Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #27
Published November 1943
Frequency monthly
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 68
Editing ?
Notes Indicia: THE BLUE BEETLE, November, 1943, No. 27. Published monthly by Holyoke Publishing Co., Inc. Office of publication, 1 Appelton Street, Holyoke, Mass. Editorial and executive offices, 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York City. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Holyoke, Mass., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Price 10 cents per copy. Subscription rates: 12 issues in the United States and its possessions, Mexico, South America, Spain, $1.20. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material. Copyright 1942 by Holyoke Publishing Co., Inc. Contents must not be reproduced without permission. The names of all characters that are used are ficticious. Use of a name which is the same as that of any living person is accidental.

Cover Details

Characters Blue Beetle [Dan Garrett]
Genre superhero
Notes Indicia: THE BLUE BEETLE, November, 1943, No. 27. Published monthly by Holyoke Publishing Co., Inc. Office of publication, 1 Appelton Street, Holyoke, Mass. Editorial and executive offices, 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York City. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Holyoke, Mass., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Price 10 cents per copy. Subscription rates: 12 issues in the United States and its possessions, Mexico, South America, Spain, $1.20. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material. Copyright 1942 by Holyoke Publishing Co., Inc. Contents must not be reproduced without permission. The names of all characters that are used are ficticious. Use of a name which is the same as that of any living person is accidental.

1 page advertisement "Be the Master"

Letters typeset
Notes Inside front cover ad for books on boxing, "police wrestling" and "police jiu-jitsu" from Pickwick Co.

10 page Blue Beetle story "Pause a moment dear reader!"

Characters Blue Beetle [Dan Garrett]; Sally Kirby; Dr. Marks; Mr. Kirby
Synopsis A scientist sprays truth gas over the city, inciting a mob.
Genre superhero

5 page Crime Reporter story "Death in the Sky!"

Synopsis A Nazi sabotages a new plane, killing the test pilot. But when the F.B.I closes in on him, he tries to escape in a plane he'd sabotaged and dies himself.
Genre war
Pencils George Tukel ?
Inks George Tukel ?
Notes In the last panels the F.B.I. agent addresses the reader, saying that this story "proves that the axis can never win", followed by a panel urging readers to buy war stamps and bonds.

1 page Little Willie filler "Did you call me, Mrs. Van Snoot?"

Characters Little Willie; Mrs. Van Snoot; Polly (a parrot)
Synopsis Willie looks after a parrot but his friends teach the parrot some new vocabulary.
Genre humor
Script Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Pencils Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Inks Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Notes In the first panel, a box notes "'Little Willie' is an exclusive feature of Blue Beetle Comics. What do you think of him?"

5 page Rod Ripley, Wizard of Science story "Commissioned by a world-famous laboratory..."

Characters Rod Ripley; Zarita; Sir Balcom; Ahmed (a guide); Rameses (mummy); Isis (goddess)
Synopsis Rod Ripley and his companion Zarita must find the cure for a mysterious disease in the tomb of Rameses in the "Great Pyramid of Ghazi". They join British scientist Sir Malcom in Cairo. Ahmed, their guide, is kiled by a falling stone as they try to enter the pyramid. As they take the formula from Rameses's sarcophagus, Rameses awakens and curses them. Then Isis appears, and tells them they may take the formula but only if they leave and never return. The three are happy to comply, and Ripley seals the pyramid behind them.
Script S. M. Iger? [as Jerry Maxwell]
Pencils Sam Cooper ?
Inks Sam Cooper ?
Notes art credits from Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

5 page Turkey Joe story "Boy oh boy! Is he a cockadoodle dandy!"

Characters Turkey Joe; U.S. Army
Synopsis Joe is a well-dressed turkey with no where to go on the farm, until he gets an invitation to dinner from the Army. But Joe fails to realize that he's being invited not to *be* dinner on Thanksgiving.
Genre humor; funny animal
Script Sid Lazarus [as Lazarus] (signed)
Pencils Sid Lazarus [as Lazarus] (signed)
Inks Sid Lazarus [as Lazarus] (signed)
Notes Only appearance. credits from Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

1 page Rookie Rod filler "Now le's see"

Characters Rookie Rod
Synopsis Rod tries to learn the "manly art of self-defense", but chooses a first opponent who is too skilled.
Genre humor
Script Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Pencils Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Inks Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)

2 page text article "Young Norwegian Hero Fools Gestapo"

Characters Knut Fredriksen; Lieutenant Colonel Ole Reistad; First Lieutenant James Perry Muri
Synopsis Article describing the roles of Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans in the war.
Genre war; fact
Letters typeset

9 page story "Igor Sikorsky and His Amazing Helicopter"

Characters Igor Sikorsky
Synopsis Biography of Sikorsky's attempts and eventual success at building a helicopter.
Genre fact; war
Notes It is predicted that the helicopter will "soon be everyman's airplane", and that it will replace the automobile. One early helicopter is described as looking more like a "Rube Goldberg invention"

1 page Come to the Fun Circus activity

Genre humor
Script Mel Lazarus (signed)
Pencils Mel Lazarus (signed)
Inks Mel Lazarus (signed)

5 page Durrand Draw story "The Case of the Fish Scale Man"

Characters Durrand Draw (intro); Beth (intro)
Synopsis Durrand Draw is called to solve a case where a girl has been abducted by a man with fish scales on his skin. But the fish scale man's role is not what it first appears.
Genre detective
Script Montgomery Mulford
Pencils George Tukel ?
Inks George Tukel ?

1 page Service Gags filler "Oh- er- hello- er- ah- silly programs thos kids listen to, eh?"

Genre humor; war
Script Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Pencils Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Inks Mel Lazarus [as Mel] (signed)
Notes Five one-panel gags.

5 page Tamaa, Jungle Prince story "Ho, little one!"

Characters Tamaa; Augo (Tamaa's lion)
Synopsis Tamaa must free Augo from a tribe after he is captured as part of a ritual to choose the next chief, and then help the better candidate win.
Genre jungle
Pencils Bob Kipler (signed)
Inks Bob Kipler (signed)

10 page Blue Beetle story "Double Trouble"

Characters Blue Beetle [Dan Garrett]; Spunky; Dick Wilson (F.B.I. agent); Fritz Von Straff (the Nazi Blue Beetle); Himmler
Synopsis The Blue Beetle and Spunky must deal with a complicated plan involving dressing a captured Gestapo agent as a second Blue Beetle. Much double-crossing and confusion ensues, but our heroes carry the day and rescue the captured Americans including Agent Wilson.
Genre superhero
Notes Blue Beetle's sidekick Spunky was called Sparky in earlier issues. Spunky does not wear a costume in this story. "Garrett" has two t's in this story.

1 page advertisement "Omnibus of Pleasure"

Synopsis "Uncensored! A Rare Selection of Fun and Revelry from the World's Most Titillating Tales of LOVE!" The book costs 98 cents, from Strayon Publishers.
Letters typeset

1 page advertisement "You, too can be more beautiful- charming and popular!"

Synopsis "For every girl who wants to be lovely", the book "Better than Beauty" sells for 98 cents, from Herald Publishing Co.
Letters typeset
Notes Inside back cover.

1 page advertisement "Drink a Toast to Our Armed Forces!"

Synopsis Ad for six glasses each showing a member of a branch of the military embracing and kissing a girl.
Letters typeset
Notes Back cover.