DC Showcase: Blue Beetle

Please forget the Blue Beetle movie from two years ago. It wasn’t simply bad. It disrespected the original characters co-created by Steve Ditko and the beliefs they expressed for years. Remember, in addition to many of the characters DC acquired from Charleton Comics (including Blue Beetle), Ditko also created Marvel’s Spider-Man and the explicitly Objectivist and very independent Mr. A. Instead of the stridently anti-capitalist live action betrayal, watch the cheeky DC Showcase animated short film Blue Beetle, directed by Milo Neuman, which salutes many of Dikto’s signature characters, making it appropriate viewing today, the birthday (11/2) of the Hall of Fame comics writer and artist.

The characters are now part of the DC Universe[s], but their roots are in Charleton. Yet, the animation deliberately evokes the vibe of the groovy, goofy 1970s Spider-Man cartoons. Somehow, the Squid Gang (Blue Beetle’s frequent AIM or Hydra-like nemesis) successfully getaway with a massive Hope-ish gemstone, despite Blue Beetle’s best efforts.

This is the real Blue Beetle: Ted Kord, Charleton/DC’s version of a mecha-suited Tony Stark. Screenwriters Jeremy Adams & Jennifer Keene make him tech-smart, but dumb in most other respects. Fortunately, he teams up with The Question—the real Question, Vic Sage (and not the current Question of the recent All Along the Watchtower limited comic series), who quickly traces the Squids back to mad scientist Dr. Spectro.

Alarmingly, Dr. Spectro has applied his cutting-edge mind-control technology to Captain Atom and Nightshade, two additional former Charleton superheroes created by Ditko. It is particularly satisfying to see Captain Atom’s heroic resistance, considering his struggles in the limited series Justice League: The Atom Project (which overlaps with All Along the Watchtower).

This DC Showcase short is devilishly sly and delightfully silly, but perhaps the best part is its spot-on presentation of the Question’s uncompromising philosophic honesty. Indeed, the character and his intellectually rigorous dialogue are well served by David Kaye’s incisive voiceover performance. Clearly, Neuman and company have affection for the character and appreciate the philosophy that makes him who he is.

It is a shame Angel Manuel Soto’s live action film deservedly bombed, essentially killing Blue Beetle’s cinematic future. It was wrong in nearly every way, just like it would be disastrous to “reconceive” Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale as a celebration of fundamentalist religion.

In contrast, the animated short respects the source material. Neuman and the animators also have fun with the characters, which further sets it apart from the subsequent film. Many DC Showcase shorts have exhibited a refreshing adventurousness, of which Blue Beetle is a prime example. Highly recommended for DC fans and animation connoisseurs who will dig the throwback style, Blue Beetle would perfectly pair up with the 1970’s Amazing Spider-Man TV series as a Ditko birthday tribute-program.