Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: blue beetle, Fox Feature Syndicate, victor fox

Blue Beetle's Costume Takes Shape, Mystery Men Comics #4 at Auction

Blue Beetle evolved gradually over his first few months in Mystery Men Comics, with the elements of his classic costume taking shape in issue #4.

Published Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:27:03 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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Article Summary

Blue Beetle's costume transformed rapidly in 1939, evolving toward its classic Golden Age look by issue #4.
Victor Fox and Fox Feature Syndicate drove experimental character development during comics' formative years.
Dan Garrett's backstory, including his origins, drive, and supporting cast, emerges gradually across early issues.
Mystery Men Comics introduced key Golden Age creators and rare Blue Beetle appearances that excite collectors today.

1939 might be American comics history's most interesting year. It was a year when the rules of a new medium were being written, broken, and rewritten on a monthly basis. And at some publishers, it was a peak moment when raw talent met naked opportunism, sometimes with astonishing results. That probably describes Victor Fox and his Fox Feature Syndicate better than any other comic book publisher. For example, four issues into his Mystery Men Comics title, he hadn't quite figured out what was making it tick, or why. This despite the debut issue of the title having included a survey of sorts, with 11-year-old William Peter Blatty, who would go on to become a legendary author and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Exorcist, among those writing in to tell Fox what he liked about the title. Even the development of the features themselves was sometimes in a month-to-month state of flux. Mystery Men Comics #1 had Blue Beetle looking like a masked (or goggled?) man in a suit, tie, and hat. Issues #2 and #3 added what might be called a medieval-inspired costume with a short-sleeved tunic, open-faced head covering, and leggings with curled, pointed-toed footwear called Poulaines. This version of the costume also had a faintly visible beetle symbol on its chest. But by Mystery Men Comics #4, Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski had converged on what might be considered the classic version of the Golden Age Blue Beetle's costume, with long sleeves, a mask, a beetle symbol on the belt, and the medieval elements somewhat toned down. All of this is wrapped up in a tough-to-get issue with a Green Mask cover by the legendary Lou Fine, and there's a CGC VG 4.0 Off-white pages copy of Mystery Men Comics #4 (Fox, 1939) up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions.

Blue Beetle continued to evolve with the debut of Blue Beetle #1, which has a copyright date of January 2, 1940 and gave the character an in-depth backstory. Earlier Mystery Men Comics issues had explained little of the character's background elements. He debuted as a classic masked mystery man, and his costume and some gadgetry were slowly and somewhat sporadically introduced. The important supporting character Dr. Franz, the druggist who would serve as the Blue Beetle's confidant, advisor, and general technical support, was introduced with little explanation in Mystery Men Comics #5. Many of these elements and the Blue Beetle character itself gained some clarity beginning around this time. Blue Beetle #1 explains Dan Garrett's somewhat Batman-like background. As a child, Garrett's mother became a victim of the global flu pandemic that swept the world 1918-1920. This caused him to be more independent and self-reliant than most other kids, and propelled him to excellence in academics and athletics as he attended college, as well as becoming street-smart. When Garret was a young man, his father was murdered by gangsters, prompting him to become a police officer and ultimately the Blue Beetle. The March 21, 1940 Blue Beetle strip introduces Vitamin 2X, as Dr. Franz (who goes unnamed, but is now drawn just as he is in the comic books) hands it to Dan Garrett, who calls it "a wonder", and the matter is left at that without further explanation.

Early issues from Fox Feature Syndicate are notoriously difficult to find, particularly in higher grades, and Mystery Men Comics #4 is no exception. There are only eight copies graded higher than this CGC 4.0 off-white pages copy at present, and it's the highest-graded copy Heritage has offered since 2021. It's up for auction along with a few other issues of Mystery Men Comics in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions.