| Issue | #12 |
| Published | February-March 1960 |
| Cover Price | 0.10 |
| Pages | 36 |
| Editing | Jack Schiff (Editor); Murray Boltinoff (Associate Editor); George Kashdan (Associate Editor) |
| Notes | Learn more about the Challengers at www.challengersoftheunknown.com. |
| Genre | Adventure; Hero Team |
| Pencils | Bob Brown |
| Inks | Bob Brown |
| Characters | Challengers of the Unknown [Ace Morgan; Rocky Davis; Prof Haley; Red Ryan]; S'ntaga; Krandanians; alien giants |
| Synopsis | S’Ntaga is the Superman of the planet Krandan. Four-armed alien giants ravage his world, but he chases them off and follows them to Earth. The giants blast land, towns, and property on Earth. The Challengers can’t stop them, and Prof is blasted, near death. S’Ntaga arrives and plunks Prof in suspended animation, then a revitalizing machine. The heroes discover the aliens build a diabolical machine inside a force field: they’re renegades out to conquer their home world. S’Ntaga’s weapons don’t work here. But Prof returns, so “revitalized” he has super-strength. Using Prof as a battering ram, S’Ntaga breaches the force field, plants a hyper-bomb, and blows up the renegades and their machine. Prof’s powers will wear off in time, and S’Ntaga returns to his home world. |
| Genre | Adventure; Hero Team |
| Script | Ed Herron |
| Pencils | Bob Brown |
| Inks | Bob Brown |
| Notes | Writer identification from Bob Hughes. |
| Genre | Fact |
| Letters | Typeset |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Script | Jack Schiff |
| Pencils | Curt Swan |
| Inks | Stan Kaye |
| Characters | Challengers of the Unknown [Ace Morgan; Rocky Davis; Prof Haley; Red Ryan]; June Robbins; Dr. Fenton; Dr. Fenton's two assistants |
| Synopsis | June Robbins helps Dr. Fenton in animal research in Africa. One night a monkey grows huge (she’s told), bursts from the lab, and escapes. June calls in the Challengers. They’re inspecting their new headquarters, Challenger Mountain, when the call comes. They find June a hostage in a cage! Dr. Fenton demands the Challengers find three artifacts scattered fairly close: a chest atop a mountain, a bottle beneath the sea, and a ruby from an idol’s forehead. They were made by an ancient alchemist and grant fabulous power, etc. The boys trot off. Red tries to scale the mountain, but falls and is injured. Ace rescues him with a balloon. They find the chest, but it looks suspiciously new. Off the coast, Prof skirts sharks to find the bottle, but is nabbed by an octopus. He stirs up the water so the sharks attack the octopus, and escapes. But the bottle looks new. Rocky ducks natives to steal the ruby from an idol in a temple, but is grabbed by a gorilla! He wrestles free and escapes. The guys compare stories, then deliver the items to Dr. Fenton. But June has already picked the lock and escaped! Ace tests a theory, and unscrews the ruby into two halves. It fires tremendous bursts of solar energy: it’s a solar battery. The guys pound Fenton’s two assistants. Dr. Fenton shoots at Ace but smashes one half of the ruby. The power’s lost, and the bad guys go to jail. |
| Genre | Adventure; Hero Team |
| Script | Ed Herron ? |
| Pencils | Bob Brown |
| Inks | Bob Brown |
| Notes | The Challengers get a new secret hideout, Challenger Mountain. Writer identification from Bob Hughes. |
| Reprinted | in Superman Presents World's Finest Comic Monthly (K. G. Murray, 1965 series) #119; in Brave and the Bold, The (DC, 1955 series) #115 (October-November 1974) |
| Letters | Typeset |
| Notes | Appears after the eighth page of the second story. |
| Script | Henry Boltinoff |
| Pencils | Henry Boltinoff |
| Inks | Henry Boltinoff |
| Notes | Appears before the ninth page of the second story. |