“Why do they even bother naming it after me anymore?”
The Blue Beetle #23
Holyoke Publishing (July, 1943)
ONE STORY! There is only one Blue Beetle story in this issue!
This continues my theory that they were trying to push him out of his own comic. Maybe it was one of those weird publishing rules they were trying to skirt around, like how Whiz Comics started with issue #2 instead of issue #1 or something. I have nothing against anthology comics, but it’s not very fun for me to read when I’m only interested in one or two stories in a book with six of them. That’s why I stopped reviewing Wonder Comics and Mystery Men…but those were supposed to be anthologies. Blue Beetle should be a bunch of stories about Dan Garret with a few back-ups because it was the Golden Age.
I have all the respect for Golden Age heroes and stories, but the way they were published back then I am not a fan of. I shouldn’t feel silly for wanting the title character to be the actual star of his or her book. Seven more issues after this one until Fox gets it back and I’m curious if they’ll actually get that right (despite still doing multiple non-Blue Beetle stories during their original run) when they do. Ah well, read along with me.
The Blue Beetle: “The General Alters His Plans” by Sylvan H. Stein & Alden Remlu
Well, at least his lone story was a good one. A masked general, due to scarring, is captured by the Dutch resistance just as Dan arrives in Holland to destroy a glider that will be used to attack England. Posing as the general, the Blue Beetle eventually learns where it is and gets the bombers to destroy it. Is it continuity that Hitler’s mustache hasn’t fully grown back since Blue Beetle ripped it off last issue or did they not draw it all the way? And does the government know Dan is the Blue Beetle? Because I’m pretty sure that could be a problem down the line. After the war he’d probably go back to beating up mobsters and horror villains. He’s not like Captain America or V-Man. Anyway, good story.
Crime Reporter: “Voodoo In New York”
There is no one “crime reporter” character. It’s just random stories of what I thought were based on actual crimes, but voodoo? Of course it’s not voodoo but a poison tipped doll needle…wait, every crook she killed to steal the jewel was pulling a Sleeping Beauty and just had to touch the pointy needle? Also strange how after the fake crime for the sting operation they just happened to get approached by the villains despite the other crook approaching her…I don’t know. Maybe it’s me but this story was a bit of a coincidence magnet.
Major-General James Harold Doolittle by Chas M. Quinlan
It’s always hard to tell what’s exaggeration and what really happened since I’m not a historian and this is war propaganda. This is the tale of the man who led the first bombing raid on Japan, how he started out in World War I wanting to drop bombs on Germany but was upset the war ended before he could. It works much better during World War II than this far out, double when later he wants to, in his words, “blast (Japan) off the map!”. That’s war for you. Also, someone needed to tell Chas how to spell “Tokyo”, and “Tokio” is not the only lettering error in the story. This is one that doesn’t hold up, but I am amazed by his accomplishments between wars and how quickly he was promoted more than once.
Ali-Baba: “Aladdin’s Lamp” by Wilmer Muddleshtunk
What a last name. Then again, we have a thief called Il Takem, so names in this story are weird all around. So Ali’s wife is a nag again because someone thought that was funny (sorry your marriage sucked, pal) and this time he finds a Djinn stuck in an old jug who he tricks back into the jug after letting him out. The Djinn offers him a free wish to keep him out and…he asks to be rich? What is he now? Maybe he should ask for a good divorce attorney? It’s not like this comic is attempting to keep the timeline straight anyway since it can’t decide if modern stuff (by 1940s reckoning) exists or not. That sends him to a cave where he finds Aladdin’s lamp and a nicer genie. Hijinks ensue but not with me caring about any of it. There has to be one series I hate, but at least it’s not some of the others I’ve been forced to deal with.
Wing Lee by Geo Tukel
Hey, we get to meet one of the Flying Tigers in this one. So far they just seem to show up at the last minute to drop the bombs. Also, Bill Anderson seems to be about the same age as Wing and his boy patriots of China for some reason. I mean, they’re still a last minute plot device but we actually get to meet one. Sandy Ward’s plane crashes, and he’s the only survivor. He’s found by Bill, Wing, and the others and he tells them of a nearby Japanese air base that’s about to launch a huge attack on China to get them out of the war. So our heroes have to find and destroy the base, but they’re captured and dropped on an island where nothing grows and surrounded by sharks, so the area is forbidden. Really pour on the “we aren’t getting out of this without our deus ex machinas”, George. I kid, but it’s not a bad story.
Then we ignore this comic’s poor attempts at comedy (in case you thought it was only the Arabian Knights parody) to reach…
Drop Towers–Ace Pilot by Robert Webster
Our newest not-Blue Beetle hero (yes, I am still on that) is a pilot currently relaxing in San Francisco when he and his pilot pals get caught by a plot by a joint Nazi/Japanese operation to keep them out of the way while they invade. Thanks to one woman at the club not being a traitor, Ace and his named pal, Hank, manage to get out of the trap and single-handedly stop the invasion. (Or dual-handedly…you know what I mean.) I’ll take it over “Spark” Stevens and Ham since this was actually interesting and Drop (which I’m hoping is a nickname) is a more likable hero.
Overall, a mixed bag. Blue Beetle is being squeezed out of his own comic, the war propaganda doesn’t age well because it never does though sometimes you still get a good story out of it, and then there’s the bad comedy. This is why I stopped reading the actual anthology titles but we just have to make it through a few more issues before it gets back to its proper owners.
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