COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK – “Secret Origins” #2 (May 1986)

This week’s “Comic Book of the Week” is “Secret Origins” #2, which was published by DC Comics in May 1986. This comic was titled “Echoes of Future Past” and featured the origin stories of the two men who battled bad guys under the guise of Blue Beetle. This issue’s creative team included Len Wein, writer; Gil Kane, illustrator; John Costanza, letterer; Anthony Tollin, colorist and Julius Schwartz, editor, with a “tip of the hat” to Joe Gill, Tony Tallarico, D.C. Glanzman and Steve Ditko. Ed Hannigan, Kane and Ricardo Villagran were the cover artists for this issue, which sold for 75 cents at newsstands.

“Secret Origins” #2 was a 32-page issue that begins at Midwestern University, where famous archaeologist and visiting professor Daniel Garrett is leading a class on Egyptian archaeology. One of the students in his class is a young undergraduate named Ted Kord, an electronics major who is taking the class as an elective. At the end of class, Kord congratulates Garrett, who reminds me a lot of Indiana Jones, for getting permission to lead a new archaeological expedition in Egypt.

Garrett tells Kord that he has mixed feelings about the upcoming dig in Egypt but was convinced to take part by Professor Luri Hoshid. Garrett wonders why Kord is so interested in his business, and Kord replies by saying that maybe he’s a little jealous. Not only does the dig sound fun, but Kord’s also intrigued by the mysteries the archaeologists might uncover.

Fast forward to months later, and Garrett and the attractive Professor Hoshid are standing at the entrance to the tomb of Pharaoh Kha-Ef-Re, who had the reputation for being a “cruel, sinful man, eager to bring pain and death to those around him – a monster in human form, who had allied himself with the powers of darkness.” Garrett blows off these tales as “superstitious drivel” by inviting Hoshid out for a night on the town in exotic Cairo.

Hoshid can’t say no, and a short time later they’re on their way to Cairo aboard Garrett’s personal jet. Suddenly and without warning, we’re reminded that they’re in the Middle East when they start taking anti-aircraft fire from a gun emplacement below. Hoshid fears that they’ve strayed over the disputed territory of General Amenhotep, a renegade military officer believed to be the last descendant of a mighty Egyptian pharaoh with dreams of taking over the world. Garrett manages to fly his jet out of the line of fire and vows to kick Amenhotep’s butt if they ever cross paths.

Later that evening, Garrett and Hoshid find themselves in “Rick’s,” a fancy restaurant in downtown Cairo. As chance would have it, Amenhotep’s seated just a few tables away and Garrett and Hoshid see him abusing the restaurant’s waiters. Garrett gets up and gives Amenhotep a dose of his own medicine by grabbing him by the front of his shirt. The general’s obviously not used to this kind of treatment and begins quivering like a dog. Amenhotep’s henchmen step in, and Garrett whips a room full of them before fleeing the scene with Hoshid.

The next morning, Garrett and Hoshid are back at their dig and prepare to be the first people in over 4,000 years to enter the Kha-Ef-Re’s tomb. Hoshid says she’s a little scared and notes that their hired help has split. Garrett shrugs it off, and they enter the tomb to find that it’s immaculate and undisturbed. Amongst “grotesque” statues and hieroglyphics they find what they were looking for all along – the sealed sarcophagus of Kha-Ef-Re, which is atop a sacrificial altar still stained with the blood of his many victims.

Upon closer inspection, Garrett finds an ancient azure scarab, that is, a blue beetle, on the mummy’s chest. When Garrett lifts it off the sarcophagus, he appears to be transported to another dimension, where he finds himself addressed by a giant pharaoh on a throne. This godlike being tells Garrett that the power of the sacred scarab has brought him before his throne to received a most wondrous gift.

As a man of courage and honor, the fates have chosen Garrett to be the “champion of all mankind” to battle the forces of evil wherever he finds them. All Garrett has to do to invoke the power of the sacred scarab is speak the “holy words” – Kaji Dha! – which literally means “I loose the Scarab!” Garrett swears to do as he’s told, and he wakes back up in Kha-Ef-Re’s tomb beside Hoshid.

Garrett now appears to have super powers because he can sense through the tomb’s walls that Amenhotep’s overhead in a private jet getting ready to drop a bomb on top of the tomb. Garrett wastes no time, speaks the magic words and is immediately transformed into the Blue Beetle. Amenhotep drops the bomb, and Garrett and Hoshid avoid injury by hiding beneath a stone arch.

Things go from bad to worse when the mummy of Kha-Ef-Re emerges from the rubble. Apparently, the “unknown radiation” of Amenhotep’s bomb has not only resurrected the mummy but has also caused it to begin “growing larger by the second.” Garrett gets Hoshid to safety as the mummy grows too large for the tomb. Garrett and the mummy battle it out for a while before Garrett beats him down and causes the mummy to shrink back to his normal size. Garrett then takes out Amenhotep by destroying his desert arsenal.

The gods reward Garrett by allowing him to keep the sacred scarab so that he can continue his “sacred mission” to “protect mankind against undying evil.” Garrett and Hoshid part ways as Blue Beetle flies off into a “life of unending adventure.” The next page shows him taking on such bad guys as Mr. Thunderbolt, the Praying Mantis, Mentor the Magnificent, the Red Knight, Magno-Man and Mister Crabb before Blue Beetle vanishes from the public eye.

Several years pass until the “hand of fate knocks once more on Dan Garrett’s door.” Garrett’s living in virtual seclusion back in the U.S. when he’s paid a late night visit by his old student, Ted Kord. Kord’s got a big problem, and he’s come to his old professor for help. Kord explains that up until recently he’d worked in his Uncle Jarvis’ lab. Kord was working on some type of chemical formula, but he didn’t know all the details about his uncle's work.

Kord eventually perfects an important chemical solution and convinces his uncle to tell him what they’ve been working on. Jarvis tells Kord that he’ll explain everything in the morning, but as Kord steps out onto the street on his way home, his uncle's lab is rocked by a powerful explosion. Kord unsuccessfully tries to rescue his uncle, but the roaring flames prevent him from getting back inside.

Kord eventually watches as firemen remove a body that’s burned beyond recognition from his uncle's building. Later, Kord searches the building and finds a fireproof box that’s undamaged by the explosion. He opens the box at his apartment and finds that it contains a map of Pago Island, a bunch of undecipherable notes and a reel of movie film. Kord watches the movie and finally learns the true nature of his uncle’s research.

Kord tells Garrett that his uncle was trying to construct an army of unstoppable robots and that his research was the key to making the robots indestructible. Kord isn’t 100 percent sure that his uncle is dead and wants Garrett to help him locate his uncle’s hidden Pago Island workshop. They agree to team up and arrive at Pago Island several days later.

Just as soon as they land on the island, they’re met by a group of Jarvis’ powerful robots. They take Kord and Garrett prisoner and smash their boat to bits. The robots take their prisoners to a cavern deep beneath the island where they come face to face with Jarvis, who is obviously a madman. The cavern’s been transformed into a huge underground facility for building his robot army, and Jarvis explains that “foreign interests” have given him money and equipment to further his project.

Jarvis admits to faking his own death and shows off the latest model of his super-android. The robot can withstand acid, fire and explosives thanks to Kord’s chemical formula. After his session of show and tell, Jarvis commands his robots to crush Kord and Garrett. At that point, Garrett outs with his sacred scarab and says the magic words. Seconds later, he’s the Blue Beetle and begins showing Jarvis just how destructible his robots are.

Jarvis watches as the Blue Beetle single-handedly wrecks his android army, and he figures the only way to salvage his plans is to blow up his facility. Jarvis activates something called the “elector,” which overloads the entire system and causes his robots to explode. Garrett throws himself on top of Kord, and the explosion kills Jarvis. Kord weathers the explosion just fine, but Garrett’s mortally wounded. Kord promises Garrett that he will carry on the tradition of Blue Beetle a few seconds before the floor and ceiling collapses. Garrett, along with his sacred scarab, is buried in the rubble, and Kord escapes the cavern just in time.

Kord returns to civilization and begins thinking about how he’s going to fulfill his promise to Garrett without the source of his supernatural powers. Kord realizes that he’ll have to rely on his own mental and physical abilities and starts by constructing a high-tech vehicle called the “Bug.” Not only can it fly and travel underwater like a submarine, but it also contains radar, a remote-control piloting system, a lab and sleeping quarters.

To develop his physical abilities, Kord embarks on a rigorous physical training regimen to build up his body. He also makes a new costume, complete with a mask to protect his identity, and a gun that emits a strobe light that will give him a split-second edge against his enemies without spilling any blood. The issue ends by telling readers to check out a new monthly magazine that will chronicle the new adventures of Blue Beetle.

This comic (unless I’ve sold it) and others are available for purchase through Peacock’s Books on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in buying it, search for it there by title, issue number and date of publication.