Adventure Comics #494 [Direct]

(December 1982)

Continuing the Legend That Is Adventure Comics (Table of Contents: 1)

table of contents / 1 page (report information)

Script

Carl Gafford ?

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

Part Two: Contract on a Champ! (Table of Contents: 2)

Challengers of the Unknown / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Rozakis

Pencils

George Tuska

Inks

Andy Mushynsky

Colors

Carl Gafford

Letters

Milt Snapinn

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Challengers of the Unknown [Rocky Davis; Ace Morgan; Red Ryan; Prof Haley]

Synopsis

Retelling of the origin of the Challengers continues.

Part I: Superboy's Big Brother! (Table of Contents: 3)

Superboy / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Robert Bernstein

Pencils

George Papp

Inks

George Papp

Colors

Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)

Letters

Joe Letterese

Editing

Mort Weisinger (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superboy [Kal-El]; Mon-El [also as Bob Cobb]; Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent; Krypto (cameo); Jor-El (flashback); Lara (flashback)

Synopsis

When a space ship crashes outside Smallville, Superboy finds an amnesiac super-powered youth who might be his older brother. He christens him Mon-El and sets him up with a secret identity, but he soon finds evidence that Mon-El is not in fact Kryptonian.

Reprints

• from Superboy (DC, 1949 series) #89 (June 1961)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

Part 2: The Secret of Mon-El! (Table of Contents: 4)

Superboy / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Robert Bernstein

Pencils

George Papp

Inks

George Papp

Colors

Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)

Letters

Joe Letterese

Editing

Mort Weisinger (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superboy; Mon-El [Bob Cobb; Lar Gand] (origin); Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent; Lana Lang; Miss Joyce; King Mycerinua; Rhodopis; Jor-El (flashback); Lara (flashback); Phantom Zone

Synopsis

Trying to prove Mon-El isn't actually Kryptonian, Superboy accidentally exposes him to lead, which both poisons him and returns his memory. He remembers that he is a space explorer from Daxam named Lar Gand, who visited Krypton, meeting Jor-El and Lara, before arriving on Earth. To save his life, Superboy sends Lar Gand into the Phantom Zone until he can cure him of his lead poisoning.

Reprints

• from Superboy (DC, 1949 series) #89 (June 1961)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

To Win Is to Lose! (Table of Contents: 5)

Aquaman / comic story / 23 pages (report information)

Script

Steve Skeates

Pencils

Jim Aparo

Inks

Jim Aparo

Colors

Bob LeRose (reprint colorist)

Letters

Jim Aparo

Editing

Dick Giordano (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

Aqualad; Aquaman; Aquagirl; Vulko; Phil Darson

Synopsis

Aqualad continues the search for Mera while Aquaman is temporarily sidelined.

Reprints

• from Aquaman (DC, 1962 series) #43 (January-February 1969)

Indexer Notes

Story has an Aqualad logo instead of Aquaman.

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

Captain Marvel Faces Fear! (Table of Contents: 6)

Captain Marvel / Shazam! / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Pete Costanza

Inks

Pete Costanza

Colors

Nansi Hoolahan (reprint colorist)

Letters

?

Editing

Wendell Crowley ? (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

Captain Marvel [Billy Batson]; Fear; Dr. Carl de Reine; Sterling Morris (cameo)

Synopsis

The living embodiment of Fear causes trouble for Captain Marvel by stirring up a panic with rumors about an atomic bomb in the city.

Reprints

• from Captain Marvel Adventures (Fawcett, 1941 series) #89 (October 1948)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

The Legion of Super-Villains! (Table of Contents: 7)

Superman / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel

Pencils

Curt Swan

Inks

Sheldon Moldoff

Colors

Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)

Letters

Milt Snapinn

Editing

Mort Weisinger (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman; Lex Luthor; Legion of Super-Villains [Cosmic King; Lightning Lord; Saturn Queen]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Lightning Man (Adult Lightning Lad); Cosmic Man (Adult Cosmic Boy); Saturn Woman (Adult Saturn Girl)]

Synopsis

Lex Luthor presumes that the existence of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future requires a legion of super-villains as well and manages to contact them from his prison cell. They travel into the "past" to free him, and join forces to destroy Superman. However, he foils their plans by removing Saturn Queen's criminal tendencies.

Reprints

• from Superman (DC, 1939 series) #147 (August 1961)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

The Sinister Lives of Captain Skull! (Table of Contents: 8)

The Spectre / comic story / 23 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Murphy Anderson

Inks

Murphy Anderson

Colors

Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)

Letters

Gaspar Saladino

Editing

Julius Schwartz (original story)

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Captain Skull

Synopsis

The use of an experimental anesthetic on a sniper-shot ambassador causes him to be possessed by his ancestor, an 18th century pirate named Captain Skull who has received strong supernatural powers in the process. Only the Spectre can stand against him.

Reprints

• from The Spectre (DC, 1967 series) #1 (November-December 1967)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

The Story Behind the Stories (Table of Contents: 9)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Paul Levitz

Letters

typeset

Genre

non-fiction

Synopsis

Paul Levitz gives background information about the Legion-oriented reprints in this issue.

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

[100 Pages of the Greatest Adventures Ever!] (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)