his own 60-issue series shortly thereafter. Fox Feature Syndicate sponsored a "Blue Beetle Day" at the
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...
on August 7, 1940, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and including 300 children in relay-race finals at the Field of Special Events, following preliminaries in New York City parks. The race was broadcast on the radio station
WMCA.
Rookie patrolman Dan Garret originally fought crime as the Blue Beetle without the benefit of superhuman abilities. Garret later donned a bulletproof blue costume made of lightweight, yet durable
cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...
and temporarily gained
superhuman
The term superhuman refers to humans, humanoids or other beings with abilities and other qualities that exceed those naturally found in humans. These qualities may be acquired through natural ability, self-actualization or technological aids. ...
strength and stamina via "Vitamin 2X". Like the
Green Hornet, the Blue Beetle would use his signature scarab symbol to bedevil criminals.
The supporting cast remained fairly stable throughout this original run and included Joan Mason, a reporter for the ''Daily Blade'' who starred in solo backup stories, and Mike Mannigan, Dan's police partner who believed him to be a criminal. Dr. Franz, a pharmacist and the creator of Dan's bulletproof suit and 2X formula, played a large role in early issues but eventually faded from the cast. The Beetle also had a short-lived kid sidekick,
Sparky.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Garret became a government agent who was often sent overseas on secret missions, but after peace was declared he returned to his former role of neighborhood cop. Blue Beetle's powers slowly increased over time, eventually giving him the ability to fly and
X-ray vision
In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the supernatural ability to see through normally opaque physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' ic ...
among other bizarre powers that changed between issues. However, when superheroes fell out of vogue in the late 1940s, Fox started to downplay his superhero powers and they were removed. His adventures became darker and more violent before the character was put on hiatus.
A popular character in his era, the Blue Beetle had his own short-lived
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
, drawn by a
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
ous
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
and others, and a
radio serial that ran for 48 thirteen-minute episodes.
Silver Age version (Dan Garrett)
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
allegedly obtained the rights to the Blue Beetle (although there is no proof that a formal purchase ever took place) and reprinted some stories in its
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
titles and in a four-issue ''Blue Beetle'' reprint series numbered 18–21.
In 1964, during the
Silver Age
The Ages of Man are the historical stages of human existence according to Greek mythology and its subsequent interpretatio romana, Roman interpretation.
Both Hesiod and Ovid offered accounts of the successive ages of humanity, which tend to pr ...
of comics, Charlton revised the character for a new Blue Beetle series. Charlton's new Blue Beetle retained the original's name (adding a second "t"), but no powers or back story, making him a different character. This Beetle was archaeologist Dan Garrett, who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including super strength, x-ray vision, flight, and the ability to generate energy blasts) 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
and artist
Tony Tallarico
Anthony F. Tallarico (September 20, 1933 – January 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist, and children's book illustrator and author. Often paired in a team with his generally uncredited penciler, Bill Fraccio, Tallarico drew primarily fo ...
, was played at least initially for
camp, with stories like "The Giant Mummy Who Was Not Dead". The Charlton Dan Garrett version of the Blue Beetle ran only until 1966 before his replacement Ted Kord debuted. In ''Blue Beetle'' (vol. 5) #2 (August 1967), Garrett is killed in battle with
Jarvis Kord, Ted's evil uncle.
AC Comics
Both Blue Beetles reappeared in the third issue of ''
Americomics'', a title published by
AC Comics
AC Comics (formerly known as Paragon Publications and Americomics) is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black. in 1983/1984. In the first story in this issue, Ted Kord fought a bogus Dan Garrett, but the second story was more significant. It revealed that the original 1940s Dan was reincarnated as the Silver Age version by an unspecified group of "gods", presumably the ones responsible for his mystic scarab. The gods subsequently resurrect Dan again and sent him to save Ted Kord. After this adventure, Kord turned the Blue Beetle name back over to Dan. ''Americomics'' was canceled after issue #6, and so far this story has never been referenced by any other publisher.
DC Comics
The Charlton version of Dan Garrett was spotlighted in the second issue of DC's 1980s ''
Secret Origins
''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters.
Publication history
''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' series, in which his origin was retold along with that of Ted Kord. Subsequent appearances by Dan Garrett (in flashback stories) include guest spots or cameos in ''
Infinity, Inc.'', ''
Captain Atom'', ''
JLA: Year One'', and ''Legends of the DC Universe''.
The character briefly returned in
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
' first run of ''Blue Beetle'',
resurrected by his mystical scarab to battle against his successor. He can also be seen in various flashback stories. His 1940s incarnation is briefly glimpsed in DC's 1993 limited series ''The Golden Age''.
In 2025, he appeared in the Green Lantern series, now going by the name "Silver Scarab" and with powers including powerful energy blasts
Dynamite Entertainment
In issue #0 of the ''
Project Superpowers'' miniseries, the Fox Feature Syndicate version of the Blue Beetle appeared in flashbacks (as by now the character/spelling "Dan Garret" was in the public domain). To avoid trademark conflicts with DC Comics, he is referred to in this series by the nickname "Big Blue".
Legacy
It was eventually established that the Charlton Comics incarnation of the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle made his debut on August 14, 1939.
The Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle has met Daniel's granddaughter, Danielle, and Dan himself.
DC Universe
In ''
Dark Nights: Death Metal'', Dan Garrett is among the deceased superheroes who
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
resurrects with a
Black Lantern
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of wikt:corporeal, corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of d ...
ring.
Other versions
* An alternate universe variant of Daniel Garrett from Earth-39 appears in ''
Countdown: Arena'' #2.
* An alternate universe variant of Dan Garrett from Earth-19 appears in ''The Search for Ray Palmer: Gotham by Gaslight''. This version is the leading Egyptologist of the Gotham Museum of Natural History.
*
In other media
Television
* Dan Garrett / Blue Beetle makes non-speaking cameo appearances in ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold''.
* Dan Garrett / Blue Beetle makes non-speaking cameo appearances in ''
Young Justice''. This version was primarily active in the 1940s, having found and bonded with the Blue Beetle scarab after
Bialyan mystics severed its connection to the
Reach centuries prior, and fought alongside the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
.
Film
Dan Garret appears on the cover of a comic book in the ''
Watchmen
''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
'' film tie-in ''
Under the Hood''.
Miscellaneous
* Dan Garret / Blue Beetle appears in a self-titled
CBS Radio serial, which ran from May 15, 1940, to September 13, 1940, and initially starred
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir ''The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama ''Night Beat ...
in the title role.
According to Christopher Irving, "Lovejoy brought a maniacal, almost sadistic, cackle to the character. His Blue Beetle seemed as if he took some sick pride in hurting criminals". When Lovejoy left the show after four episodes, he was replaced with an uncredited actor.
* Dan Garrett / Blue Beetle appears in a short-lived
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
, drawn by
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
, among others, under pseudonyms.
References
External links
Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)from the original December 4, 2011) at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
.
Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)
{{Golden Age of Comic Books
1939 comics debuts
Garrett, Dan
Comics characters introduced in 1939
DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
DC Comics metahumans
Fictional archaeologists
Fictional characters from Chicago
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional police officers in comics