Adventure Comics #495 [Direct]
(January 1983)

DC, 1938 Series
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Volume
48
Price
1.25 USD; 1.50 CAD
Pages
100
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1982-09-14
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
DC Comics Inc.
Brand
DC [bullet]
Editing
Dick Giordano (managing editor); Carl Gafford (editor)

Issue Notes

On-sale date from copyright registration.

This comic book appears in the movie "Dreamscape" (1984) starring Dennis Quaid and Kate Capshaw. The comic book (along with Arak, Son of Thunder #17) are lying on a coffee table about 11 minutes into the film.
This issue has variants:

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Challengers of the Unknown; Legion of Super-Heroes / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Ross Andru (signed as Andru)
Inks
Dick Giordano (signed as Giordano)
Colors
Anthony Tollin
Letters
Gaspar Saladino

Job Number
C-976
Genre
adventure; superhero
Characters
Challengers of the Unknown [Red Ryan]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Superboy; Saturn Girl; Lightning Lad; Cosmic Boy]
Keywords
green kryptonite

Indexer Notes

Lettering and coloring credits from Carl Gafford in a December 2010 e-mail.

For Nearly 50 Years, the Leader in Innovation Has Been... Adventure Comics (Table of Contents: 1)

table of contents / 1 page (report information)

Script
Carl Gafford ?
Letters
typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

Yesterday's Clues! (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script
Bob Rozakis
Pencils
Alex Toth
Inks
Frank Giacoia
Colors
Carl Gafford
Letters
Milt Snapinn
Editing
Carl Gafford

Job Number
J-8285
Genre
adventure
Characters
Challengers of the Unknown [Ace Morgan; Rocky Davis; Professor Haley; Red Ryan]
Synopsis
Continued from last issue... The not-yet-Challengers hang in Rocky's apartment, reading and paying bills. Only Professor Haley frets about the jet sabotage. Ace wonders if he's the target. Red recounts how he was installing a radio tower in South America and almost killed by a dictator. Professor Haley recounts how he helped rescue a sunken statue. Professor Haley had inherited a fortune that cut his cousin Freddie out of the will. Professor Haley needs to talk to Freddie. But first, Red has something to confess... Continued.

Indexer Notes

An original adventure based on their origin in Showcase #6 and Challengers of the Unknown #31.

The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero! (Table of Contents: 3)

Superboy / comic story / 14 pages (report information)

Script
Robert Bernstein
Pencils
George Papp
Inks
George Papp
Colors
Carl Gafford (reprint colorist)
Letters
Joe Letterese
Editing
Mort Weisinger (original story)

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superboy [also appears as Clark Kent]; Sun Boy (impostor); Tom Tanner; Legion of Super-Heroes [Cosmic Boy; Lightning Lad; Saturn Girl; Phantom Girl; Brainiac 5; Chameleon Boy; Sun Boy]; Lana Lang; Martha Kent; Chief Parker
Synopsis
Superboy meets new Legion member Sun Boy (who is later revealed to be an impostor). Meanwhile, reform school escapee Tom Tanner (a double for Clark Kent) tries to take over Clark's life in Smallville.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

First appearance of Sun Boy; original story is partially rewritten from "The Two Clark Kents" in Adventure Comics #191 (August 1953). Reformatted to fill 14 full pages.

Underworld Reward! (Table of Contents: 4)

Aquaman / comic story / 22 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
Aquaman; Aqualad; Mera (cameo flashback); Aquababy (cameo flashback)
Synopsis
Aquaman finds himself in conflict with a gang of unnamed criminals.
Reprints

The Man Without a World! (Table of Contents: 5)

Captain Marvel / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Otto Binder
Pencils
C. C. Beck
Inks
C. C. Beck
Colors
Owen Blessitt (reprint colorist)
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Captain Marvel; Dr. Sivana
Synopsis
Sivana tricks Captain Marvel into believing that he killed all the inhabitants of a planet.
Reprints

The Legion of Super-Traitors! (Table of Contents: 6)

Superboy / comic story / 14 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel
Pencils
Curt Swan
Inks
George Klein
Colors
Carl Gafford (reprint colorist)
Letters
Milt Snapinn
Editing
Mort Weisinger (original story)

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superboy [also appears as Clark Kent]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Lightning Lad; Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl]; Legion of Super-Pets [Krypto, Streaky, Super-Monkey, Super-Horse]; Brain Globes of Rambat; Lana Lang; Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent; Jax-Ur; General Zod; Mon-El
Synopsis
Superboy is attacked by his friends in the Legion, under the evil influence of the Brain-Globes of Rambat. After the Legionnaires regain their senses, they gather four super-pets to defeat the Brain-Globes.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

First appearance of Legion of Super-Pets; first appearance of Comet the Super-Horse.

Crime Carnival! (Table of Contents: 7)

The Sandman / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script
Jack Kirby
Pencils
Jack Kirby
Inks
Joe Simon
Colors
Nansi Hoolahan (reprint colorist)
Letters
Howard Ferguson
Editing
Whitney Ellsworth (original story)

Genre
superhero
Characters
Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Sandy; Stretcho; Midge; Presto; Samson
Synopsis
Sandman and Sandy battle the villains of the Mammoth Carnival.
Reprints

Die, Spectre--Again! (Table of Contents: 8)

The Spectre / comic story / 22 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Neal Adams
Inks
Neal Adams
Colors
Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)
Letters
Gaspar Saladino
Editing
Julius Schwartz (original story)

Genre
superhero
Characters
Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dirk Rawley; Mona Marcy; Commissioner Hackett
Synopsis
The evil etheric body of magician Dirk Rawley emerges and forces him into crime.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The original page 12 (a half page) removed and the original page 23 reformatted to a full page so that the original story over 23 pages fits into 22 full pages.

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

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script
Paul Levitz
Letters
typeset

Synopsis
Background information on the two Superboy/Legion reprints in this issue.

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

100 Pages of Non-Stop Adventure! (Table of Contents: 10)

The Sandman; Captain Marvel; Superboy; The Spectre; Aquaman / cover / 1 page (report information)

Script
Carl Gafford ?
Pencils
Keith Giffen (signed as Giffen)
Inks
Romeo Tanghal (signed as Tanghal)
Colors
?
Letters
Gaspar Saladino

Genre
superhero
Characters
Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Sandy; Superboy; Sun Boy (impostor); Captain Marvel; Spectre; Aquaman

Indexer Notes

Back cover. Previews of the stories in the issue.

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [no title indexed]
    Challengers of the Unknown; Legion of Super-Heroes
  2. 1. For Nearly 50 Years, the Leader in Innovation Has Been... Adventure Comics
  3. 2. Yesterday's Clues!
    Challengers of the Unknown
  4. 3. The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero!
    Superboy
  5. 4. Underworld Reward!
    Aquaman
  6. 5. The Man Without a World!
    Captain Marvel
  7. 6. The Legion of Super-Traitors!
    Superboy
  8. 7. Crime Carnival!
    The Sandman
  9. 8. Die, Spectre--Again!
    The Spectre
  10. 9. The Story Behind the Stories
  11. 10. 100 Pages of Non-Stop Adventure!
    The Sandman; Captain Marvel; Superboy; The Spectre; Aquaman
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Dwayne Best
  • Nick Caputo
  • Peter Croome
  • Clayton Emery
  • Merlin Haas
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Jim Van Dore
  • John Wells