| Characters |
Challengers of the Unknown (Ace Morgan, Rocky Davis, Prof Haley, Red Ryan, Corinna Stark), Deadman, Jonny Double, Vashnu, Dr McJames, unnamed daughter, Seth Gross, Nodo. |
| Synopsis |
Deadman narrates the story. Dr. McJames steals the Ruby of Khafir and gives it to a hunchback, Nodo, in an old tower. Johnny Double, PI, breaks in and arrests McJames - then consults the Challengers about the "unknown". (Rocky and Red continue their fight for Corinna's attention.) McJames was forced to steal from the museum. And his daughter lies in a coma. Corinna hypnotizes McJames. His daughter's spirit was ghost-napped and locked in a doll's coffin by Seth Gross, who harbors an ancient grudge. The Challs visit the tower, where Corinna sees Seth Gross hanging on a gallows! Inside, they chase the hunchback for the tiny coffin, but it shatters. The girl's spirit is snatched away. They failed! Deadman, invisible to all, takes over. Alerted by Vashnu, Deadman pursues Gross, who's really a petty magician who can astral-project. Deadman possesses Gross's body, blocking him out. He rescues the girl's spirit so she awakens, fit and fine. The Challengers are puzzled but thrilled. And Seth Gross goes insane and remains an undead ghost! |
| Genre |
adventure |
| Script |
Denny O'Neil |
| Pencils |
George Tuska (pages 1-16); Neal Adams (pages 1, 17-23) |
| Inks |
George Tuska; Neal Adams |
| Notes |
Apparently Neal Adams had drawn an 8-pager where Deadman helped the Challengers battle a ghost. Denny O'Neil wrote it, as he'd written all the latest Challengers stories. They folded the Deadman story guest-starring the Challs into the Challengers book. But they needed more pages. So Denny wrote more backstory and George Tuska drew it. The backstory contains what Deadman explains on the fly, providing further evidence the Adams half came first. The result is this: Page 1 = 1/2 Adams Deadman and 1/2 Tuska. The page is literally sliced in half. Pages 2 - 16 are Tuska drawing the Challengers. Pages 17-23 are all Adams Deadman ending the story. If this theory is correct, then we really have an 8-page Deadman story stuck on the back end of a Challengers comic. Deadman completists might want to note that." - Clayton Emery (July, 2006) |
| Reprinted |
in World's Finest Comics (DC, 1941 series) #230 (June 1975) |