Challengers of the Unknown #4

(October-November 1958)

The Wizard of Time (Table of Contents)

Challengers of the Unknown / comic story / 25 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jack Kirby

Pencils:

Jack Kirby

Inks:

Wally Wood

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

Adventure

Characters:

Challengers of the Unknown [Ace Morgan; Rocky Davis; Professor Haley; Red Ryan]; Professor Harlan Fuller; Rhamis; Nostradamus; Darius Tiko; A Greek oracle; The Sorceror's Sect; The United Earth Police

Synopsis:

An airplane is stolen by ancient Greek soldiers. One is captured and the Challengers brought in. He's from Ancient Greece! and wants to return to the Island of the Wizard. The Challengers fly there and meet an opportunist named Darius Tiko who experiments with time travel. He disappears in a time cube. The Challengers follow in a smaller model. To ancient Greece. A fight proves fruitless. Rocky smokes a cigar and terrifies the warriors. Ace and Rocky grab a chariot and barrel away to the missing plane. They fly, but the plane leaks oil and they crash in flames - giving birth to the legend of Phaeton who rode across the sun! Meanwhile, Prof and Red went in Ancient Egypt, and end up slaves building a pyramid. They buffalo the locals, escape, and rescue Ace and Rocky from an army of Greeks. Ace deduces Tiko visited oracles to predict the future. Time-tripping to the 15th Century, the Challengers interview Nostradamus. Yes, Tiko took notes and set his time cube for 3,000 AD! Journeying to the future, the Challengers catch Tiko loading up on futuristic weapons and inventions. Tiko plans to conquer the 20th Century! All get nailed by the United Earth Police, who take them to "the judge", a robot mind-reader that pronounces the Challengers innocent and Tiko guilty. Deported to the past, (with one side trip: see Notes), the Challengers and Tiko escape the island just as the booby-trapped time cube explodes in a fireball!

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in Super DC Giant (DC, 1970 series) #S-25 (July-August 1971)
• in Super Héros (Arédit-Artima, 1979 series) #6 (1980)
• in Challengers of the Unknown Archives (DC, 2003 series) #2 ([May] 2004)
• in Showcase Presents Challengers of the Unknown (DC, 2006 series) #1 ([October] 2006)

Indexer Notes

1) The splash on part 3 is very reminiscent of a panel in Fantastic Four #19 with Rama-Tut. 2) Tiko sabotages the final return so the time cube crashes in 1994 Metropolis: see The Adventures of Superman 508. Wood inks per Nick Caputo. Previous indexer credited Marvin Stein. Per Stein's conversations with Greg Theakston, he did not ink any Challengers stories.