"Blue Beet-le, Blue Beet-le
Blue Beet-le, when you need some help he'll save the day!"
Blue Beet-le, when you need some help he'll save the day!"
- Theme song, parodying the theme to 1967 Spider-Man cartoon
DC Showcase: Blue Beetle is a 2021 short animated film included in the bonus features of Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2, starring Blue Beetle and The Question, voiced by Matt Lanter and David Kaye respectively.
Made in the style of a 1960s Saturday-Morning Cartoon, the short follows crime fighter Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) during a fight against a gang of criminals known as the Squid Gang. He then meets fellow crime fighter the Question, with the unlikely duo uncovering a sinister conspiracy.
The short is part of the Tomorrowverse, with Lanter and Kaye reprising their roles as Beetle and Question in the 2024 film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths.
DC Showcase: Blue Beetle includes examples of:
- The '60s: The short is seemingly set in this decade, with Beetle and the Question meeting a hippie/beatnik.
- Affectionate Parody: Of the Saturday morning cartoons of the 1960s, such as Spider-Man (1967). The short makes fun of all the mistakes and ridiculous plots common in these types of cartoon, but the characters are depicted as well rounded and heroic who treat the current threat seriously
- Blue Is Heroic: As usual Beetle's costume is dark and light blue with some black, while the Question meanwhile wears a light blue suit under his trenchcoat. They are both the heroes of the short, since both Captain Atom and Nightshade are being mind controlled.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: After encountering Captain Atom and Nightshade, Beetle points out that they're both Charlton Comics characters while holding up a comic.
- Heroic Willpower: The Question is able to resist Dr Spectro's emotional manipulating weapon by focusing on objective facts.
- Limited Animation: As part of the Stylistic Suck, the short often reuses certain animations for the characters.
- Saturday-Morning Cartoon: It's almost easy to believe that this is one.
- Science Hero: Beetle is a scientific genius who designs everything the heroes use to solve the conspiracy.
- Stylistic Suck: The short intentionally has all the flaws of an old fashioned superhero cartoon from the 1960s, including stiff animation, the audio not matching the movements of the mouth, and mistakes in coloring (with the colors in Beete's costume being inverted at one point).
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Beetle and Question argue about everything, with Beetle being annoyed by the Question's belief in objective facts, but they do work well together and Beetle does admit that he considers Question to be a friend. Question then ruins it by dismissing the concept of friendship.
