This time around, I'm looking at the 1986 Blue Beetle series. If you've read my blog, Tim Drake was almost Blue Beetle..., you know I'm a big fan of Ted Kord as Blue Beetle. I won't rehash that blog here, but I will say that this series is the reason I'm a fan. Also, if they were to have someone take over the Kord version of BB, it would be nice to see this series in TPB, so that today's fans could see what made this Blue Beetle cool.

For those who might be thinking that the Ted Kord Blue Beetle isn't all that cool, I always say this: When DC was getting ready to release the 1996 Nightwing series, they hyped it on these points: Dick was in his own identity, no longer tied to "Batman and," he was in his own city, and would have his own villains. Blue Beetle already had all of that. He was his own person, was never tied to "Batman and," had Chicago as his own patrol (Hub City during the Charlton years) and his own villains in the Madmen, Firefist, Catalyst, Overthrow and others. And he also had those cool gadgets like the BB Gun and The Bug. In direct comparison to Nightwing, he already had a light blue on dark blue costume. So in light of the Nightwing series, the Blue Beetle title was well ahead of its time. The only key ingredient it was missing was that... okay... he's not as popular as Nightwing.

I love the 1980's era of comics, but I realize that not everybody does, especially newer readers who aren't familiar with them. I think this title holds up very well though, to be twenty-six years old. Well worth being reprinted in trades.

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Gallery

Gallery

Gallery

For the Volume 1 cover, I'd use the cover to Blue Beetle #1, although with the recent popularity of the Renee Montoya Question, the cover of issue #5, with the Vic Sage Question, might draw a few more eyes to the book. This collection gives us some great looks at villains like Firefist, the Madmen, Dr. Alchemy, The Muse (a personal fave), Chronos, and the beginning of the storyline with The Hybrid.

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For the Volume 2 cover, I'd use Blue Beetle #14. Issue #24 is cool, but I dismissed it because of wording drawn into the scenery. Here, we get the end of the Hybrid storyline (including that great cover of a wasted character - DC's original Prometheus), an armored Carapax, Overthrow, a puke-inducing retcon of the Dan Garret Blue Beetle, Catalyst, more Chronos and Madmen, and a few other things.

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#19: Showcase Presents: Blue Beetle.

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