He may originally have been considered a Green Hornet facsimile, but the Blue Beetle still managed to generate a bit of unique Golden Age buzz. Here's why:

1. Creator Charles Nicholas saw the character debut in the last four pages of Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939. And even today, over 70 years later, a version of the Blue Beetle still exists today as part of the DC Comics Universe.

2. Strangely, no backstory was assigned to this character. Readers never knew from whence he came, why he fought crime in a costume (especially since he was already a cop named Dan Garrett in his everyday life) or why he opted for such a buggy hero name. All these things only served to fuel reader interest.

3. We love that Dan's partner, Mike Mannigan, never figured out that his longtime buddy and colleague was the same guy in the weird blue costume and mask--even though Dan didn't go to particularly great lengths to hide it. And that he also figured the Blue Beetle for a criminal instead of a crimefighter. This, coupled with the fact that Dan's news reporter sweetheart Joan Mason also can't seem to put two and two together, provided a great deal of frustration and comedy for readers.

4. Later, the Blue Beetle developed superpowers via some formula called Vitamin 2X. This substanced, concocted by one "Doctor Franz," granted the Beetle superhuman strength and invulnerability.

5. Though Mystery Men Comics only lasted three years, the Blue Beetle's own comic title nearly survived the '40s, ending in 1948. The character was then obtained by Charlton Comics, where he appeared in reprints during 1955. Nine years later, Charlton reinvented the Blue Beetle and he survived there briefly. Then, DC acquired in the '80s and the Silver Age Beetle became a prominent second-tier character.

6. Today a new version of the character continues the fight against crime.