Adventure Comics #497

(March 1983)

Adventure Comics (Table of Contents)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Letters:

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Table of contents.

All Together Now! (Table of Contents)

Challengers of the Unknown / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bob Rozakis

Pencils:

Alex Toth

Inks:

Dan Adkins

Colors:

Anthony Tollin

Letters:

John Costanza

Editing:

Nicola Cuti

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

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

Synopsis:

Continued from last issue... The not-yet-Challengers investigate who sabotaged their plane... Red Ryan escorts an old friend, Johnny Green, in Las Vegas, when a car tries to run them down! Johnny explains HE was the target, not the heroes. Johnny won $300K from mobsters but hadn't collected. He was to fly to Vegas with Red. Mobsters planted a plastic sabotage device to crash the plane: plastic to fool metal detectors. The heroes meet the mobsters. A fight brings "Chaos in the Casino". Johnny gets paid and the mob goes to jail. And the heroes finally get their TV appearance as "Challengers of the Unknown!"

Indexer Notes

An original adventure that finishes their expanded origin from Showcase 6 and Challengers of the Unknown 31. More Challs stories were planned for Adventure Comics Digest, but they were bumped out by Legion reprints. The only finished unused story became part of DC Comics Presents 84. Learn more about the Challs at www.challengersoftheunknown.com.

The Boy With Ultra-Powers! (Table of Contents)

Superboy / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jerry Siegel

Pencils:

Curt Swan

Inks:

George Klein

Colors:

Gene D'Angelo (reprint colorist).

Letters:

Milt Snapinn

Editing:

Mort Weisinger (original story)

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Superboy [also as Clark Kent]; Ultra Boy [Jo Nah, also as "Gary Crane"](introduction and origin); Marla [also as "Ben Crane"]; Pete Ross; Krypto; Lana Lang; Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent

Synopsis:

Ultra Boy must discover Superboy's secret identity as an initiation test for the Legion.

Reprints:

• from Superboy (DC, 1949 series) #98 (July 1962)

Indexer Notes

Ultra Boy spelled "Ultra-Boy" in this story. Coloring credit from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.

The Explanation! (Table of Contents)

Aquaman / comic story / 23 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Steve Skeates

Pencils:

Jim Aparo

Inks:

Frank Giacoia

Colors:

Bob LeRose (reprint colorist)

Letters:

Jim Aparo

Editing:

Dick Giordano (original story)

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Aquaman; Mera; Vulko; Narkran; Aquagirl; Aqualad (cameo flashback); Aquababy (cameo flashback)

Synopsis:

Mera has been held captive by the same gangsters Aquaman has been fighting. After they escape, they head for Atlantis for the final showdown with Narkran.

Reprints:

• from Aquaman (DC, 1962 series) #46 (July-August 1969)

Indexer Notes

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

The Mighty Marvels Join Forces! (Table of Contents)

Marvel Family / comic story / 15 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Otto Binder

Pencils:

C. C. Beck

Inks:

C. C. Beck

Colors:

Nansi Hoolahan (reprint colorist)

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Captain Marvel [also appears as Billy Batson]; Captain Marvel, Jr. [also appears as Freddy Freeman]; Mary Marvel [also appears as Mary Batson]; Uncle Marvel; Black Adam [Teth-Adam]; Shazam

Synopsis:

The Marvel Family unite to battle the evil Black Adam.

Reprints:

• from The Marvel Family (Fawcett, 1945 series) #1 (December 1945)

Indexer Notes

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

The Face Behind the Lead Mask! (Table of Contents)

Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jerry Siegel

Pencils:

John Forte; Al Plastino [page 4 and some Superboy and Luthor heads only]

Inks:

John Forte; Al Plastino

Colors:

Gene D'Angelo (reprint colorist)

Letters:

Milt Snapinn

Editing:

Mort Weisinger (original story)

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Superboy [also appears as Clark Kent]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl; Lightning Lad; Sun Boy; Chameleon Boy (statue); Bouncing Boy (statue); Shrinking Violet (statue); Invisible Kid [Lyle Norg] (statue)]; Lex Luthor; Urthlo; Mon-El

Synopsis:

At a regular meeting of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Legionnaires lose control of their powers. Urthlo arrives and announces that he now controls the Legionnaires' powers and there is nothing they can do about it. But Saturn Girl comes up with a serum to temporarily cure Mon-El and immunize him against lead, and Superboy releases him from the Phantom Zone to knock out Urthlo, who turns out to be an automaton created by Lex Luthor sent into the future to destroy the Legion.

Reprints:

• from Adventure Comics (DC, 1938 series) #300 (September 1962)

Indexer Notes

Coloring credit from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail. Reformatted to fill 12 full pages.

Stop that Kid... Before He Wrecks the World! (Table of Contents)

Spectre / comic story / 24 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Neal Adams

Pencils:

Neal Adams

Inks:

Neal Adams

Colors:

Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)

Letters:

?

Editing:

Julius Schwartz (original story)

Content Information

Genre:

superhero; occult

Characters:

Spectre; Jim Corrigan; Hamilton Benedict

Synopsis:

An evil force invades the body of young Hamilton Benedict, giving him supernatural powers to battle the Spectre.

Reprints:

• from The Spectre (DC, 1967 series) #4 (May-June 1968)

Indexer Notes

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

The Story Behind the Stories (Table of Contents)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Paul Levitz (signed)

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Synopsis:

Discussion of the Legion stories reprinted in the issue.

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Legion of Super-Heroes; Aquaman; Marvel Family; Spectre / foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Pencils:

Howard Bender

Inks:

Frank Giacoia

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Characters:

Legion of Super-Heroes [Lightning Lad; Brainiac 5; Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl; Sun Boy]; Urthlo; Aquaman; Mera; Captain Marvel; Mary Marvel; Captain Marvel, Jr.; Black Adam; Spectre

Indexer Notes

Back cover. Previews of the stories in the issue.