“Yesterday’s” Comic> Blue Beetle (1967) #5

Sounds more like a 2020s comic than a 1960s comic.

Blue Beetle #5

Charlton Comics Group (November, 1968)

Blue Beetle: “Faces The Destroyer Of Heroes” and The Question: “The Critic”

SCRIPT: D.C. Glanzman

ARTIST/QUESTION PLOT: Steve Ditko

LETTERER: A Machine

[Read along with me here]

On the Blue Beetle side of things, Vic happens to be in Hub City during the reveal of a statue called “Our Man”, a negative view of humanity and a tribute to the futility of struggle. Vic (being part of Ditko’s love of Ayn Rand, which we’ll get to later), trashes the statue and angers an art critic who loved the statue. This will also come up later. One other man takes the statue to heart, despite the statue not having a heart on purpose, and creates an armored costume based on it so he can smash statues honoring heroes, heroics, and man’s attempts to better himself. Ted become fascinated with a different statue, “The Unconquered”, and after a bunch of teens are forced out of the museum by Vic and Ted, Blue Beetle starts protecting the museum. That’s the first of two run-ins with the other guy, eventually overcoming him and proving the strength of a hero, though he still refuses to see heroics as anything less than pure evil. Usually I review the comic here, but parts of this story continues into the Question’s adventure.

Back in Crown City, that critic shows up again, hoping to work with Syd to tear down their mutual target, Vic. What stirs him up is Vic giving Nora a painting he rejected because it depicts a heroic figure. Becoming obsessed with destroying that art, the critic sends goons to Nora’s place, but they’re stopped by the Question. Finally, the critic goes after it himself, but still can’t bring himself to actually do something, pleading with Nora to destroy it. Backed by Vic, she tells him no and he have a mental breakdown. Vic doesn’t mention him or Syd (who he probably didn’t know was involved), and that just makes him even more paranoid. Sadly, this subplot WON’T GO AWAY AND DIE! Sorry, Dan Garrett, too soon? At least we didn’t have to sit through that one.

A commenter on Comic Book Plus said it best: “This is the book that finally soured me on Ditko. He lays the philosophy on with a trowel. Instead of having his characters demonstrate their world views with action, they spend panel after panel lecturing about their beliefs. Those who share Ditko’s opinions might find it easier to take, but whichever side you’re on you must admit this is preach preach preach.” As for me, while I share some of the views here, the rest I found confusing in presentation at least, and as the commenter said, this is preachier than some Christian evangelizing comics I’ve read. It’s so heavy handed that it distracts from the stories.

In Beetle’s case, listening to this guy, the mostly mute man in the statue costume, and the not-hippies go on about the failings of man, an opinion which Ditko is clearly against, is just so boring to read! There were more interesting ways to create an anti-art villain, or even an anti-heroic art villain, and this doesn’t work. For The Question (and it’s too bad we didn’t get the heroes teaming up outside of Vic and Ted protecting that statue in civilian identities) watching this art critic go on about some past and “betraying” the picture or what it represents (which plays into how Vic eventually defeats him) made no sense to me. I know nothing about this putz except he annoyed two heroes and was yet another member of the Cancel Vic Club.

Ultimately, this issue was a chore to get through, and the last of the Charlton Blue Beetle comics on Comic Book Plus as of this writing. And just when I was starting to get into this comic. Like another commenter wrote, “Wow, what happened? Issue 4 was a lot of fun, good silver age heroics. And now this is heavy-handed art criticism.” Let’s not keep this up, Steve…oh crap, I’m going to have to review Mister A when this becomes the Charlton superheroes pre-DC readthrough starting next week, aren’t I? I hear it’s worse than this. Help! Yes, we appear to be out of Blue Beetle comics, at least as a solo title. The Friday Golden Age comics will be returning to Mystery Men Comics as part of the lineup once we get past the years and months I covered before shifting to Blue Beetle’s allegedly solo title. If they post more Blue Beetle comics, we’ll get back to that. And I’ll do a final thoughts article on the Blue Beetle’s Gold and Silver years next week…or later this week if I have the time.