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Peacemaker...a Charlton character!??
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Started by JazzMan,

46 posts in this topic

Qalyar

Qalyar

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On 7/23/2021 at 7:16 AM, Dave2739 said:

Thanks for elaborating. This is also why I specified "Ted Kord Blue Beetle" as opposed to the GA Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett in my earlier post.

One other curiousity: the Dan Garret(t) Blue Beetle evidently didn't have its copyright renewed (circa 1966/7) by then-owner Charlton and so lapsed into the public domain. Americomics (formerly Paragon, and since renamed AC comics) resurrected Dan in Americomics #3 and had him fight Ted Kord, who I'm... not entirely sure would have been a public domain character in 1983 (or now), actually. No idea if they made any sort of licensing agreement or just figured that the Charlton superheroes were orphan works, prior to the DC acquisition anyway.

Just in case someone here aspires to be a really thorough Blue Beetle completionist.

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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On 7/23/2021 at 2:13 AM, djzombi said:

Blue Beetle #1 is probably the biggest Charlton key, but what do I know.  

Also the first appearance of The Question.  I recall his series by Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan in the 80s being a very good read.

 

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Buzzetta

Buzzetta

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Posted (edited)
On 7/23/2021 at 10:41 AM, Count D. Monet said:

My 12 year old said this same joke to me on Tuesday, so you guys have that in common :baiting:lol

Your 12 year old is wise beyond his years. 

Edited by Buzzetta
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Buzzetta

Buzzetta

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On 7/23/2021 at 11:52 AM, Count D. Monet said:

Yeah, but that's offset by him walking around loudly yelling "AND HIS NAME IS....JOHN CENA!" all day long. Then he combines that with Roscoe McGillicutty Peppa Pig videos and I lose my mind:ohnoez:

 

Ehhh Cena... I was a Dwayne mark from the moment he started talking in the third person. 

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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On 7/23/2021 at 7:27 PM, Conacon said:

My vote is for Question! ...the only 1st appearance I have from that group. 

Classic Ditko.

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Cat

Cat

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On 7/23/2021 at 9:23 PM, Heronext said:

Nobody cared about this book 2 years ago.  Nobody.  It was barely worth grading even in high grades.  I had 2 copies because I was collecting the Charlton Watchmen analogues, including a 9.0 that was about $100.  Overnight, it's a huge key because John Cena wants to play him?  I think we should let the book gestate a bit more.

I'm also a big Pat Boyette fan. I suggest reading his bio for those who aren't familiar with him.

 

Well he's playing him in both a movie and TV show on HBO Maxx, both already in the can. 

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Dr Zen

Dr Zen

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On 7/23/2021 at 8:20 AM, Qalyar said:

One other curiousity: the Dan Garret(t) Blue Beetle evidently didn't have its copyright renewed (circa 1966/7) by then-owner Charlton and so lapsed into the public domain. Americomics (formerly Paragon, and since renamed AC comics) resurrected Dan in Americomics #3 and had him fight Ted Kord, who I'm... not entirely sure would have been a public domain character in 1983 (or now), actually. No idea if they made any sort of licensing agreement or just figured that the Charlton superheroes were orphan works, prior to the DC acquisition anyway.

Just in case someone here aspires to be a really thorough Blue Beetle completionist.

 

In 1983 Americomics produced a one shot with the Charlton heroes.

 

The story ends in a cliff hanger, and they explain that the story will not be finished because the characters had been sold to another publisher. (They didn't mention DC by name)

50182.jpg

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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Posted (edited)
On 7/25/2021 at 3:44 AM, Brock said:

I think that’s the response they’re going for with it, truth be told.

I do like the yellow chest target, though, reminiscent of Batman’s, and possibly for the same reason.

Edited by Ken Aldred
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Toz

Toz

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On 7/23/2021 at 1:40 AM, Qalyar said:

Correct. The original original Blue Beetle was a Fox Feature Syndicate character that debuted in Mystery Men Comics #1 (1939). It was created as an expy of Green Hornet (pretty much all Fox characters were at least semi-plagiarized from better publishers' works).  When Fox started having significant financial problems and entered bankruptcy (the first time,) Blue Beetle (along with most of Fox's assets) wound up in the hands of Holyoke Publishing in what is now largely thought to be accounting shenanigans on the part of Victor Fox. Two years later, Fox would get their properties back from Holyoke, but the increasing push to "clean up" the comics industry landscape hit Fox really hard. Also, Victor Fox's shady financial constructions were eventually called due. Fox went bankrupt, again, in 1950, this time for good.

I'm not sure exactly where the Blue Beetle property went in the immediate aftermath. Fox material was broken up among a bunch of companies. Many of those (Ajax, for example), were run by Robert Farrell, a friend and business partner of Victor Fox, and may have been an attempt to replay the Holyoke shuffle, had Fox re-recovered from bankruptcy. Charlton bought out pretty much all those successor companies (whatever intermediary might have briefly owned the character didn't publish him in anything).

Charlton dropped its "Action Heroes" in 1968 to focus on licensed properties, and eventually sold the entire lineup to DC in 1983, including the Blue Beetle.

AMericomics published some Blue Beetle around the time (or maybe prior to) DC acquiring the character.Did Bill Black just grab him & try to get the rights?

Maybe thinking he was in public domain or some such?

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Cat

Cat

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On 7/24/2021 at 12:05 PM, Dr Zen said:

 

In 1983 Americomics produced a one shot with the Charlton heroes.

 

The story ends in a cliff hanger, and they explain that the story will not be finished because the characters had been sold to another publisher. (They didn't mention DC by name)

50182.jpg

 

Captain Atom has some huge bangers on that cover. 

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Cat

Cat

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On 7/25/2021 at 11:30 PM, Toz said:

AMericomics published some Blue Beetle around the time (or maybe prior to) DC acquiring the character.Did Bill Black just grab him & try to get the rights?

Maybe thinking he was in public domain or some such?

From the statement someone said above, it sounds like he owned them, and sold them. But at the same time, if he'd been publishing them thinking they were public domain and been informed by DC's lawyers that hey, we own them now, that to me seems to fit better. If you were selling, wouldn't you include a provision to allow yourself one more issue to finish your ongoing story? 

That they just cut the story on the spot makes me think it might have been a rights issue, thus explaining the sudden no second issue. They may have been okay to publish this one as the sale was still in progress, but not for the second? (that's going a bit too far). DC caught the issue and told them no further issues allowed, but we'll allow this single usage from a tiny company? Things were very different back then, after all. 

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Toz

Toz

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On 7/25/2021 at 2:10 PM, Mecha_Fantastic said:

From the statement someone said above, it sounds like he owned them, and sold them. But at the same time, if he'd been publishing them thinking they were public domain and been informed by DC's lawyers that hey, we own them now, that to me seems to fit better. If you were selling, wouldn't you include a provision to allow yourself one more issue to finish your ongoing story? 

That they just cut the story on the spot makes me think it might have been a rights issue, thus explaining the sudden no second issue. They may have been okay to publish this one as the sale was still in progress, but not for the second? (that's going a bit too far). DC caught the issue and told them no further issues allowed, but we'll allow this single usage from a tiny company? Things were very different back then, after all. 

Sounds plausible.That is a great cover though.

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