And here’s his gramps:
The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garret (note the spelling with only one t!) – a rookie police officer who wore a special bulletproof costume and used a gun as well as various technical gadgets such as a wrist-mounted mini-radio, a “Beetle Signal” flashlight, a “BeetleMobile” car and a “BeetleBird” airplane. He later gained super powers such as super strength and healing abilities, increased speed, heightened senses, and enhanced intellectual capacity from the secret experimental “vitamin 2X”.
The orginal Blue Beetle (Fox Features) is a public domain character: http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Beetle_(Fox)
Note: Not to be confused with the Charlton Version of the Blue Beetle, who was Dan Garrett (with 2 t’s) – an archaeologist who discovered an ancient magical blue scarab that gave him super strength, flight, and the ability to shoot lightning bolts.
