Spoiler-Free Blue Beetle Appreciation Thread

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

SPOILER FREE! (not that there's necessarily anything to spoil)

While I only ever read his own DC book by near-accident, he was the heart & soul of the classic era of the stop-gap Justice League. He was clearly the one character that Giffen/DeMatteis most identified with, and as such, became the most fully realized character within those pages.
The two key issues are http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/3804/200/3804_2_027.jpg and http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/3804/200/3804_2_029.jpg , which literally takes us deepest into Ted Kord's mind.

The Ted Kord character, originally published by Charlton Comics in the 1960s, owes his existence to both DC and Marvel's silver ages. Like Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan and Barry (the Flash) Allen, he was a start-from-scratch revamp of a Golden Age concept. Like Peter Parker, he was a nerdy scientist-type in a bug suit with a penchant for acrobatics.

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 March 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

What is that JLA cover parodying? I can see the poster in my mind but can't remember what it is.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 March 2005 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I love that GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS cover. And the story, too - Blue Beetle as brainwashed killer!

I remember some very blandy heroic BB moments from Crisis. (Of course, Crisis was typified by bland heroism, so whatever.) (Not that bland heroism is a bad thing.) I also recently read some corny stiff-as-particle-board superhero moments from the post-Giffen & DeMatteis JL which did him (& the book) no favors @ all.

The first JL cover? That's an Exorcist nod. The 2nd one, I dunno, but it looks like an homage, too. (There's also the Bond homage from a cover a few issues prior, w/ Bruce Wayne as Bond, & Fire as clingy Bond girl.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 28 March 2005 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

All I know of the post-G&D Justice League is what I've read in Roger Stern's novelization of the Death of Superman, where BB seems to suffer zero-personality disorder.

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 March 2005 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

The second cover is an exact rip of something (book cover? poster for a musical?), it's killing me.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 March 2005 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Huk, you should check out those issues if you're in the mood to test your tolerance of sheer unadulterated fun-free comic-booking. Of course, I think I've already gone off on BLOODWYND here, so I'll keep mum on that front.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 28 March 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no idea why I actually pointed out the nod to The Exorcist. "Hey, guys, you see that? That's a copy of the Mona Lisa! It's a famous painting! My cat's breath smells like Super Nintendo Chalmers!"

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 28 March 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a little bit of good BB stuff in DC One Million as he tries to keep it together while searching post-nuke Montevideo for survivors.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 March 2005 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Plus: he's the basis for Dan Dreiberg!

Plus: Ditko did some fine and underrated comics with him!

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 28 March 2005 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Plus: His gun shot airblasts and flashes of light! the world's first anti-violence vigilante!

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 March 2005 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe not "first" or even completely "anti-violence", but I think that speaks to Kord's ideals, that he created weapons that weren't meant to hurt people, as if he understood the stakes (which is, yeah, very Dreibergian).

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 March 2005 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a feeling we've covered the Blue-Beetle-usurped-on-his-own-comic-covers-thing on some other thread, but anyway:

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/127/400/127_4_54.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 28 March 2005 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Dig the arms and legs on the, uh, Beetleship? (Beetlemobile?)

ihttp://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/1786/400/1786_4_1.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 28 March 2005 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

And also:
http://www.newmoanyeah.com/images/2003/other/blue_beetle_lego.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 28 March 2005 22:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Last one, uh:

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/3804/200/3804_2_034.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 28 March 2005 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

God bless Adam Hughes and his wonderful breasts.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 04:33 (twenty-one years ago)

It struck me today that the structure of DC Countdown is an inverse of the structure of Watchmen #1, except with poor old Nite Owl playing the roles of both Rorschach and the Comedian.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 1 April 2005 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I saw A LOT of similarities too.

― Huk-L, Friday, 1 April 2005 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

LITG sez Giffen is doing a post-InfCrisis Blue Beetle!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 8 August 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

Oh lord. If it weren't for Giffen being attached, I'd be very worried about The Adventures Of The Pointlessly Resurrected Blue Beetle.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 00:02 (twenty years ago)

at least it's not the 90s, where you know he'd be EXTREME Blue Beetle!

― kit brash (kit brash), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 00:07 (twenty years ago)

Thankfully, he survived the 90s w/out going XTREME CODE RED. Booster Gold, on the other hand...

http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/img/op4409.jpg

When in doubt, wear armor.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 03:31 (twenty years ago)

He is doing A Blue Beetle. I would be very surprised if it was Ted Kord.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 12:52 (twenty years ago)

I posited on the DC msg bd that it might All Star Blue Beetle, and got a lot of rolling eyes emoticons in response.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

ALL STAR KOOEY KOOEY KOOEY!

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

Didn't Giffen and DeMatteis raze Kooey Kooey Kooey in the ridiculously overdrawn Breakdowns "saga"?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

I dunno - I only read the JLI half, and by "read", I mean "flipped through disinterested, wondering where the good stuff went, I mean did BEEFEATER really need to come back, come on".

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

The Extremists guy, Dreamslayer, I think, who took over Maxwell Lord's comatose body set up house on Kooey Kooey Kooey (the best part of Kooey Kooey Kooey is that you have to spell it out each time, ESPECIALLY on the internet) and slaughtered all the natives. I think they were brought back to life, though.
I've got the whole mess in cbr.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Damn, Max - shot by Hootenwoofer, possessed by Guy With Awful Name, and put in the Camel Clutch Of Doom by Wonder Woman w/out getting any pre-death nookie. And stuck w/ a lippy robot as a sidekick. Sucks to be you.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

I think he was also at various points a cyborg.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Man.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

Cyborg

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

i was totally reading the jla at the time of the covers posted above. probably the last time i was regularly into comics... how long ago was that?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

16, 17 yrs ago.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

Man.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Actually, I think it was more like 15 yrs ago. I'm pretty sure I had stopped buying it by '91.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

Boy.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

huh.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

like i said on the other thread, when i read ILC i feel like i've been in a coma since 1990.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29547

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

lol

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:34 (nineteen years ago)

l'll give you my wheelchair for it. And no l'm no(longer)t crippled.

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.