The terror of the Darkseid shockwave has cascaded across the DC Universe…tearing open the very fabric of time and space itself! Only one band of super-scientists have the right stuff to challenge the fate of a universe…enter: THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UKNOWN. Alongside the Justice League–where the Challengers run day-to-day operations for the massive Watchtower base in orbit above Earth–Ace Morgan, June Robbins, Prof Haley, Red Ryan, and Rocky Davis must team with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the League to seal the rifts that threaten the galaxy. But a mysterious foe from the Challengers’ past lurks in the shadows, and its connection to the godshock will put the DCU on borrowed time! Challengers of the Unknown #1 puts the spotlight on the team whose important role has been teased for quite some time.

Written by Christopher Cantwell, Challengers of the Unknown #1 addresses somewhat what has been teased throughout the various “All In” comics, the members of the Challengers of the Unknown are important. With a new Justice League on a new mission, the team has felt like a support staff more than anything else, helping keep things running. Here, that expands a bit as the team is tasked with investigating anomalies that have appeared after the death of Darkseid. It’s an interesting concept and it works well up to a point.

The issue with Challengers of the Unknown #1 is that you really need to know this team to really enjoy it. Yes, you can pick it up and understand what’s going on, but the personalities, their struggles, none of it is really laid out. One member is confronted with their past at one point, and it doesn’t really hit beyond here’s a different version of your life. If you knew of his past, it might have worked a bit better to really come off as interesting. There’s teases that he thinks he should have become Green Lantern instead of Hal Jordon but there isn’t really an emotional element to show his personal reaction to it that makes readers connect.

Cantwell sets up mysteries that could be interesting as well but even the first doesn’t really feel like much of a threat than trying to figure out what a rock does. Even with a rather predictable ending, it never really hits home that anything could really cause much danger to existence.

The art by Sean Izaakse is good. With color by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the look of the comic has a rather classic style to it. There’s a retro feel to it all with a look that at times feels like it’s a comic from the 70s or early 80s.

Challengers of the Unknown #1 kicks off a mystery with a lot of unknown but overall, the comic rings a little hollow. Entertaining in some ways but overall, a pretty “by the numbers” debut. It’s a bit of a throwback but the real draw is to see how the Challengers of the Unknown really tie into the greater story that’s being teased throughout various series.

Story: Christopher Cantwell Art: Sean Izaakse
Color: Romulo Fajardo Jr. Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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