Blue Beetle is Theodore (or Edward) "Ted" Kord, a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. This version of the character was created by Steve Ditko, and first appeared as a back-up feature in Captain Atom #83 (Nov. 1966), with Gary Friedrich scripting from Ditko's conception and plot. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x750, 296 KB)Blue Beetle. ... Richard Joseph Dick Giordano (born July 20, 1932) is an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics Action Heroes stable of superheroes, and serving as editor of then industry-leader DC Comics. ... Big C logo, used from Sept. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is a renowned American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ... The L.A.W. was a six-issue limited series that ran from September 1999 to February of 2000. ... Kord Industries (or Kord Enterprises) is a fictional company that exists in the DC Universe and is run by Ted Kord, the superhero Blue Beetle. ... A genius is a person of great intelligence. ... High tech refers to high technology, technology that is at the cutting-edge and the most advanced currently available. ... Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional comic book superheroes. ... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that is created from ones imagination or from an adaption of an existing entity. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ... Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is a renowned American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero. ... Gary Friedrich (born 1943, Jackson, Missouri, United States) is an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics Sgt. ...

Publication history

Ted Kord is the second Blue Beetle, who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics. Big C logo, used from Sept. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ...

In many stories and character entries, it is noted that "Ted" is an abbreviated form of "Theodore". However, in Chuck Dixon's Birds of Prey, Barbara Gordon stated that "Ted" is actually short for Edward. A similar truncation exists for Senator Edward Kennedy, known as Ted Kennedy. However, in Countdown to Infinite Crisis, the wizard Shazam repeatedly addresses Ted as "Theodore Kord" and Checkmate's profile of Blue Beetle also lists him as such. Chuck Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s. ... Barbara Babs Gordon is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics and related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. ... For other persons named Ted Kennedy, see Ted Kennedy (disambiguation). ... Cover to Countdown to Infinite Crisis. ... Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ... Checkmate is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. ...

Fictional character biography

Charlton Comics

Ted Kord was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete, sharing much more in common with the Fox original than did Charlton's earlier reimagining of the character. Fox Feature Syndicate (a. ...

Kord's signature equipment was his bug-shaped personal aircraft, which he entered and exited typically with a cable suspended from the cockpit. He also generally eschewed personal weaponry except for a pistol that made a blinding flash of light and, additionally, a strong airblast to gain the advantage when he closed in for hand-to-hand combat.

Blue Beetle #3 (Oct. 1967). Art by Steve Ditko.

Ditko is best known as the co-creator (with Stan Lee) and original artist of Spider-Man at Marvel Comics. While Blue Beetle and Spider-Man have some similar characteristics, such as being wise-cracking, acrobatic, arthropod-themed urban heroes, they evolved into very different characters. Both characters are accomplished inventors (Ted Kord is considered one of the premier minds of the DC Universe), great athletes, and skilled acrobats. Both characters also have strong, if sometimes ill-timed, senses of humor that they use to mask their insecurities — more so in the case of the Beetle, who has no powers of his own (and in later years has to deal with occasional weight gain). On the other hand, the Beetle has none of the angst associated with brooding vigilantes like Batman. Unlike Spider-Man, Blue Beetle usually operates in a group rather than alone, but like Spidey, he is a loyal friend. In fact, Beetle has been the best friend of the slightly selfish superhero Booster Gold when the two were paired in the Justice League, and they would continue to feature as a double act until the end of said superhero team. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x606, 85 KB) Summary Cover, Blue Beetle #3 (Oct. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x606, 85 KB) Summary Cover, Blue Beetle #3 (Oct. ... Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is a renowned American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... For the fictional character of this name, see Stan Lee (Judge Dredd character). ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ... Booster Gold is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ...

The Ted Kord Blue Beetle ran as a backup feature in Captain Atom #83-86 (Nov. 1966 - June 1967) before getting his own title, which ran from #1-5 (June 1967 - Nov. 1968). A sixth issue was produced, but published in the Charlton Portfolio by CPL/Gang. The Question ran as a backup series, with the fifth issue featuring a quasi-team-up in which the Blue Beetle story continues in part in the Question tale. The Question is an American comic book superhero. ...

An origin was given in #2, linking Ted Kord to the previous Blue Beetle. Ted was revealed as a former student of Dan Garrett, and when they were investigating Ted's Uncle Jarvis, they learned Jarvis was working to create an army of androids to take over Earth. Garrett changed into Blue Beetle, but was killed in the battle. As he died, he passed on the responsibility of being Blue Beetle to Ted, but wasn't able to pass on the mystical scarab, a convenient means for Ditko to explain his preferred power-free character. There was a hint that one android was still left in stasis, but this would remain unresolved until the DC series of the late 1980s.

In the early 1980s, the first issue of Charlton's anthology comic Charlton Bullseye, featured a team-up of the Blue Beetle and the Question. Later, AC Comics would publish a story intended for Charlton Bullseye in Americomics #3, and a one-shot of a team-up of all the Charlton "Action Heroes", as the company called its lineup. Charlton Bullseye was the title of a Charlton Comics related fanzine and later showcase comic series. ... AC Comics evolved out of Paragon Publications, and was known as Americomics in its first year of existence. ...

DC Comics

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Cover to Secret Origins #2, by Gil Kane.

DC acquired the Charlton heroes in the mid-1980s, and used the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event to integrate them all into the DC Universe. During this period Blue Beetle had his own series, written by Len Wein. Also published during this time was Secret Origins #2 (cover illustrated by Gil Kane), which explained the origins and careers of the Ted Kord and Dan Garrett Blue Beetles in the post-Crisis continuity. They would also follow up on the hinted android in stasis from the Charlton series, which would eventually become 'Carapax, the Indestructible Man'. Image File history File links Bbso. ... Image File history File links Bbso. ... Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue American comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their then-55-year-old continuity. ... It has been suggested that Gaming crossovers be merged into this article or section. ... Len Wein (born June 12, 1948, New York City, New York) is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics Swamp Thing and for reviving Marvel Comics X-Men. ... Brian Bollands cover to the 1989 Secret Origins collection. ... Showcase #22 (Oct. ... In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. ...

Ted Kord was sometimes shown as an industrialist, the owner of Kord Industries; more often he was short on money, leading to his entering "get-rich-quick" schemes with Booster Gold. Kord Industries (or Kord Enterprises) is a fictional company that exists in the DC Universe and is run by Ted Kord, the superhero Blue Beetle. ... Booster Gold is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics. ...

A brief appearance in JLA: Year One showed the young Ted working in Kord Industries R&D, where he designed the JLA HQ security system. Upon meeting the heroes he thought, "Screw the family business. I want to be one of those guys", possibly explaining the company's fluctuating status since he took over. In recent comics, it has been implied that Kord Industries has become a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises, headed by Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ...

The Justice League

Main article: Justice League International

JLI #8 (Dec. 1987). Art by Kevin Maguire (pencils) and Al Gordon (inks).

Blue Beetle is probably best known as the wisecracking member of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis's lighthearted, five-year run on various Justice League of America titles (notably Justice League International), where he was memorably partnered with fellow third-string hero Booster Gold, and the two quickly became best friends. Among fans, they were known collectively as the "Blue and Gold" team. For a while, Beetle grappled with a weight problem, but with sheer determination and coaching from the hero General Glory, he defeated it. After Giffen and DeMatteis left, Justice League America continued to run until #113. Dan Jurgens tied the "Death of Superman" storyline into JLA, in which Doomsday left Blue Beetle in a coma during his murderous rampage and a six-inch scar on the back of his skull. Beetle and Booster both subsequently joined the short-lived Justice League offshoot known as Extreme Justice. Built in the 1987 company-wide crossover limited series, Legends, this new Justice League was given a less America-centric mandate than before, and was dubbed the Justice League International (or JLI for short). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x623, 66 KB) Summary The cover of Justice League International issue #8, published by DC Comics. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x623, 66 KB) Summary The cover of Justice League International issue #8, published by DC Comics. ... The Defenders, as drawn by Maguire Kevin Maguire (born 1960) is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on the Justice League series in the late 1980s for DC Comics. ... Al Gordon (b. ... Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American artist, writer, and penciller of comic books. ... John Marc DeMatteis is an American writer of comic books. ... Booster Gold is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics. ... General Glory is the name of two DC Comics characters. ... Dan Jurgens is an American writer and artist of comic books. ... ... Doomsday is a fictional character from a comic book in the DC Comics Universe, best known for its mutual fight to the death with Superman in the Death of Superman storyline published in 1993. ... Extreme Justice #0. ...

Blue Beetle then entered a period of relative obscurity. The miniseries The LAW (Living Assault Weapons) reunited Blue Beetle and the other heroes acquired from Charlton, but the series met with critical disfavor. A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ...

Super Buddies

Main article: Super Buddies

In July 2003, Giffen, DeMatteis, and original JLI artist Kevin Maguire reunited for the six-issue miniseries Formerly Known As The Justice League, where many of the original JLI characters re-teamed with a storefront office. Beetle, who had grown in maturity, was an important member of this new team, the "Super Buddies". A sequel story arc, I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League, was initially slated as a second miniseries but instead ran, delayed, in JLA: Classified #4-9.
The Super Buddies are a team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe who appeared in the six-issue Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League (published in JLA Classified). ... The Defenders, as drawn by Maguire Kevin Maguire (born 1960) is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on the Justice League series in the late 1980s for DC Comics. ... The Super Buddies are a team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe who appeared in the six-issue Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League (published in JLA Classified). ... The Super Buddies are a team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe who appeared in the six-issue Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League (published in JLA Classified). ... The Super Buddies are a team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe who appeared in the six-issue Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, I Cant Believe Its Not the Justice League (published in JLA Classified). ...

Ted made several appearances in Birds of Prey, at first as Oracle's internet friend and later in person. It was hinted in several issues that Ted had a crush on Oracle. Ted had gone back to his company, but still had many, many problems with it, problems Oracle tried to help resolve. During this time, it was revealed he had a heart condition, but this did not stop him from assisting when it was needed. After his death (see below) the Birds Of Prey visited a statue in Valhalla Cemetery (built in his honour, Birds of Prey #96). Black Canary revealed that being in the JLA was only fun when Blue Beetle was there. Oracle revealed that she had had a cyber crush on him. If you are looking for other meanings of the term, refer to Bird of prey (disambiguation). ... Barbara Babs Gordon is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics and related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. ... Valhalla Cemetery is a fictional cemetery featured in various DC Comics works. ...

Infinite Crisis

Death

Blue Beetle is shot by Maxwell Lord. Art by Phil Jimenez.

In the 80-page special Countdown to Infinite Crisis, published on March 30, 2005, Blue Beetle discovers a revived Checkmate organization led by Maxwell Lord, former bankroller of the JLA, headquartered in a Belgian castle fortress, where Beetle is captured. Lord reveals to Blue Beetle that his intent is to use the organization to ensure that metahumans, including superheroes, will be kept under surveillance and controlled by humans. Lord then gives Beetle an ultimatum to join his organization. When Kord refuses, Lord murders him with a bullet to the head. Image File history File links Maxwell Lord shoots Blue Beetle. ... Image File history File links Maxwell Lord shoots Blue Beetle. ... Cover to DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1. ... Cover to Countdown to Infinite Crisis. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Checkmate is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. ... Maxwell Lord is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ...

That same story had earlier reiterated that Ted Kord had thought the scarab destroyed back in Blue Beetle vol.6 #18 (1987); however, it had been rediscovered, untouched, in a temple in Egypt, and handed over to Kord. It is unclear as to whether or not this is the same scarab created from a piece of future technology magically infused by Nabu the Wizard in the Time Masters mini-series featuring Rip Hunter. Shazam took the scarab upon encountering Kord, fueling speculation about the possibility of the character's return during DC's Infinite Crisis series. This possibility was dashed when it was asked in the Wizard World convention if Kord would ever return. Writer Greg Rucka stated, "There was a breeze blowing through his brain, and he was incinerated. How much clearer can it be?"^[1] Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ... Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... Greg Rucka is an American writer of novels and comic books. ...

Fallout

Main articles: Infinite Crisis and Character changes during Infinite Crisis

The death of Ted Kord precipitated the events of Infinite Crisis. Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... In the course of the DC Comics event Infinite Crisis (the seven-issue limited series, its lead-in stories, and various tie-ins), numerous characters died, went missing, returned from death or long absences, took new superhero identities, or underwent other significant changes as individual characters. ...

• The reorganization of Brother Eye and the OMAC project.
• Max Lord is revealed as a villain and takes telepathic control of Superman, which led to Wonder Woman being forced to kill Lord.
• Shazam warns Ted about Lex Luthor, who supposedly straddled the worlds of magic and science. Events in Infinite Crisis #3 revealed this to be Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise.
• Booster Gold returns to the 25th century. He later returns to the present with Skeets to help find Brother Eye. The success of the mission puts Booster back into the spotlight and sets in motion the events of 52.

OMACs are an organization of powerful cyborgs that exist in the DC Universe. ... For other uses, see Wonder Woman (disambiguation). ... This article is about the wizard character Shazam. ... Lex Luthor is a fictional DC Comics supervillain and the archenemy of the superhero Superman. ... Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... Alexander Luthor, Jr. ... Booster Gold is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics. ... Skeets is a fictional artificial intelligence robot from the future in the DC Comics Universe. ... 52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ...

One Year Later

Main article: One Year Later

The young teenager Jaime Reyes later discovers the scarab and becomes the new Blue Beetle. J'onn J'onzz has a statue of Ted Kord in his memorial to fallen Justice League members. When recruiting members for the new Justice League, Superman suggests Booster Gold, and Batman responds "There are better ways to honor Ted." One Year Later event logo. ... Jaime Reyes is a fictional comic book superhero from DC Comics, a Hispanic teenager who became the third person to take up the identity of the superhero Blue Beetle. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ...

An individual that looks like Ted as Blue Beetle has shown up in Manhunter vol. 3 #27 (January 2007), before Wonder Woman's trial for the death of Max Lord. Claiming to be amnesiac, and to have forgotten all about his trip in Switzerland, he manages to gain Manhunter's trust. Fooling Wonder Woman's lasso with evasive remarks as answers, he is finally revealed by Batman's DNA test as Everyman, the cannibalistic shapeshifter of Infinity, Inc. and is subdued by Manhunter herself. Manhunter is the name given to several different DC Comics superheroes/antiheroes, as well as the Manhunters an entire race of androids created by the Guardians of the Universe, as a forerunner to the Green Lantern Corps. ... Everyman is a fictional supervillain published by DC comics. ... Infinity Inc. ...

In Geoff Johns' 2007-08 ongoing Booster Gold series, Booster agrees to help Rip Hunter set right the timeline, but at a cost: Rip must help Booster go back and save Ted.^[2] Rip Hunter, however, tries to shock Booster Gold into acknowledging his inability to change past "solidified" events, tricking him into witnessing Barbara Gordon's crippling assault over and over again.^{[3] [4]} As Booster Gold prepares accept his fate, a futuristic Blue Beetle appears with Dan Garrett and Jaime Reyes in tow to show him how to turn the time around Ted's death into "malleable time." Booster Gold betrays Rip Hunter, and with the other Beetles' help, rescues Ted Kord from death at the hands of Maxwell Lord.^[5] The four Beetles escape together in time, the technology used to save Blue Beetle preserving the future events the way they were meant to unfold (thus enabling Jaime to keep his powers and his role as the "new" Beetle), with the world at large still believing Ted Kord to be deceased. The story arc, "Blue and Gold" reveals that this act has altered the present, creating a timeline where Max and his OMAC's have turned the world into a police state. The future Blue Beetle is also revealed to actually be Black Beetle, a super-villain allied with the Ultra-Humanite, Despero, Per Degaton, and Booster Gold's father (under the control of Mister Mind as the Time Stealers, a time-traveling super-villain group. In Booster Gold #10, Ted realizes that his death is the only way to fix the timestream, and leaves the battle, seemingly to return to the past and accept his death. Geoff Johns (born 25 January 1973 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. ... Rip Hunter is a DC Comics character who first appeared in Showcase #20 (May 1959), then his own series which ran for 29 issues (1961-65). ... Barbara Babs Gordon is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics and related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. ... Three fictional superheroes have used the name Blue Beetle as of 2006. ... The Ultra-Humanite is a fictional supervillain appearing in stories published by DC Comics. ... Despero is a fictional character, a supervillain in comic books published by DC Comics. ... Per Degaton is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain who can travel through time. ... Supernova is an identity used by three characters in the DC Comics Universe. ... Prominent members of the Monster Society Of Evil. ...

Hardcover collection

Nearly all of Ted Kord's Charlton Comics appearances as the Blue Beetle have been collected as part of the DC Archive Editions series: DC Archive Editions, edited by Dale Crain for DC Comics, collect early, sometimes rare, comic books published by DC and other publishers into a permanent hardcover series. ...

The Charlton Portfolio material is in black and white as originally presented, while the rest is in color. The collection includes nearly all the Charlton appearances of The Question as well as a brief appearance by Captain Atom. Volume 1 of the archive contained nearly all of Captain Atom's Charlton stories and a brief appearance by Nightshade. The Question is an American comic book superhero. ... Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero. ...

Powers and abilities

• Ted Kord had no superpowers; however, he did possess a genius-level intellect, with an IQ of 192. Despero once claimed that Ted's mind was second only to that of J'onn J'onzz.^[6] Former Justice League teammate Guy Gardner claims that Ted was smarter than Batman, "although nobody ever noticed."^[7] Kord was an Olympic-level acrobat, and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having studied in the martial arts of Karate and Aikido.^[8] He was also highly skilled at espionage (DCU source, Ted Kord).

Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ...

Equipment

• Kord created numerous gadgets, including suction pads, sight-enhancing lenses and a protective costume.
• He also created a power armor suit for his friend Booster Gold; the suit contained a fully functioning artificial arm, and also provided life-support for Booster as he recovered from potentially fatal injuries. He later converted a suit of alien armor for Booster to use.
• His BB gun was a handheld weapon that could blind villains with a flash of light, or knock them out with a compressed air blast capable of felling a charging rhino. The original BB gun was designed with a security feature, so that it would function only when the Blue Beetle held it, becoming inactive without contact with special circuitry in the Beetle costume's gloves.
• Blue Beetle's airship, the Bug, contained high tech equipment, could electrify or magnetize its hull, fire electrical energy and could fly at 600 mph. All models had booster jets hidden under the shell of the Bug. The boosters on the first two models could speed the Bug up to the speed of sound for a short period of time, no time limit was ever given for how long the burst lasted. Later models the boosters where used for intercontinental travel at supersonic speed. It was also 90% solar powered. Later models also had energy weapons of various types from lasers to plasma. The last two models were capable of being able to reach orbit (L.A.W #6, Infinite Crisis #5). All models were remote controllable from controls built into Kord's gloves.
• He also built flight pads similar to Mr Miracle's flight discs (Extreme Justice), and claimed to Barbara Gordon that he could keep the Birds of Prey jet flying 24-7 with technology based on the New Gods' Mother Boxes (Countdown to Infinite Crisis).

USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ...

Other versions

• Blue Beetle has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book. His appearances are in issues #5 and 8.
• Appeared in Kingdom Come, as one of Batman's three generals.

Musical references

• Jazz composer Kelly Fenton has a big band tune entitled "Elegy for Ted Kord" insprired by Kord's death as part of a suite of music about Infinite Crisis.

Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ...

References

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Ted Kord Blue Beetle entry at International Catalogue of Superheroes
• Ted Kord Blue Beetle entry at Toonopedia
• Keith Giffen on the new Blue Beetle