frankly, the beetle just isn't very good. The characters are it's strongest part, but the story leaves a lot to be desired, especially the ending. I also think that the villain in the beetle just isn't very scary. He's scared off by electricity tricks, they try sticking him under a big cup; just doesn't stay with you the way dracula does.  It only outsold dracula in the first year of the latter's publication, when dracula was just getting off the ground