[7] Garret later donned a bulletproof blue costume made of lightweight, yet durable cellulose and temporarily gained superhuman strength and stamina via "Vitamin 2X".

The supporting cast remained fairly stable throughout this original run and included Joan Mason, a reporter for the Daily Blade who starred in solo backup stories, and Mike Mannigan, Dan's police partner who believed him to be a criminal.

Dr. Franz, a pharmacist and the creator of Dan's bulletproof suit and 2X formula, played a large role in early issues but eventually faded from the cast.

[9] During World War II, Garret became a government agent who was often sent overseas on secret missions, but after peace was declared he returned to his former role of neighborhood cop.

[10] A popular character in his era, the Blue Beetle had his own short-lived comic strip, drawn by a pseudonymous Jack Kirby and others, and a radio serial that ran for 48 thirteen-minute episodes.

This Beetle was archaeologist Dan Garrett, who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including super strength, x-ray vision, flight, and the ability to generate energy blasts) from a mystical scarab he found during a dig in Egypt, where it had been used to imprison an evil mummified pharaoh.

[14] This version, by writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico, was played at least initially for camp, with stories like "The Giant Mummy Who Was Not Dead".

Subsequent appearances by Dan Garrett (in flashback stories) include guest spots or cameos in Infinity, Inc., Captain Atom, JLA: Year One, and Legends of the DC Universe.

In issue #0 of the Project Superpowers miniseries, the Fox Feature Syndicate version of the Blue Beetle appeared in flashbacks (as by now the character/spelling "Dan Garret" was in the public domain).