Blue Beetle
#1
([Winter 1940])
Fox,
1940 Series
- Volume
- [1]
- Price
- 0.10 USD
- Pages
- 68
- Indicia Frequency
- quarterly
- On-sale Date
- 1940-01-02
- Indicia / Colophon Publisher
- Fox Publications Inc.
- Brand
-
FP
- Editing
- Victor Fox
Issue Notes
Published Quarterly by Fox Publications, Inc. 480 Lexington Ave, NY, NY. Application for 2nd class postage pending at Holyoke, Mass. Entire contents copyrighted 1939 by Fox Publications, Inc.
Volume number and the on sale date from the publication date found at the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 35, January-December 1940, Numbers 1-4. Class B periodical. Copyright number B 440715. Volume number not listed in the comic's indicia.
Gerber's Photo-Journal Guide claimed the on sale date was January 20, 1940.
Indicia title listed is The Blue Beetle.
Trademark for this title was posted in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 513, April 12, 1940, page 772. Trademark serial number 428,784. Fox Publications, Inc. New York, New York. Trademark filed February 20, 1940. Fox claimed it had been in use since November 5, 1939. This use date probably indicates when the title was created as the filing date indicates that this issue itself was used to secure the trademark instead of the creation of an ashcan edition.
Volume number and the on sale date from the publication date found at the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 35, January-December 1940, Numbers 1-4. Class B periodical. Copyright number B 440715. Volume number not listed in the comic's indicia.
Gerber's Photo-Journal Guide claimed the on sale date was January 20, 1940.
Indicia title listed is The Blue Beetle.
Trademark for this title was posted in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 513, April 12, 1940, page 772. Trademark serial number 428,784. Fox Publications, Inc. New York, New York. Trademark filed February 20, 1940. Fox claimed it had been in use since November 5, 1939. This use date probably indicates when the title was created as the filing date indicates that this issue itself was used to secure the trademark instead of the creation of an ashcan edition.
[no title indexed]
Blue Beetle / cover / 1 page
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]
- Reprints
- Keywords
- knife
[The Origin of Blue Beetle]
Blue Beetle / comic story / 13 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Will Eisner (layouts); Charles Nicholas ((finished pencils))
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Swooping down upon the Underworld...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Michael Garret (dies); Mrs. Garret (dies); Karen Dobbs; Chick Alonzo (villain, introduction); Mike Mannigan
- Synopsis
- Dan Garret joins the police force and his Dad's old partner Mike to avenge his father's death at the hands of Chick Alonzo. (No actual explanation as to why or how Dan became the Blue Beetle.)
Indexer Notes
New story created especially for this issue.
[The Coming of the Blue Beetle]
Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- While Dan Garret was patroling his beat...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Mike Mannigan; Mr. Vander; The White Face Gang; John Brandes; Mike Ravani
- Synopsis
- The Blue Beetle attempts to rescue a kidnapped banker's daughter from the White Face Gang.
- Reprints
-
from Mystery Men Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #1 (August 1939)
-
Indexer Notes
Beetle wears a blue business suit and hat in this story.
[The Armored Truck Robbery]
Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- With guards standing by...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Mike Mannigan; Tim
- Synopsis
- The Blue Beetle captures some bank robbers.
- Reprints
- from Mystery Men Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #2 (September 1939)
-
Indexer Notes
Garret now wears a skin tight blue outfit with a hood but no mask.
[The Loan Shark Racket]
Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Dan Garret, an ordinary policeman by day...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Mike Mannigan; Barnes; Spike
- Synopsis
- The Beetle battles some crooked loan sharks.
- Reprints
- from Mystery Men Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #3 (October 1939)
-
Indexer Notes
Beetle now has a mask.
Protection Insurance For Newsboys
Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas (credited)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- The green light flashes.
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Mike Mannigan; Bull Blackart
- Synopsis
- Bull Blackart attempts to run a protection racket aimed at newsboys.
- Reprints
- from Mystery Men Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #4 (November 1939)
-
A Trap For the Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Charles Nicholas (signed)
- Inks
- Charles Nicholas (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- I'm gonna get the Blue Beetle!
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Mike Mannigan; Dr. Franz
- Synopsis
- A gang of thugs attempts to capture the Blue Beetle.
- Reprints
- from Mystery Men Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #5 (December 1939)
-
Death Rides On Horseback
Blue Beetle / text story / 2 pages
- Script
- ?
- Pencils
- ? (2 spot illustrations)
- Inks
- ? (2 spot illustrations)
- Colors
- ? (2 spot illustrations)
- Letters
- typeset
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- The hand of a killer hovered over a frightened city...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Blue Beetle [Dan Garret]; Officer Bannon; Sergeant Maddon
[The Old Hex House]
Yarko / comic story / 8 pages
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Buried in the rugged mountains of the Alleghenies...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Yarko; Carole Tate; Oliver Tate; Shaddiba; Doga; Ivan
- Synopsis
- Yarko rescues Oliver Tate and his daughter from the hypnotic clutches of the evil Shadibba, who forces them to commit crimes and enrich him.
- Reprints
- from Wonder Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #2 (June 1939)
-
[Death and the Devil]
Yarko / comic story / 7 pages
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- The outskirts of London...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Yarko; Inspector Drake; Mulvaney; Death; The Devil; Beppo; Killer Kirby
- Synopsis
- Death and the Devil lay a trap for Yarko, frustrated because he keeps snatching their victims away.
- Reprints
- from Wonderworld Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #3 (July 1939) [with page 3 removed]
-
Indexer Notes
Reprint note from Error Report #2331, from Darci.
[The Judge's Wife and the Smugglers]
Yarko / comic story / 8 pages
- Script
- Will Eisner ?
- Pencils
- Will Eisner ?; Bob Powell ?
- Inks
- Bob Powell ?; Will Eisner ?
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- The ways of the Underworld are varied...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Yarko; Fred Lawton; Rita Lawton; Rocco; Detective Gail Martin; Andre Coe
- Synopsis
- Judge Lawton can't stop his wife from smuggling jewels.
- Reprints
- from Wonderworld Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #4 (August 1939)
-
Indexer Notes
Keith Chandler : There is visual evidence of both Eisner and Powell here.
[Vladim the Voodoo Master]
Yarko / comic story / 6 pages
- Script
- Toni Blum (signed as Anthony Brooks)
- Pencils
- Bob Powell
- Inks
- Bob Powell
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Out of the night comes Yarko...
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Yarko; Vladim
- Synopsis
- Yarko rescues a woman from the clutches of a mad Russian practitioner of Voodoo.
- Reprints
- from Wonderworld Comics (Fox, 1939 series) #5 (September 1939) [pages 5 and 7 missing in reprint]
-
Indexer Notes
Signature credit from Error Report #2282, by Tony Oliva. Previously credited as "Will Eisner?".
Keith Chandler : Art is clearly by Powell, possibly over Eisner layouts.
Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
-
0.
[no title indexed]
Blue Beetle -
1.
[The Origin of Blue Beetle]
Blue Beetle -
2.
[The Coming of the Blue Beetle]
Blue Beetle -
3.
[The Armored Truck Robbery]
Blue Beetle -
4.
[The Loan Shark Racket]
Blue Beetle -
5.
Protection Insurance For Newsboys
Blue Beetle -
6.
A Trap For the Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle -
7.
Death Rides On Horseback
Blue Beetle -
8.
[The Old Hex House]
Yarko -
9.
[Death and the Devil]
Yarko -
10.
[The Judge's Wife and the Smugglers]
Yarko -
11.
[Vladim the Voodoo Master]
Yarko -
12.
Absolutely Free! Comic-Scope
This issue was modified by, among others
- Katie
- Ray Bottorff Jr
- Keith Chandler
- Peter Croome
- Merlin Haas
- Katy Hayhurst
- Bob Hughes
- Donald Dale Milne
- Mike Nielsen
- Jim Van Dore
All portions of the Grand Comics Database™, except where noted otherwise, are
copyrighted by the GCD and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). This includes but is not necessarily limited to our database schema and data distribution format.