Challengers of the Unknown (1958)

Series · 8 books · 1958-1978

By Arnold Drake, Gerry Conway, Bob Brown, and more

Books in series

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #1

1958

“The Man Who Tampered with Infinity.” A mad scientist uses an “infinity machine” to teleport monsters from other dimensions. “The Human Pets.” An alien boy collects “animals.”

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #5

1958

After receiving reports of a super-powered criminal who has gained mystical flame powers, the Challengers are called by June Robbins to an archaeological expedition. She and Professor Brandon are seeking the mysterious Star-Stone, a powerful stone that would grant temporary powers. When it becomes known that someone is finding each of the four stones, and using them for ill-gotten gain, the Challengers undertake to bring this person to justice.

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #8

1959

The Challengers are visited one day by their honorary member June and her friend Mary, who have brought them a scroll which she found in a castle she had inherited in the land of Mordania. Showing the Challengers tThe scroll intrigues the group enough to check the castle out, but what they find is not what they were expecting!

#20

Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby

1959

From the late 1950s, these are the original tales of four death-defying adventurers and their impossible, unimaginable exploits. After surviving the crash of a small aircraft, test pilot Ace Morgan, daredevil Red Ryan, heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Davis and marine scientist Professor Haley unite as The Challengers of The Unknown. Their mission: to explore the unexplainable for the good of mankind. This beautiful hardcover edition tells the earliest adventurers of these four adventurers as they encounter powerful aliens, deadly robots, and creatures of unknown origins, including a mysterious "star stone" that bestows super-powers, a space circus, monsters from space, a planet populated by robots and more.

#48

Challengers of the Unknown (1958 - 1978) #48

1966

Challengers of the Unknown + Doom Patrol

#83

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #83

1977

“SEVEN DOORWAYS TO DESTINY!” The cultists have June as a hostage. The Challengers get beaten down by cultists, some half-monster. Monroe explains how M’Nagala came from the stars, as recounted in SWAMP THING #8. He demands Rocky and Ace fly to England and perform an incantation from a mystical book and bring M’Nagala’s “family” to Earth. They go, reluctantly. At Challengers Mountain, Clayburne (the wannabe Challenger) uses the computer to analyze Prof’s infection. It recommends Dr. Alec Holland as an expert in “biochemical abnormalities.” Clayburne flies to Oregon, where Holland teaches, and he agrees to help. Outside London, Rocky chants at midnight in a pentacle, while Ace fetches a pack of jet fuel. M’Nagala-kin try to burst through a portal, all icky tentacles and squishy guts, but Ace chucks the fuel pod “just like Jaws” and shoots, destroying the monster and shutting the portal. Clayburne and Holland land in Perdition, but in the dark, Holland starts to revert to Swamp Thing as his bio-restorative formula wears off. They find Prof half-consumed by icky polyps.

#84

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #84

1978

“TO SAVE A MONSTER/WHEN DEADMEN WALK.” Prof is infected with an alien fungus. Swamp Thing watches from cover and is attacked by a wolf, but brushes it off. The wolf is possessed by Deadman, who asks Rama Kushna why he’s there. Back at Challengers Mountain, the heroes can’t cure Prof’s disease. Angry, Ace orders Gaylord to take a walk, which he does. Deadman tries a cure, diving in to possess Prof and fighting from within. Prof sloughs off the fungus and Deadman passes out. Prof wakes, healthy, and announces that Swamp Thing is Dr. Alec Holland, who’s wandered off and needs help. The Challengers search, but Swamp Thing has hopped a freight for Philadelphia. Deadman tries to possess Swamp Thing and bounces—he’s already possessed! Deadman possesses Ace and announces that Swamp Thing is in Philly, where Swamp Thing rages to the state asylum and the cell of Duncan Pramble, the former Multi-Man.

#86

Challengers of the Unknown (1958-1978) #86

1978

“THE WAR AT TIME’S END.” In the present, Prof is wheelchair-bound in Challengers Mountain, where he is attacked by a mutant lizard from the future. Future-boxes keep releasing monsters around the world, and Red (who quit) battles some in the streets. In the future, Rocky, Ace, June, Swamp Thing and Deadman find Rip Hunter (and his crew) are brainwashed pawns of the despotic Sunset Lords. After a fight, they’re overwhelmed and captured, but Deadman, sneaking around in a borrowed body, meets Lucas Lawspeaker and his rebels.

Authors

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name William Robert "Bob" Brown was an American comic book artist with an extensive career spanning the early 1940s through to the 1970s. He attended the Hartford Art School as well as the Rhode Island School of Design. With writers Edmond Hamilton and Gardner Fox, Brown created the DC Comics hero Space Ranger, drawing the character's complete run from 1958 to 1965. He also pencilled the DC’s Challengers of the Unknown (taking over from Jack Kirby) for over ten years; and had notable runs on DC's Superboy and Marvel Comics' Daredevil. Brown also co-created the character Talia al Ghul with writer Dennis O'Neil as a recurring romantic interest for Batman. His work has appeared in DC's Action Comics, Detective Comics, Doom Patrol, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Tales of the Unexpected, World's Finest Comics; Marvel’s The Avengers, Warlock, and the French comic series Big Boy. Brown enjoyed steady work from both DC and Marvel until his untimely death in 1977 from leukemia. He had just signed on as the new artist on Wonder Woman (#231) but only completed a single issue which was released two weeks after his death. He was eulogized in August 1977 issues of Marvel titles, with special mention given to his fostering "better communication between American and European cartoonists."

Jack Kirby

Author · 86 books

Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."