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Issue Details

Issue #494
Published December 1982
Cover Price 1.25 USD
Pages 100
Editing Carl Gafford

Cover Details

Characters Rocky Davis; Red Ryan; Prof Haley; Ace Morgan; Superman; Lightning Lord; Saturn Queen; Cosmic King
Genre superhero
Pencils Keith Giffen (signed)
Inks Frank Giacoia (signed)

11 page Challengers of the Unknown story "Contract on a Champ!"

Characters Rocky Davis; Ace Morgan; Red Ryan; Prof Haley
Synopsis Retelling of the origin of the Challengers continues.
Genre adventure; superhero
Script Bob Rozakis
Pencils George Tuska
Inks Andy Mushynsky
Colors Carl Gafford
Letters Milton Snapinn

9 page Superboy story "Superboy's Big Brother!"

Characters Superboy [Kal-El]; Mon-El [also as Bob Cobb]; Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent; Krypto (cameo); Jor-El (flashback); Lara (flashback)
Synopsis When a space ship crashes outside Smallville, Superboy finds an amnesiac super-powered youth who might be his older brother. He christens him Mon-El and sets him up with a secret identity, but he soon finds evidence that Mon-El is not in fact Kryptonian.
Genre superhero
Script Robert Bernstein
Pencils George Papp
Inks George Papp
Letters Joe Letterese
Editing Mort Weisinger (original story)
Reprinted from Superboy (DC, 1949 series) #89 (June 1961)

10 page Superboy story "The Secret of Mon-El! [Superboy's Big Brother! chapter 2]"

Characters Superboy; Mon-El [Bob Cobb; Lar Gand] (origin); Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent; Lana Lang; Miss Joyce; King Mycerinua; Rhodopis; Jor-El (flashback); Lara (flashback); Phantom Zone
Synopsis Trying to prove Mon-El isn't actually Kryptonian, Superboy accidentally exposes him to lead, which both poisons him and returns his memory. He remembers that he is a space explorer from Daxam named Lar Gand, who visited Krypton, meeting Jor-El and Lara, before arriving on Earth. To save his life, Superboy sends Lar Gand into the Phantom Zone until he can cure him of his lead poisoning.
Genre superhero
Script Robert Bernstein
Pencils George Papp
Inks George Papp
Letters Joe Letterese
Editing Mort Weisinger (original story)
Reprinted from Superboy (DC, 1949 series) #89 (June 1961)

23 page Aqualad [Aquaman] story "To Win is to Lose!"

Characters Aqualad; Aquaman; Aquagirl; Vulko; Phil Darson
Synopsis Aqualad continues the search for Mera while Aquaman is temporarily sidelined.
Genre superhero
Script Steve Skeates
Pencils Jim Aparo
Inks Jim Aparo
Letters Jim Aparo
Editing Dick Giordano (original story)
Notes Story has an Aqualad logo instead of Aquaman.
Reprinted from Aquaman (DC 1962 series) #43 (January-February 1969)

9 page Captain Marvel story "Captain Marvel Faces Fear!"

Characters Captain Marvel
Genre superhero
Pencils Pete Costanza
Inks Pete Costaza
Editing Wendell Crowley (?)

11 page Superman story "The Legion of Super-Villains!"

Characters Superman; Lex Luthor; Legion of Super-Villains [Cosmic King; Lightning Lord; Saturn Queen]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Lightning Man (Adult Lightning Lad); Cosmic Man (Adult Cosmic Boy); Saturn Woman (Adult Saturn Girl)]
Synopsis Lex Luthor presumes that the existence of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future requires a legion of super-villains as well and manages to contact them from his prison cell. They travel into the "past" to free him, and join forces to destroy Superman. However, he foils their plans by removing Saturn Queen's criminal tendencies.
Genre Superhero
Script Jerry Siegel
Pencils Curt Swan
Inks Sheldon Moldoff
Letters Milton Snapinn
Editing Mort Weisinger (original story)
Reprinted from Superman (DC, 1939 series) #147, August 1961

23 page The Spectre story "The Sinister Lives of Captain Skull!"

Characters The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]
Synopsis The use of an experimental anesthetic on a sniper-shot ambassador causes him to be possessed by his ancestor, an 18th century pirate named Captain Skull who has received strong supernatural powers in the process. Only the Spectre can stand against him.
Genre Super-hero; occult
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Murphy Anderson
Inks Murphy Anderson
Editing Julius Schwartz (original story)
Reprinted from Spectre (DC, 1967 series) #1, November-December 1967

1 page text article "The Story Behind The Stories"

Synopsis Paul Levitz gives background information about the Legion-oriented reprints in this issue.
Genre Fact
Script Paul Levitz
Letters Typeset
Notes Inside back cover

1 page illustration "100 Pages of the Greatest Adventures Ever!"

Characters Captain Marvel; Superboy; Mon-El; Aqualad; Spectre
Synopsis One panel each previewing the four stories in this issue that were not depicted on the front cover.
Genre Super-hero
Pencils Keith Giffen (signed)
Inks Romeo Tanghal (signed)
Notes Back cover