January, 1994 |
 The story begins with a bang, or rather a crash. The Time Cube of Darius Tiko, the Wizard of Time, spins out of control and crashes - somewhere. Tiko tells the Challs, "A friendly word of advice. Next time don't let the man who perfected the time-cube anywhere near the controls!" And laughing while the Challengers lay stunned, Tiko bounds away. |
A box on the title page tells us, "Believe it or not, this story takes place between Panels 1 and 2 of the last page of Challengers of the Unknown 4!" Karl Kesel is not kidding. Here are the original panels from COTU 4 from 1958 with the The Adventures of Superman 508 shoehorned in.  (The reason they must ditch the cube, we learned then, is because the future time-cops have booby-trapped the cube to self-destruct. But that comes after.) |
Looking around, the Challengers decide this isn't 1958, but must be some awful post-apocalyptic future, one destroyed by nuclear war and rebuilt by mutants. In a very funny sequence, Rocky tries to talk to a deformed local.  Prof then notes it's not 1958, but 1994 Metropolis. That explains it! The Challs venture to the Daily Planet to get information on Tiko's whereabouts from Superman. Tiko, meanwhile, is gloating over his freedom. He takes a set of alchemical rings from his pockets and dons to them, admiring their glitter and power. Unfortunately, he's not paying attention, and gets busted over the head by a gang of thugs. They split the rings and put them on - and scream as they're transformed. |
The Challengers have met Perry White, who's stunned to see the Challs young (and Prof alive). "Great Shades of Elvis!" But the Challs don't get much information before a warning comes. There's a riot going on in the street 20 stories down. What do the Challs do? They attack. By JUMPING OUT THE WINDOW to get at the monsters!  Love that line from Ace: "C'mon, Challengers! Let's show 'em who OWNS this street!" Luckily a whirlwind keeps some from going splat. Red snags a banner and rides it down, mentioning that "I jumped off a mountain in Borneo like this once." |
The monsters are elementals: fire, earth, water, wind. Challs battle the elementals by pulling up electrical wires and shocking them, diverting hydrants and sousing them, and so on. Rocky fares less well going against a "rocky" creature who's about to pound him. Fortunately, someone taps the monster's shoulder and SLAMS him: Superman to the rescue! Tiko joins the battle by using an elemental ring to produce the fabled fifth element: vacuuum. The Challs duck behind a car. Even Superman has trouble bucking the vortex.  |
Ace saves the day by circling around and producing a charming and simple solution: he shoves a .45 against Tiko's head.  |
The Challs bundle up Tiko, enter the time cube, and split back to 1958. Superman reflects that it's nice to know there are men who will tackle any danger without superpowers... whatever the cost.  |
Comment A delightful issue by the great Karl Kesel, who does everything possible to keep the Challs before the public's eye. The incident where the Challs find modern Metropolis with its punkish people to be a nuclear-blasted wasteland is priceless. Kesel's dialogue also suits the Challs' perfectly AND reflects their 1958 thinking. Prof wonders about "atomic mutations" and Ace about Commies. And there's a nice melancholy ending as Superman reflects on unpowered heroes who's been pushed aside by the capes, or even killed in the line of duty. |