Challengers of the Unknown Archives, Vol. 2

Challengers of the Unknown (1958) #3-8

by Jack Kirby, Wallace Wood

The thrilling adventures of the death - defying Challengers of the Unknown continue, with more astonishing tales from comics' Silver Age. Created by comics legend Jack Kirby, the Challengers are test pilot Ace Morgan, daredevil Ace Ryan, boxing champ Rocky Davis and genius scientist Prof. Haley. Four men who barely survived the crash of a small aircraft, they consider themselves to be living on borrowed time, and dedicated themselves to a life of harrowing adventures. Using their combined skills and knowledge, they traverse the globe, willing to face any danger, and fight any and every astounding obstacle--all in the name of good.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics

168 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2004

About the author

Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

You ever have a group of friends that seemed to get into weird adventures with you? Well the Challengers are you and your friends all grown up and still finding those weird adventures. Great silver age stories from the world of DC comics. Fun reads. Recommended

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same sort of stuff in volume one, really. Goofy stories about unlikely threats--wizards, magic artefacts from the past, space circuses, etc.--improbably met and defeated by our intrepid foursome, plus occasional honorary member June Robbins (hey, she's a girl, so best she can be is a mascot, right? though she does save their bacon once by stowing away on an adventure). Entertaining enough, and a must for Kirby fans, but hardly the best work by the King--though there is some dandy art, and it is interesting, at least, to see Wally Wood inks on Kirby.

[Carl Waluconis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Kirby and Wally Wood are names to conjure with in the history of sequential art. Both have distinct styles, though Kirby's work could be divided into four definite periods. He lived longer and drew more. Having Wood ink over Kirby's pencils did not occur often, perhaps because both were singularly impressive. But with the transformation of EC comics into Mad Magazine, Wood branched out into other companies. Kirby's pencils had rollicking imaginative action with wonderful complex robots and other machines. (See sets and costumes in "Thor: Ragnorak" for a homage to Jack Kirby's art and designs.) Whereas Wood had a tight inking style that made people and things animated, three-dimensional, and well, kind of cute. I love his elves and fairies in his own independent work, and he was one of the first in the industry to have a larger body of independent work. Here the two giants do meet on the page, and the results are more than fantastic. I read this volume in the series first, so I finished it last year. If you want to read more about the historic importance of this title in comics, see my review of Challengers of the Unknown: Volume 1.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Kirby inked by Wally Wood.

That's all you really need to know. That and it's a masterpiece.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories keep getting better, with more mystery and thrilling adventure. They are more original and you can tell the difference with many other titles of DC's Silver Age.