#challengersoftheunknown

#JackedKirby - Tell me again how the Challengers weren’t the inspiration for the Fantastic Four... 💥💥💥 I have long been a proponent for the idea that “most” of the Fantastic Four concept came from Jack Kirby and not Stan... and that’s not just some fan bias. It’s based on the overwhelmingly evidence from early Kirby works that are present in the FF from the outset. Kirby was well known for re-utilizing concepts that he liked if he didn’t fully use them the first time around. And in the case of the Challengers/FF comparison, it’s glaringly accurate. 💥💥💥 Let’s take the cover of #Issue3 of Challengers from September of 1958. This issue is scripted & pencilled by Jack... as well as the cover. And in the story we get one of the Challengers, Rocky, developing “powers” from alien contact. From the opening cover we see elements that would influence Marvel’s first family... look at the flames he is shooting out of his hands? Looks a lot like a certain Mr Storm... no? 💥💥💥 I’m sure Stan contributed elements to the character development, dialogue and many other things during his time contributing to Marvel. But at its core it’s hard to dispute that the original “ideas” didn’t come from the true CREATIVES like Kirby, Ditko and other artists... their track record BEFORE/DURING/AFTER their collaborations with Kirby speaking for itself.... this is a full 3 years before FF issue 1. I’ll have to go with Jack when I decide “who came up with what” argument... sorry I’m not sorry! 💥💥💥 #JacKirby #KingKirby #Kirby #ChallengersOfTheUnknown #FantasticFour #FF #Challengers #comics #comic #comicbooks #ComicBook #IGComics #ComicsOfIG https://www.instagram.com/p/B6aq3g3hPM0/?igshid=16nqnomgdivtb

#JackedKirby - The Sorcerer’s Box... The Dragon Seed!!! 💥💥💥 One of Jack’s most overlooked contributions to comics has to be his creation of the Challenger of the Unknown... the 4 man super squad made their first appearance in Showcase #Issue6 in February of 1957 and became the first superhero “team” of the Silver Age. That’s kind of a big deal... no? 💥💥💥 In the first issue of the book not only does Jack introduces us to Ace, Rocky, the Professor and Red but we also get a sneak preview of one of Jack’s famous “Monster of the Month” creatures that he would become famous for a few years later at Atlas (the precursor to Marvel) Comics! 💥💥💥 Check out this beauty of a stone statue giant that is created courtesy of the Sorcerer’s Box... and he is on the attack! This beauty of a “Monster of the Month” would have blended in perfectly with Korgo, Sporr, Groot and all the rest of the Merry Marvel Monsters!!! 💥💥💥 #JackKirby #KingKirby #Kirby #ChallengersOfTheUnknown #Monsters #KirbyMonsters #AtlasMonsters #MarvelMonsters #DCComics #NationalComics #50sComics #ComicsOfThe50s #IGComics #ComicsOfIG https://www.instagram.com/p/Buc5qyih3AG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1aqrpai64nhfs

#JackedKirby - Meet The Challengers!!! 💥💥💥 Jack introduced the Challengers of the Unknown in Showcase #Issue6 for National Comics back in 1957. The team was unlike anything that was being published at the time, and would serve as a precursor to on of Jack’s most important co-creations, the Fantastic Four! 💥💥💥 One of the coolest aspects of Kirby’s earliest Challengers Stories with writer Dave Wood has to be the way the duo portrayed the team as being instant “CELEBRITIES” for their exploits. After all, Rocky/Walter/Ace and Red were not super powered beings... these were regular dudes that had specialties and were part of a cohesive team. But due to their exploits, they were quite famous to regular folks in the real world (at least according to Kirby and Wood they were!) 💥💥💥 Here is the page that followed the opening splash page in #Issue7 of Showcase which was published in April of 1957 and is the second published Challengers feature. You gotta love the individual exploit panels of each team member, allowing Kirby to convey some powerful abilities on these “regular” dudes who lacked super Powers!!! We see pilot Ace in an ejector seat, professor Haley in an undersea exploratory vehicle, Red climbing Mount Everest and Rocky wrestling a crocodile!!!! No super Powers... NO PROBLEM!!! 💥💥💥 One of the funniest things about this issue is it features a naming error of one of the main characters!!! Professor Haley is somehow called PROFESSOR HARRISON for this issue only, with the error being caught and corrected before the team’s next appearance in Showcase #Issue11. This major oversight is proof positive that the creators in the comic industry in the 50s and 60s were more concerned with pumping out content and meeting deadlines then they were with continuity... a far cry from the meticulously connected continuity of comics soon to come due to the Marvel revolution of the 60s following the release of Fantastic Four Issue 1!!! 💥💥💥 #JackKirby #KingKirby #Kirby #NationalComics #DCComics #Challengers #ChallengersOfTheUnknown #Rocky #Ace #ProfessorHaley #Red #TeamComics #Showcase #Comic #Comics #ComicBook #ComicBooks #50sComics #ComicsOfThe50s #IGComics https://www.instagram.com/p/BwZgHBhBlZu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15thismgdowsa

#JackedKirby - Roc, The Magic Dragon!!!! 🐲🐉🐲 One of Hack’s lesser discussed but very important co-creations has to be Challengers of the Unknown for National Comics (would later become DC Comics). The four man adventure team of Rocky, Prof, Ace and Red are not only a distinct part of DC history, but they are the supposed prototype that Jack based his Fantastic Four pitch on over at Marvel a few years later. But it also represented the return to National for Jack after doing some sporadic Sandman issues in the 40s... 🐉🐲🐉 The team 1st appeared in the pages of the Showcase anthology comic, but due to their overwhelming popularity they quickly received their own book. It premiered in May of 1958 and was bi-monthly. But this awesome dragon appeared in #Issue2 from July of 1958!!! 🐉🐲🐉 In the story the team is on the tail of a villain named Roc who is eluding them and is rumored to be on a deserted island... however there is a one small problem. Roc has a machine that allows whatever he thinks to come to life... on some real Ghostbusters type stuff Roc dreams up a Dragon and a giant Gorilla to hold off the guys!!! I highlighted the Dragon cause it’s bad ass, in all it’s majestic purple Kirby glory!!! 🐉🐲🐉 A precursor to the dozens of dragons, dinosaurs and creatures Jack would draw in the coming years for the pages of Timely’s (Marvel’s) monster comic anthology’s, Roc’s Dragon is a beauty... really menacing and a beautiful red/purple color scheme. Another cool tidbit about this particular issue is that Jack receives sole writer and pencilled credits for the book... one of the earlier dual credits of his career!!! 🐲🐉🐲 #JackKirby #KingKirby #Kirby #ChallengersOfTheUnknown #Challengers #DC #NationalComics #TimelyComics #Marvel #Dragons #KirbyMonsters #Comic #Comics #ComicBook #ComicBooks #IGcomics #IGComicCommunity #ShowcaseComics #50sComics #ComicsOfThe50s https://www.instagram.com/p/BsN7S_2h6j8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e862sezgpb3j

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WAITING FOR NEW COMICS TO COME IN! And it’s a pretty light week but we also have more back issues that came in both some really cool indies and #avengers #challengersoftheunknown and more! We always have deals, dollar comics, and always up for to BUY SELL AND TRADE! #ncbd #wednesdaycomics (at The Goblins Heist) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGx3q3hjwY/?igshid=2eseew8f30q0

#superteamfamily #challengersoftheunknown #igcomicbookfamily #comics #comicbooks #comicbookcollector #comicbookfiendclub #comiccollecting #igcomiccommunity #comicbookcollection #comicbook #comiccon #igcomicbookcommunity #igcomicfamily #igcomicbooks #marvel #dc #dccomics #dcuniverse #marvelcomics #marvelstudios #comicbookgeek #cosplay #instagood #instagramcomics #stetheh #mcu #cosplayersofinstagram #silveragecomics (at Lower Breck, Liverpool) https://www.instagram.com/p/B84JuxzBxWV/?igshid=313fhvnoz9w6

#deadman #challengersoftheunknown #silveragecomics #igcomicbookfamily #comics #comicbooks #comicbookcollector #comicbookfiendclub #comiccollecting #igcomiccommunity #comicbookcollection #comicbook #comiccon #igcomicbookcommunity #igcomicfamily #igcomicbooks #marvel #dc #dccomics #dcuniverse #marvelcomics #marvelstudios #comicbookgeek #cosplay #instagood #instagramcomics #stetheh #mcu #cosplayersofinstagram #justiceleaguedark (at Lower Breck, Liverpool) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8a_8SuBiK7/?igshid=9xdporc6cpii