Americomics #3
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAmericomics #3 (August 1983) is one of a tiny handful of comics to gather all three iterations of Blue Beetle — the Fox Features Golden Age Dan Garret, the Charlton Silver Age Dan Garrett, and the Steve Ditko–created Ted Kord — within a single issue, making it a unique cross-generational showcase of the character's full publishing lineage. The issue also provided the only AC Comics appearance of the Golden Age Blue Beetle before DC's acquisition of the Charlton Action Heroes shut the door on further use, giving it genuine historical finality. Beyond the Beetle stories, it ran a continuing Shade serial and teased the forthcoming Dragonfly character, illustrating the Americomics anthology's dual role as a Charlton clearinghouse and a launch pad for new AC properties. The issue's stories were later noted by critics as remaining faithful to the Ditko-era Charlton continuity while adding creative ambition that distinguished them from typical Charlton output.
"Return from Pago Island!" kicks off a bold, supernatural twist in the Blue Beetle mythos, as the Golden Age hero Dan Garret is resurrected by mysterious gods and thrust into a modern-day espionage role as a C.I.B. agent. His first mission brings him face-to-face with crime boss Terry Spencer and a very surprised Ted Kord—now caught in a high-stakes exchange where the past and present collide. Written by Neal Stannard and Leo Laney, with art by Leo Laney and inks by Bill Black, this 1983 AC release features a striking cover by Pat Broderick.
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The two Blue Beetle stories in this issue were originally written and drawn for the Charlton Bullseye anthology, which was cancelled before they could be published. Publisher and editor Bill Black of AC Comics brokered a deal with Charlton to rescue those orphaned stories and print them in his own full-color direct-market line, resulting in Americomics #3. The centerpiece 'Return to Pago Island' was written and pencilled by Rik Levins — then an emerging talent who would later have a lengthy run on Captain America — and inked by Black, with colors added by Black's wife Rebekah; the back cover by Levins was itself the original planned cover for the Charlton Bullseye version of the story. Pat Broderick, already working at Marvel on titles like Micronauts, painted the front cover depicting both Blue Beetles in combat. Shortly after the issue appeared, Charlton sold the Action Heroes rights to DC Comics, permanently ending AC's ability to publish further stories featuring Ted Kord or any Charlton hero.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published August 1983 by AC Comics (Americomics imprint); full color on glossy paper, standard comic format.
- Contains three complete stories: 'Return to Pago Island' (Ted Kord vs. a Dan Garrett robot), 'To Live Again' (Golden Age Blue Beetle resurrected by unnamed gods to rescue Ted Kord), and 'The Night Has a Thousand Screams' Part 1 (The Shade).
- Both Blue Beetle stories were originally produced for the cancelled Charlton Bullseye anthology and only reached print via AC Comics' licensing arrangement with Charlton.
- 'Return to Pago Island' written and drawn by Rik Levins, inked by Bill Black, colored by Rebekah Black; front cover by Pat Broderick, back cover (originally the intended Charlton Bullseye front cover) by Rik Levins.
- 'To Live Again' — featuring the Golden Age Dan Garret (single 't') in chain-mail costume drawn in a Jack Kirby-tribute style — was plotted and pencilled by Leo Laney, scripted by Neal Stannard, inked by Bill Black; this is the only AC appearance of the Golden Age Blue Beetle.
- The Shade serial ('The Night Has a Thousand Screams') was written and laid out by Bill Black, drawn by Rik Levins, inked by Willie Blyberg; it features paraplegic Vietnam veteran Roger Brant, whose astral form operates as The Shade.
- A one-page advertisement previewing Dragonfly (Nancy Arazello), an AC original character created by Rik Levins, appeared in this issue — she debuted in the following issue, Americomics #4.
- DC Comics acquired the Charlton Action Heroes in 1983 shortly after this issue's publication, making it one of only two AC Comics appearances of Ted Kord as Blue Beetle (alongside the concurrent Americomics Special #1) before those rights were absorbed into the DC Universe.
Cast · 20 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Dan Garret, the Golden Age Blue Beetle, is brought back from the dead by unnamed gods, and becomes a C.I.B. (Central Intelligence Bureau) agent. His first assignment is to trade crime boss Terry Spencer for the kidnapped Ted Kord -- who's surprised to see Dan alive again!
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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