Collecting Showcase Presents #6, 7, 11, 12 and Challengers of the Unknown#1-18 (1957-1959)! Relive the classic Silver Age adventures of Jack Kirby'sChallengers of the Unknown - a team brought together by fate dedicated to a lifeof harrowing adventure in the name of good!

Ghostly hero Deadman inhabits those who need his help in order to achieve salvation himself, and after the cast and crew of a reality television series survive a near-death experience, they gain entry to a world of magic and mysticism.

Originally published in single magazine form in Showcase (Sparta, Ill.), no. 1 (Mar./Apr. 1956-no. 23 (July/Aug. 1959).

Jack Kirby reinvented the superhero genre with his sprawling saga of the Fourth World—a bold storytelling vision that was decades ahead of its time. In honor of this extraordinary talent’s centennial, DC Comics is proud to re-present the groundbreaking work of the King of Comics in a brand-new series collecting his classic DC titles in all their four-color glory! After walking away from a seemingly un-survivable plane crash, test pilot Ace Morgan, mountain climber Red Ryan, heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Davis and underwater explorer Prof Haley make a pact to continue defying death and seeking out mystery around the world. Their motto is “Dare Anything,” and their assignments are the most unusual and incredible tasks ever encountered! There is no danger that they fear, or risk that they will not accept! They call themselves…the Challengers of the Unknown! Discover some of comics’ most daring writing and dynamic art—and thrill to the imaginative power of one of the medium’s greatest masters—in CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN BY JACK KIRBY, collecting all of the King’s stories from SHOWCASE #6-7 and 11-12 and CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #1-8, accompanied by illuminating essays from former DC editor Paul Kupperberg and acclaimed Kirby historian John Morrow.

Conventional wisdom holds that comic books of the post-World War II era are poorly drawn and poorly written publications, notable only for the furor they raised. Contributors to this thoughtful collection, however, demonstrate that these comics constitute complex cultural documents that create a dialogue between mainstream values and alternative beliefs that question or complicate the grand narratives of the era. Close analysis of individual titles, including EC comics, Superman, romance comics, and other, more obscure works, reveals the ways Cold War culture--from atomic anxieties and the nuclear family to communist hysteria and social inequalities--manifests itself in the comic books of the era. By illuminating the complexities of mid-century graphic novels, this study demonstrates that postwar popular culture was far from monolithic in its representation of American values and beliefs.

Originally published as My Greatest Adventure #80-85, The Doom Patrol #86-101.

Once considered heroes, the Challengers of the Unknown are now treated like relics, but that all changes when their mountaintop headquarters are blown up and they are placed on trial for their lives.