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August 1999 |
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August 1999 |
Continued from 64... Metropolis, in the Planet Krypton restaurant. Mr. Carter, the owner, closes the restaurant for renovations. Just in time. The Hypershuttle smashes through the roof! Superboy breaks free. "We made it!" The Challengers crawl out: Ace, Prof, and June.  |
Here to meet them is Rocky, flown in specially! Their reunion is marred: Red was lost in Hypertime. And June is not June Robbins, but June Walker!  Somehow she got switched with an alternate. THIS June has been a full-time Challenger since meeting Ultivac (Showcase 7), not a "mascot". |
Since Prof has Metron's knowledge of Hypertime, and a piece of hyperium, and the Challengers are "living on borrowed hypertime", they vow to reenter Hypertime to rescue Red. Mr. Carter offers the sub-basement as a "Hypertime Headquarters", because he's actually the cyborg Rip Hunter!  We don't get to see the sub-basement this time, just the exterior. The young people in costume are waitpersons. |
The Challengers invite Superboy to join the team as a "death-cheater." Thanks, but Superboy has to go, since Cadmus is trying to replace him right now!  The Challs' last appearance to date is them debating how to get back to Hypertime. Their adventures continue, but are not chronicled by DC Comics. Yet... |
As for Superboy... At Cadmus, dozens of heroes are gathered. Captain Marvel Jr. The Creeper. Young Justice. Sparx. Flamebird. The Odd Man. Steel. And others come to replace Superboy or meet him or just hang out. Colonel Winterborne and Mickey Cannon host a sort-of tryout, but things get out of hand. Hero Hotline gets miffed. Damage is passed over. The Gadget Guru wants to disassemble the Metal Men. Green Lantern reports Superboy is still MIA. Heat Wave, trying to reform, exposes Hawk and Dove as Punch and Julee! They grab a hostage - and get clobbered by Superboy. He's back! Tryouts are over. Heat Wave gets a "second chance" to be Superboy's backup. And Dubbilex gets haunted by the Gene-Gnome. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman come to collect and debrief Superboy about his Hypertime adventure. And Mickey Cannon says, "I'll never think of Superboy as a 'kid' again!" |
Comments Up till now, it was thought a mere typo when June was accidentally named Walker. Leave it to Karl Kesel, Challs fanatic, to work both Junes into the history! For more on Hypertime, check these links: Prof's take on Hypertime (and government attempts at censorship) The Infinite Atlas and the Known Hypertimelines As a postscript, one fan got his letter published in Superboy 69. From the editor's response, maybe there's hope for more Challenger adventures...  |