Mystery Men Comics #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMystery Men Comics #4 (November 1939) is one of the earliest appearances of Dan Garret — the original Blue Beetle, the founding character of a superhero identity that would endure across Fox, Holyoke, Charlton, and ultimately DC Comics for more than eight decades. The issue sits at a critical developmental moment: Blue Beetle's visual identity was still being assembled on the fly, and this issue represents a key step in the character's costume evolving away from his pulp-mystery-man debut look toward the chainmail silhouette that defines the Golden Age version. As part of Fox Feature Syndicate's flagship anthology during the earliest months of the superhero era, the issue documents the chaotic, inventive energy of a publisher that was essentially improvising the grammar of the superhero genre one month at a time.
In "Nicoli, Scientist of Crime," Sheriff Wennerstrom closes a two-year manhunt for the killer of Marshall Stewart, finally cornering the fugitive in a small Arkansas diner. Written and illustrated by Lee Harris, this 1939 tale from Mystery Men Comics #4 blends noir tension with early pulp intrigue, while Lou Fine’s striking cover captures the moment with sharp, dynamic flair.
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Mystery Men Comics was Fox Feature Syndicate's second title, launched in August 1939 — the same month it debuted both the Blue Beetle and the Green Mask. The Blue Beetle feature in the early issues was drawn by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, working under the house pseudonym 'Charles Nicholas' for the Eisner & Iger studio; the Grand Comics Database tentatively credits Will Eisner as scripter of the early stories. Victor Fox, who ran the Syndicate, had little systematic plan for character development in these opening issues, and the supporting cast and costume details were introduced sporadically — meaning each issue in this early run, including #4, represents a genuinely distinct evolutionary snapshot of the character.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: November 1939; published by Fox Feature Syndicate as part of a monthly anthology series that ran 31 issues (August 1939 – February 1942).
- Contains an early appearance of Dan Garret as the Blue Beetle — only the fourth installment of the character's run in this title, following his debut in Mystery Men Comics #1 (August 1939).
- The cover of the issue is by Lou Fine, who provided striking covers for multiple early issues of the series featuring the Green Mask.
- The Blue Beetle's costume was in active transition during these early issues; by issue #4 the look was moving toward the classic Golden Age chainmail appearance, away from the plain business-suit-and-mask of his debut.
- Dr. Franz — the pharmacist who supplies Blue Beetle's bulletproof suit and Vitamin 2X formula — had not yet been introduced in the Mystery Men Comics run as of issue #4; his first appearance in this title comes in issue #5.
- The issue is an anthology featuring multiple Fox features alongside Blue Beetle, including the Green Mask, Rex Dexter, Wing Turner, Zanzibar, Hemlock Shomes, Lt. Drake, Chen Chang, Captain Savage, Inspector Bancroft, and D-13.
- The Blue Beetle character (Dan Garret) was created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski (credited under the house name 'Charles Nicholas'), with the Grand Comics Database tentatively attributing scripting of the early run to Will Eisner.
- The Blue Beetle lineage that began in this series — Fox to Holyoke to Charlton to DC Comics — eventually produced two successor heroes (Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes), making this early run the root of one of comics' most enduring legacy identities.
Cast · 2 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
After the murder of Marshall Stewart, Sheriff Wennerstrom goes on a two-year chase of the criminal, finally arresting him in a local restuarant on Arkansas.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
Key issues in Mystery Men Comics
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.