Ted Kord
| Blue Beetle | |
|---|---|
| File:BlueBeetle03.png Ted Kord as the second Blue Beetle. Art by Dick Giordano | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics (originally Charlton Comics) |
| First appearance | Captain Atom # 83 (Nov. 1966) |
| Created by | Steve Ditko |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Edward (or Theodore) "Ted" Kord |
| Team affiliations | Justice League, Extreme Justice, L.A.W., Super Buddies |
| Abilities | Genius intellect; capable hand-to-hand combatant; stealthy acrobat; high tech equipment |
Blue Beetle is Edward (or Theodore) "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. He is the second Blue Beetle, who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics.
Character history
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
DC Comics
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'.
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.
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.
The Justice League
BB 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. 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. Beetle and Booster both subsequently joined the short-lived Justice League offshoot known as Extreme Justice.
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. Following this, Beetle appeared for a time in Birds of Prey, as a friend and possible love interest of Barbara Gordon.
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.
Death
In the 80-page special Countdown to Infinite Crisis, published on March 30, 2005, Blue Beetle discovered a renewed Checkmate organization led by Maxwell Lord, former bankroller of the JLA. He attempted to escape after discovering Checkmate's database of superheroes, but was shot in the head and killed by Lord.
That same story had earlier reiterated that Ted Kord had thought the scarab destroyed back in Blue Beetle vol.1 #18 (1987) (see 'Curse of the Scarab', below); however, it had been rediscovered, untouched, in a temple in Egypt, and handed over to Kord. The wizard 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 WizardWorld convention if Kord would ever return; DC's answer was no. "There was a breeze blowing through his brain, and he was incinerated", writer Greg Rucka stated. "How much clearer can it be?"[1]
The young teenager Jaime Reyes would later discover the scarab and become the new Blue Beetle.
Powers and abilities
Ted had no superpowers, however he did possess a genius-level intellect. Ted created numerous gadgets which included suction pads, sight-enhancing lenses and a protective costume. His BB gun was a handheld weapon that could blind villains with a flash of light, knock them out with a sonic boom, and also featured a grapnel device. He was a capable hand-to-hand combatant and a stealthy acrobat. Blue Beetle's ship, the Bug, was filled with weaponry and could fly at 600 mph.
Trivia
- 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. Test: Joseph Was Here.