Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: auction, blue beetle

Golden Age Blue Beetle Sales Continue to Benefit From the New Movie

The new Blue Beetle movie has very little to do with the original Blue Beetle character published by Fox Comics in the thirties and forties.

Published Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:17:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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The new Blue Beetle movie may have very little to do with the original Blue Beetle character published by Fox Comics in the thirties and forties, but it has put a fire under those Golden Age comic book sales. This copy of Blue Beetle #7 from 1941, unslabbed, currently has bids at Heritage Art Auctions currently totalling $174 with a lot of space to grow.

Blue Beetle #7 (Fox Features Syndicate, 1941) Condition: VG/FN. Dynamo appearance. Charles Nicholas art. Soiling, staining, missing piece from top right corner of cover. Overstreet 2023 VG 4.0 value = $226; FN 6.0 value = $339.

Dan Garrett, the Golden Age Blue Beetle, made his debut in 1939's Mystery Men Comics #1 from Fox Comics, followed the next year with his own solo headline series, Blue Beetle #1, alongside the character's own newspaper strip. Blue Beetle #7 from 1941 has artwork credited to Charles Nicholas, but is believed to actually be Al Carreno and Pierce Rice.

Will Eisner ran the studio with Jerry Iger (whose grand-nephew now runs Disney), who created these comic books for Fox, and he previously stated that Charles Nicholas was just the name used by a number of artists on Blue Beetle. Charles Wotjkowski, the principal candidate, and identified artist for the creation of the original Blue Beetle, would later legally change his last name to Nicholas. Chuck Cuidera, who wrote for this issue, also claimed co-creatorship of the character.

With other stories in the issue credited to Harold Weber, but probably Robert Webb, and Wright Lincoln credited as Dan Gormley. Comic book creators not wanting to be created by their real names, or publishers not wanting to encourage them, make trying to work out who drew or wrote what even harder. There is a cottage industry of comic book experts looking at every line, every brush stroke, measuring the weight of the ink on the paper.