Americomics #3

Ted Kord is the Blue Beetle- but before him was another who passed the mantle onto Ted, his old college roomate, Dan Garret. When Kord’s mentor seems to have returned from the dead, Ted can’t begin to suspect the imposter is really a robot that had been designed by his equally-deceased mad uncle.”Return To Pago Island” is written and drawn by Rik Levins, and inked by Bill Black, and features both versions of the character, as published by Charlton in the ’60′s. Then- even before Charlton, there was a ‘Beetle. Published by Fox Features, back in the Golden Age of comics. When mysterious, unnamed gods believe the Earth needs just such a defender once again, they return the Original Blue Beetle to life, this time to save the life of the Ted Kord incarnation from kidnapping gangsters. “To Live Again” is plotted and pencilled by Leo Laney, scripted by Neal Stannard, and inked by Bill Black. It stars the Original Beetle, resplendant in his chain mail costume, drawn in a style very much like late ’60′s Jack Kirby. Finally, The Shade returns in “The Night Has A Thousand Screams”. When parapalegic artist Roger Brant is tortured by visions of death, his spirit must go forth at night as The Shade, and try to avert the bloodshed. An actress blackmailed by a photographer turns to murder, a gang of thugs open fire on a crowded street, and a million other voices in torment cry out to him for help, and The Shade must silence them or go mad. Written and layed out by Bill Black, drawn by Rik Levins and inked by Willie Blyberg. Full color covers by Pat Broderick and Rik Levins, this book is full color throughout, on glossy paper. Standard comic book format Printed in 1983.

This issue has three stories. "Return from Pago Island", "The Blue Beetle to Live Again", "The Night of a Thousand Screams." "The Return from Pago Island" and "The Blue Beetle to Live Again" are stories of what appears to be Dan Garrett coming back to life. The third story "The Night of a Thousand Screams" is about the superhero the Shade. This book also has a back cover. The Back cover is the red background that says Blue Beetle. The other cover is the front cover with the first and second Blue Beetle fighting.

Spoiler Alert

Return from Pago Island

This story starts out with the Ted Kord Blue Beetle breaking up a poker game between some bank robbers. Ted has things in control even when the original Blue Beetle crashes through a wall and throws one of the robber right through a wooden crate. The last two crooks try to escape in their car but Dan just flips it over. Ted is shocked by the whole scene because he saw Dan die on Pago Island. Ted confronts Dan only to get punched in the face. Dan accuses Ted of leaving him to die on Pago Island. He then tells Ted that his job as superhero is over now that he is back.

Ted goes to the Gym at works out as he talks about what has happened to him with his girlfriend Tracy. He tells Tracy how he saw Dan die on Pago Island and how he is going to have to quit being the Blue Beetle. Tracy just throws her clip board at him and ask him if he is sure it is really Dan and not an impostor. That when Ted figures out Dan must be some sort of robot.

Ted quickly changes into his costume and gets into his Bug Ship to face the robot Blue Beetle. They fight for a while and the whole time Ted is outmatched by the robot. Just as it looks it's worse for Ted his Bug Ship shoots the robot with with lasers from the ships antenna. Ted knows he didn't use his remote control to shoot the robot and this is were the story ends with the real Dan waving to his friend from a cloud implying that the spirit or ghost of Dan somehow helped Ted

The Blue Beetle to Live Again

This story attempts to explain the two different origins of the original Blue Beetle Dan Garrett. In the story Dan is brought back to life by two unnamed gods. They go over the origin of Blue Beetle and How he has been brought back to life when he is needed. They explain that the Dan Garrett who took Vitamin X-K was killed by a mad scientists bomb and the second Dan who had powers from a scarab suffered a similar fate. Now he is needed again and they resurrect him and provide a new life for him as a secret agent. This is different from Dan's first two carriers as a police officer and an archaeologist.

Dan wakes up thinking everything that happened to him was a dream but he soon finds a note from the gods that explain that everything is all to real. Dan arrives at the secret agent head quarters were he has been assigned to a less than humerus Ms. Gina Noral. Norel makes it known that she is not a fan of Dan's after reading his secret agent file. Their first mission is to trade the crime boss Terry Spencer for another agent who apparently is the second Blue Beetle Ted Kord.

At the exchange Ted finds out the Mr. Sanchez the current crime boss is just luring Terry out in the open to kill him. He plans on killing Terry, Ted and any other agent who come to drop off Terry. When Ted finds out he tries to fight off the five thugs. During the fight the two agents Gina and Dan show up. Terry runs out of the car and gets gunned down by his own men. Dan instantly changes into the Blue Beetle and the fighting begins. Dan and Gina take out all the crooks and afterwards Ted is shocked to see Dan. The shock however is very short and Ted easily excepts Dan coming back from the dead. Gina tells Ted that he needs to clean up the mess while she gets more acquainted with Dan. After she finds out Dan is the Original Blue Beetle she can't wait to get to know him. This is a complete 180 degree turn around from before. Needless to say Ted is not thrilled being clean up boy.

The Night of a Thousand Screams

Roger Brant a crippled artist draws an image from a photograph of a model. As he looks at the photograph the beautiful young woman turns into a grotesque monster. The photo turns to blood and falls to the floor. The blood then moves to say “Lisa B. 208 Hawthorn, tonight.” Roger knows this is a premonition. He has these premonitions when ever someone is going to commit murder. He lays down in a trance to allow the Shade to leave his corporeal body.

At the studio at 208 Hawthorn Lisa is fighting with a photographer who has some negatives that could ruin her career. The shade is quickly approaching the studio to stop Lisa but he sees a thug shoot another thug in an ally and he stops the murder and leaves him for the police. Shade then gets to the apartment in time to see Lisa stabbing the photographer to death. Shade tells her that the man is dead. He then tells he how ugly murder is and that it changed her beauty. He then directs her to a mirror were she sees her image as a monster that is so horrifying that she jumps out of a window killing herself. As Shade looks down at her he hears gun fire. He looks to see bank robbers shooting as many witnesses as they can while they make their escape. He quickly moves in front of their moving car that wrecks as it smashes into him. The shade hears the police coming and feels it is finally over but then he hears more murders, muggings rapes and suicides. The screams become too much for him and he flies higher and higher over the city.