Charlton entered the Silver Age with some grisly horror (with early work from Steve Ditko) science fiction (more Ditko) westerns, romance, and funny animals (Al Fago's Atomic Mouse, most notably). They kept their heads down and coasted through the witch hunts of the 50s. meanwhile, other companies weren't doing so well and Charlton picked up some bargains, acquiring titles, characters, and inventory material from other publishers, who were giving up the ghost. While this was going on, DC launch a revival of the superhero (though they never stopped publishing them, as the Trinity were still going strong). Charlton had a superhero of their own in the material they acquired, the Blue Beetle, from Fox Comics. Charlton wasted no time and reprinted some of Fox's stories, in Space Adventures #13.
It did well enough that they followed with 4 issues of a revived Blue Beetle.
However, the audience was rather indifferent and Charlton's spotty distribution probably didn't help get it into their hands. So, back to the vaults for Dan Garret
DC and Marvel continued with their superhero success; so, Charlton gave it a go, again. Once again, Space Adventures would be the launching point. This time, though, they had Ditko...
Our hero is Allen Adam, a technician on a space rocket, who is trapped inside at launch, shot into space, where the rocket explodes. He miraculously survives and returns to Earth in a orangish-red and yellow costume (a sort of chain mail), which protects people from the radiation of his new nuclear powers.
Ditko had taken some time off in the mid-50s, due to tuberculosis, and started working for Atlas when he recovered. He still did some freelance work for Charlton, especially as Atlas suffered their publishing and financial setbacks. It is during this period that Joe Gill and Steve Ditko conceived and executed the initial run of Captain Atom. The stories themselves are a product of the Cold War, as Captain Atom fights foreign agents and alien invaders. Ditko didn't do every story, as Rocke Mastroserio fills in on a few and the difference is notable. It is Ditko who makes Captain Atom work, even with the somewhat cliched stories, though Gill does manage some good scripts, here and there. However, as with the Blue Beetle revival, the series proves short-lived. Ditko moves on to helping launch the Marvel Age, with the debut of Spider-Man, followed by Doctor Strange. Eventually, Steve has his falling out with Stan Lee and Martin Goodman and departs Marvel for Charlton, where he had experienced the freedom to do things his way.
While Steve was gone, helping to revitalize Marvel, Charlton again saw that superheroes were the way to go and decided to re-enter the field. This time, though, the editor in charge was Dick Giordano. After Al Fago left Charlton, Pat Masulli was put in charge of the comics. Eventually, Giordano was promoted to oversee the comics, while Masulli concentrated more on the business end of things. Giordano wasted no time in launching his own line of superheroes, dubbed Action heroes, to differentiate them from the competition. The start was a little rocky.
The Blue Beetle was revived in 1964, as Dan Garrett, with two Ts, an archeologist who discovers a mystical scarab that gives him super powers. The previous Beetle, Dan Garret, with one T, had taken a super vitamin to gain his powers. That was tossed out as was his original chain mail costume. The new look was a blue bodysuit and red goggle, with a red fin on his head and red gloves. The tone was also turned into something less serious, as Charlton tried the same tact as Archie, with their Mighty Heroes revival. So, readers were presented with the campy adventures of the Blue Beetle and boy did they stay away! This campier Dan Garrett quickly became hated by the readers who encountered him and became a bad joke within the burgeoning fan community.The series was cancelled, though it got another chance, the next year...
Joe Gill was hardly producing his best work and his artists were not in Ditko's league. Things died away again, until Giordano was able to capitalize on Steve Ditko's departure from Marvel.
This time, Ditko created a brand new character: scientist/inventor/entrepreneur Ted Kord, an acrobatic fighter, who used his flash gun and other scientific devices to fight crime. He moves around in his combination flying vehicle/laboratory, the Bug, from which he drops out of on a trapeze line, swinging into action. From the get-go, Ditko infused this version with the action and thrills that were setting Marvel on fire.
The scripts were credited to DC (David Charles) Glanzman, brother of artist Sam Glanzman. However, in the Comic Book Artist #9, it was revealed that Ditko scripted his own stories; but, didn't want his name on the writing, for whatever reason. DC Glanzman was on staff at Charlton and his name was used for credits in place of others; but, his work was in other areas (including possibly color coordination, according to Sam's foggy memory). What is obvious is that Ditko has taken the same ideas that infused his Spider-Man plots and applied them with Ted Kord. The wall-to-wall action, the scientific genius, the earnest young man (though an adult) are all there.
Issue two gives us an origin for Ted, as we learn that he was a friend of Dan Garrett and takes over the role after Garrett has been mortally wounded.
Ted creates The Bug and his costume and equipment and sets out on his war on crime.
Issue 3 sees Ted run up against the Mad Men, a gang of kooky criminals, who bear a slight resemblance to a later Ditko creation...
Ditko is having a blast on these comics, filling them with fun and putting the Action in Action Hero. In these three issues, he set the tone for the Blue Beetle that has been followed ever since; well, until DC unceremoniously killed off Ted Kord, in their abominable (my opinion) Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Prior to that, though, Ted had been featured in his own terrific series, with Len Wein on the scripts, which also revived the Mad Men, as well as in JLI, where he was paired up with Booster Gold, as a "Lucy & Ethel" duo, though Beetle was still show to be a capable hero and scientist. In his own series, Beetle was allowed to continue his Charlton tradition, mostly unchanged, becoming one of the few Charlton Action Heroes who wasn't tinkered with.
Thankfully, the animated Batman folks let Ted go out like the hero he was...
You will notice, from the covers, that Ted had some company in his series, from another Ditko creation: The Question. We'll get back to him and see Ditko bring Ayn Rand more to the forefront of his stories.
Blue Beetle came to an end with the 5th issue; but, the character would come back in the pages of Captain Atom.
Ted eventually gave up his spot to Nightshade and, that was pretty much it, for solo stories. That would pretty much be it, until he turned up in the Charlton Bullseye fanzine and the comic book version, in the first issue. From there, it was two quick appearances at AC Comics and then Crisis on Infinite Earths, debuting the Charlton Action heroes, on Earth-4.
Next up, we look more in depth at Captain Atom and his revival by Ditko.