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February - March 1969 |
With Jack Sparling at the helm, the comic opens with an explosive race for the Gizmo. Red, wounded by a scalpel, is carried from his bed by the faithful Rocky.  (Unfortunately, the narration drains the drama with "Would you waste any time... You bet your bippy you wouldn't!" A reference from the farcical TV show "Laugh-In".) Art anomolies abound... The Gallopin' Gizmo is painted silver, not purple. The Challs look to be splitting from Challenger Mountain, which was blown up (in COTU 50) and not visited since. And Tino has devolved from 17ish to 13ish. Chalk it up to a new writer and artist. |
The Gizmo is struck by lightning and drops like a rock. As the plane plummets - much like their origin - the Challs recall previous events (COTU 62 and COTU63). The Legion was out to clobber them, Tino was blinded but received a donor eye from Red, who can share visions with Tino - and home in on his little brother. Ace lands the jet in one piece, for once. Red climbs out, still unsteady, and now wearing a natty blue eyepatch. He insists on going along. He can "see" a fireplace and the Legion killing time. The Challs rush a nearby castle. In the castle, the Legion watches the flames - to see the Challs approaching! Count Karnak gloats. "Our ruse succeeds! They do not suspect it was KARNAK who (linked) these mortals' eyes! They have been lured into our trap!" And Madoga, Indian Shaman, summoned the lightning bolt that delivered the Challs. But the Legion are being watched themselves by an otherworldly and unseen "Master of the Netherworlds" named Om. His voice booms, "Your plan had best work... or you shall meet the wrath of Om! The Challengers are a major threat to my sinister scheme!" (Scheme? What scheme?) |
Tino, a prisoner, tries to keep his only eye shut so as not to lure the Challengers. But Hordred the Druid forces his eye open. And Madoga calls upon the North Wind. As before, the Challs are pounded by a sudden blizzard of wind. They must link hands even to move forward, with Rocky in the lead. Kaftu, Egyptian sorceror, takes over with his sacred ruby, the Eye of Osiris. The Challs step out of a raging storm into dead calm under a full moon. But blocking their path is Kaftu's slave, the mummy! Red charges, "Let's go-go!", lands solid punches, and gets brushed off like a flea. The mummy takes pains to explain, "The desire to kill is not within me, but my master has the power to overcome my wishes." Ace yells to tackle "this walking band-aid" together. Three Challs pile on "Tukamenon, the vanguard of death" while Prof raises an X-ray gun. X-rays befuddled the mummy in the hospital, so should work again. Prof zaps the mummy. His ancient head rings: "Why am I here?" Off-stage, Kaftu loses control of the mummy through his ruby. The mummy smashes the X-ray gun. But he can't remember why he fights the Challs. Defending himself, he flattens them - and fears he's killed all four! |
Kaftu rejoices. "We no longer receive the image from the one called Red! The Challengers are dead!" The mummy cries that "my debt of honor to Kaftu has been paid - with dishonor! Kaftu shall pay!" In the castle, Tino peeks through Red's eye and sees the groggy Challs rise. Silently he crows, "They're okay! It was all a put-on!" And the mummy smashes into the castle. Hysterical with fear, Kaftu aims the ruby.  But the X-rays have done their work and broken the hypnotic effect. The mummy seizes the ruby and crushes it to red dust. Then reaches for Kaftu! Hordred intervenes. A bolt of lightning shatters a beam overhead that pins the mummy - for a second. The behemoth shrugs off the beam, warns Hordred to stay out of the fight, then grabs Kaftu in a bear hug - |
- and more interruptions come thick and fast. Madoga supports his Egyptian ally by commanding moonbeams to blaze with the heat of day Hordred steps up to behead the mummy with his magic sword that "cleaved the very hills of Dover"! And ANOTHER hooded figure rises from the shadows. "Stop, druid! You have escaped my grasp these many years - but now I - MODDAK - shall bring you to justice!" Who's THIS guy? asks the Legion. "He must be a messenger from Om, dispatched to unleash his wrath!" Almost forgotten, three Challs rush in: Ace, Red, and Rocky. They free Tino, cutting his manacles with a blowtorch. But where's Red? Ace confronts the mummy. Three Challs are alive, but "YOU KILLED PROF!" |
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One good thing, Red notes, "We've caught (the Legion) so off-guard, they don't know what's coming off!" Ace yells, "Use teamwork!" Red and Tino tackle Count Karnak. Ace jumps Hordred - and gets his jaw busted. Rocky snipes, "Where went the teamwork, Ace? Now I've... got to handle him... all my myself!" And Rocky does, slamming the huge druid with a two-fisted uppercut. The mummy chases Kaftu. Madoga gets flipped aside. |
Mistress Wycker, the witch, flees. "No time to work up a spell to combat them!" But the hooded Maddok throws a suspiciously scientific flash-bomb. She turns back. "T'was no magical effect! A simple incantation will reveal the truth! 'By the veiled heaven's eye, pierce through this stranger's guise!'"  Oops. Maddok is really Prof! |
Kaftu tells the mummy, "You've been tricked! You shall obey my commands again! Crush the Challengers like the lowly desert ant! -" No good. Tukamenon the Undying was released from bondage. With a roar, he turns on his hated former-master and crushes him - still forever. But the mummy is undone, having killed by his own wrath. "What kind of honor is this? Already I feel the life-force of Ra leaving me!" He keels over, dead again. The Challs charge the remainder of the Legion. But Count Karnak calls on Om to deliver them! The booming voice complies. "Very well - Despite your failure, I shall aid you!" |
The voice adds, "Know this, Challengers! You have thwarted my plan this time! But I shall return - and Om does not fail twice!" Everything swirls -  - and the Challs wind up outside. The castle is gone in a puff of smoke! |
The weary Challs trek down the mountain. Prof muses, "We just witnessed a classic example of evil destroying itself! Kaftu was eliminated by his own "creation" - while the mummy was felled by his own wrong act!" Tino realizes he can't see out of Red's eye any more. Their shared-vision link broke when Karnak "took a powder". Ace says, "More important, Tino, you're safe! Any of us would've given more than an eye - even his life - to make sure of that!" |
Comments It makes you wonder what Om's grand scheme is, and how the Challs fit in. We never found out - at least not yet. For continuity freaks, the editor notes on page 2 and in the letters column that, yes, the Challengers really did tend other emergencies with the alien Dread (COTU 64) and Prof Hemlock (COTU 65), but it doesn't wash. Red is still enfeebled at the start of this story, with his head still bandaged, then he dons the eyepatch for this adventure. In fighting Dread and Hemlock's robots, he's up to full strength and has the eyepatch. So the fill-in issues come AFTER this adventure. Changes are coming. The new logo on the cover is just one of them. |
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With "Dark Shadows" a smash hit on television, and the Bat-Craze dead, weirdness pervaded the DC Universe. Superhero comics were out, "adventure comics" like Tarzan, the Shadow, and Warlord were in. Fortunately the craze didn't last long much longer, but neither did the Silver Age. |
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