Dates
- Cover date
- November-December 1957
- On sale
- September 15, 1957
- Pages
- 36
Editions and covers
- Original editionSource ↗
Creators
Stories
- The Day the Earth Blew Up [Chapter 1] · 7 pages
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.
- Untitled · 2 pages
Moolah's companion spends the night in an Egyptian tomb.
- Chapter Two: The Tyrans · 6 pages
Two captured Challengers are dropped down a miles-deep airlift. Ace and Rocky find an airshaft and search for miles. They reach a underground city of aliens with an army preparing for invasion. Ace tries to capture a sentry, but the alien anticipates his every move with its computer-like mind. All four Challs are imprisoned with the missing scientists. The aliens are planting charges all over the world to blow away chunks and reduce Earth's mass intending to enslave the human race. Prof realizes the undersea volcano was a test. The Challengers plan to attack when the aliens are at rest.
- Untitled · 0.5 pages
A dog and a monkey assault Shorty during "Be Kind to Animals" week.
- Chapter Three: The Thing That Came Out of the Sea · 6 pages
The Challengers hypnotize an alien who leads them to a gravity control room. The team crank the gravity high, pinning the aliens to the ground. Ace and Rocky try to destroy the main detonator. Prof and Red teleport to Washington and alert the military who bring their forces to the battle. Prof is given a wearable minisub and attempts to dismantle the bomb. Underground Ace, Rocky and the two scientists flee a gas attack and gun-cars. Cranking a valve brings raging heat that crisps aliens and slags the bomb detonator. In the Pacific, a claw-machine erupts from the ocean to attack the Navy.
- The Man from Nowhere · 1 pages
A driver picks up a hitchhiker and becomes afraid of him; only later does the driver realize that the hitchhiker saved his life three times.
- Time-Traveling into the Past and the Future! · 2 pages
- Chapter Four: One Minute to Doom · 5 pages
On the Pacific island, Red sprays a new secret chemical weapon, a corrosive gas that eats the machine. Soon Ace leads a fleet of bombers to pound what's left of the alien base, and the menace is over. Their only casualty is Prof, who caught a cold diving off the South Pole!
Characters
Reprinted in
Mighty The 100-Page Comic! (1957), Challengers of the Unknown (1958), The Essential Showcase 1956-1959 (1992), Challengers of the Unknown Archives (2003), Showcase Presents Challengers of the Unknown (2006), Showcase Presents: Showcase (2012), Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby (2012), Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby (2017), Century, The 100 Page Comic Monthly (1956)