 | It has been suggested that Challengers of the Unknown (alternate series) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2024. |
| Challengers of the Unknown | |
|---|---|
 Challengers of the Unknown #1 (1958), cover art by Jack Kirby. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Showcase #6 (February 1957) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby (possibly with Joe Simon or Dave Wood) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Challengers Mountain |
| Member(s) | Kyle "Ace" Morgan Matthew "Red" Ryan Leslie "Rocky" Davis Walter Mark "Prof" Haley June Robbins |
The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces.[1]
The characters' provenance is uncertain. Various sources credit the group as the sole creation of artist and storyteller Jack Kirby,[2] a co-creation with writer Dave Wood[3] or a co-creation with Kirby's former partner Joe Simon.[4][5] Following the end of the Challengers comic, DC has revived the characters in different incarnations over the years.
Some have claimed that Kirby reworked the basic concept of the series with Stan Lee in 1961 to create The Fantastic Four, the first creation that marked the rise of Marvel Comics.[6]
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Challengers of the Unknown at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012.
- ^ George, Milo (ed.) The Comics Journal: Jack Kirby (Fantagraphics 2002) p. 79 says "..depicted by Kirby and Dave Wood in 1957, the "Challengers of the Unknown"..."
- ^ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Challengers of the Unknown", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 77, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
- ^ "The End of Simon & Kirby, Chapter 7, on His Own". 28 May 2006.
- ^ "Challengers of the Unknown = Fantastic Four". The Great American Novel. 14 August 2024.