Challengers of the Unknown (1958 DC 1st Series) comic books in grade FN or better

"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." Script and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Marvin Stein. Cover by Kirby and Stein. Cover price $0.10.

1st appearance of Volcano Man. "The 1,001 Impossible Inventions." A pair of criminals use weapons stolen from a futuristic museum. "Master of the Volcano Men." Flaming volcanic rock monsters battle the Challengers. Art and cover by Bob Brown. One-page text piece with bios of Brown and Arnold Drake. Cover price $0.12.

"Four Roads to Doomsday." The Challengers are tricked into disabling four machines that supposedly threaten the planet. "The War Between the Challenger Teams." Two teams of Challengers (Rocky and Prof vs. Ace and Red) unknowingly battle each other after getting mixed up in a conflict between fish men and lava men. Art and cover by Bob Brown. Superman stars in a one-page public service announcement, "Pennies for UNICEF!" Cover price $0.12.

Add to cart FN+ 6.5 $35.00 View scans Cover oxidation.

"Multi-Man...Villain Turned Hero." Multi-Man loses his memory becomes an ally of the Challengers. "The Fifth Challenger." A playboy named George Clayborn wants to become the fight Challenger. Art and cover by Bob Brown. Statement of ownership--average paid circulation 195,000. Cover price $0.12.

Add to cart FN 6.0 $32.99 View scans Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

"License to Kill." The Challengers go to Mexico to find an antidote for a dying scientist. While there, they clash with an Aztec tribe. Features the origin of Ace Morgan. Script by Arnold Drake, art and cover by Bob Brown. Letter to the editor from Irene Vartanoff. Cover price $0.12.

Add to cart FN+ 6.5 $42.49 View scan Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout. Graded by MCS, not consignor.

"Seekeenakee, the Petrified Giant." The worshipers of a stone god called Seekeenakee seek to control the world. Naturally, the Challengers intervene. Script by Arnold Drake, art by Bob Brown. Cover by Gil Kane. Cover price $0.12.

Add to cart FN 6.0 $14.25

"Invitation to a Hanging." The Challengers battle a foursome of creepy foes. Script by Robert Kanigher, art by Jack Sparling. Cover by Joe Kubert. Letter to the editor from comic writer Tony Isabella. Cover price $0.12.

Add to cart CGC 9.2 $85.00 or Best Offer View scans Paper: Off white to white Label #1221319013 Consignment. 3% buyer's premium charged at checkout.

"To Call a Deadman." Deadman helps the Challengers defeat evil magician Seth Gross. Script by Denny O'Neil, art by George Tuska (pgs. 1-16) and Neal Adams (pgs. 17-23). Cover by Adams. One-page article, "So You Want To Be a Cartoonist?" Cover price $0.15.

Add to cart FN 6.0 $10.75

Last 15-cent cover price (the next issue will not appear for another two years). Cover pencils by Jack Kirby. "The Menace of the Ancient Vials!" (Reprint from Showcase 12), script by Dave Wood, pencils by Jack Kirby, art assist by Wally Wood; Karnak and his men land on an island while trying to escape from the Challengers; There they find Amos Hunter and 5 mysterious vials; The first vial makes two members of the gang into giants; The next vial releases a fiery salamander that begins to burn down the island; The fiery salamander is defeated but the third vial releases a giant octopus creature; The fourth vial turns Karnak into 50 copies of himself. One-page text history of the Challengers comic. 36 pgs., full color. $0.15. Cover price $0.15.

Add to cart Fine $10.75

Add to cart Fine $10.75

Last 20-cent cover price (the next issue will not appear for another four years). Cover by Nick Cardy. "The Day The Earth Blew Up" (Reprint from Showcase 11), script by Dave Wood, pencils by Jack Kirby; At the Pentagon, Navy officers and scientists are stumped; Two scientists mysteriously disappeared in Antarctica; They call in "men capable of handling the unknown"; Ace, Rocky, and Red fly off, picking up Prof along the way; Off New Guinea, Prof is astounded to find a volcano rising from the sea bed; In the Antarctic, the Challengers snow-tractor toward the mystery spot; The tractor bogs in a snowstorm and needs repairs; Ace and Rocky explore and fall through thin ice!; They land on a futuristic bridge; Above, Prof and Red are captured by skinny orange aliens in bubble-suits. 36 pgs., full color. $0.20. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Add to cart FN 6.0 $7.20

First 35-cent cover price. Cover pencils by Michael Netzer (as Mike Nasser), inks by Neal Adams. New stories begin again: "Multi-Man's Master Plan," script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Michael Netzer (as Mike Nasser), inks by Bob Wiacek; The Challengers race against time to stop Multi Man and save June from his clutches. Story continues from Super-Team Family (DC, 1975 series) #10. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart FN/VF 7.0 $10.00 Cover oxidation.

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Cover pencils by Michael Netzer (as Mike Nasser), inks by Joe Rubinstein. "The Lurker Below," script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Michael Netzer (as Mike Nasser), inks by Joe Rubinstein; Prof is dying of an all-consuming fungus infection; Rocky, June, Ace, and Red rush him to their jet; Gaylord Clayburne, playboy-Challenger-wannabe, learned Prof was sick and found a specialist to heal him; Ignoring Clayburne, the Challengers zoom off to Perdition, Pennsylvania, a farm town; As soon as they land, the Challengers are mobbed by farmers with pitchforks; Doctor Monroe calls off the farmers; Dr. Monroe relates the town's history to the Challengers; Seventy years ago, a man summoned a demon to the town; Enthralled, the locals sacrificed strangers to the "god" until Swamp Thing came to town and collapsed its cave, burying the monster "forever"; Behind the scenes, we see the fungus lived on and still infects many locals. One-page Nasser biography. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Cover pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Joe Rubinstein. "Seven Doorways to Destiny!", script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by John Celardo; 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; In Challenger Mountain, Clayburne (the wanna-be 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; 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; Ace chucks the fuel pod "just like Jaws" and shoots, destroying the monster and shutting the portal; Clayburne and Holland have landed in Perdition, but in the dark, Holland is reverting to Swamp Thing as his bio-restorative formula wears off; They find Prof half-consumed by icky polyps. You Can Help Superman When You Help the Special Olympics!(Table of Contents) Superman / public service announcement. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $5.00

Add to cart FN 6.0 $7.20

Cover pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Joe Rubinstein. "To Save A Monster/When Deadmen Walk," script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by John Celardo; Perdition lies in ruins. Prof is infected with an alien fungus; Swamp Thing watches from cover, is attacked by a wolf, but brushes it off; The wolf is possessed by Deadman, who asks Rama Kushna why he's here; Back at Challenger Mountain, the heroes can't cure Prof's disease; Angry, Ace orders Gaylord to take a walk: he walks; Deadman tries a cure, diving in to possess Prof and fighting from within; Prof sloughs the fungus and Deadman passes out; Prof wakes, healthy, and announces Swamp Thing is Dr. Alec Holland, who's wandered off and needs help; The Challengers search, but Swamp Thing hopped a freight for Philadelphia; Deadman tries to possess Swamp Thing and bounces - he's already possessed!; Deadman possesses Ace and announces Swamp Thing's in Philly, where Swamp Thing rages to the state asylum and the cell of Duncan Pramble, the former Multi-Man. Artist profile on Bob Layton. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Cover pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Jack Abel. "The Creature From The End Of Time!", script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by John Celardo; A giant box appears in Toronto; The Challengers, accompanied by Swamp Thing and Deadman, investigate; When Deadman tries to enter the box it opens and releases a monster; After they kill the monster, they haul the box and carcass to Challenger Mountain where tests indicate the box is from the future; The heroes fly to Rip Hunter's desert lab, which appears abandoned; Swamp Thing pushes a button and Rip's Time Sphere appears with a skeleton inside; They use the time sphere to travel to 12,000,000 AD; Amidst crumbling ruins they are surrounded by future-men and Rip Hunter in rags and a crown. Continued from last issue; continues next issue. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Cover pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Frank Giacoia. "The War at Time's End," script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by John Celardo; In the present, Prof is wheelchair-bound in Challenger Mountain, and attacked by a mutant lizard from the future; Future-boxes keep releasing monsters around the world; 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. Continued from last issue; continues next issue. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.20.

Add to cart FN+ 6.5 $8.60

Add to cart Fine $7.20

Cover pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Dick Giordano. "Twelve Million Years To Twilight," script by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by John Celardo; In 12,000,000 AD, Ace, Rocky, and June make a prison-break, while Swamp Thing holds back mutants; Back in 1978, Prof is saved from a monster when Red returns, cranks up the lab temperature, and cooks the monster, as the Justice League routs the remaining monsters; In the future, the Challs reach the breeder labs and blow them up as Swamp Thing battles the giant Persuader; Lawspeaker - the leader of the rebellion - arrives with the cavalry, his rebel Sky Riders; The Sunset Lords try to destroy the city, but Deadman possesses Rip Hunter to destroy their weapon and the heroes head home. Last issue of the revival. Includes a cutaway map of Challenger Mountain. 36 pgs., full color. $0.35. Cover price $0.35.