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February-March 1967 |
Villo, "the world's vilest villain" and Brainex, "his diabolical computer-companion", were bad enough. Now we're introduced to Bubble-Master, "the globe-headed goon whose burning ambition drives him to join the terrible team." The Challs are in for it! "Monstrosities... born destroyers - yet mankind knows no way to demolish them! These are... the Sub-Humans!" The hammer-headed monsters come crashing out of a building and destroy aimlessly. Cops' bullets bounce off. National Guard cannon shells don't make a dent. Even the Air Force is helpless. "Rockets like these blew up Hanoi oil fields in Vietnam - but they don't do the trick here!" Finally come the Challengers - "four men who thrive on gambling with death" - winging low in the Gallopin' Gizmo. And they dive for the kill. Rocky fires a "shock-ray blast (that) oughta rock 'im right back into Sleepsville!" But the "king-size fink" stays on his feet. The Challs blow the Gizmo apart "like an exploding grenade" to try different attacks against the four Sub-Humans. "Hold onto your hats!" Meanwhile, "in the murky depths of the sea... lurks a startling mechanism - Villo's Villa - the new thing in mobile hideouts." Villo, the world's worst villain, watches the Challs buzz the Sub-Humans on the built-in monitor of Brainex, the world's most diabolical machine. But Villo orders Brainex to recall the Sub-Humans at once, because Villo wants the glory of killing the Challs! And like some "eye-popping
awesome magic", the Sub-Humans pull a vanishing act. The
Challs are left wondering what they are. Prof guesses "materialized
energy", but has no idea of the source. |
In Villo's Villa, Brainex banishes the Sub-Humans back to the Calculus Dimension from whence only he/it can summon them. Villo gripes, "What do you want - a medal?" Why the grousing? Villo wanted "a headache for your foes", so Brainex conjured the Sub-Humans. But Villo's worried about his reputation. He failed to kill the Challs (in COTU 50 and COTU 52), and now the underworld whispers that maybe Villo is washed up. And it hurts, and he's a sore loser! Now he's hot for revenge, to kill the Challs for sheer meanness! A broadcast interrupts. "Bubble-Master calling Villo!" Above the ocean floats "an equally bizarre craft, a bubble!" BM wants an interview. Villo would blow him off as a second-rate amateur, but Brainex thinks the new guy might be a diversion for the Challs! "That thought just crossed" Villo's mind. Brainex uses "attractor rays" like a giant invisible hand to pull Bubble-Master's bubble-craft into the Villa. "Greetings, peer of deviltry!" bubbles Bubble-Master. The kid knew that the Sub-Humans could only be the creation of the great Villo, and he'd like to be Villo's apprentice, sir. Villo's "not in the market
for hired help". Bubble-Master demonstrates his worth, zapping
Villo with a barrage of bubbles. Villo orders him to stop or
get fed to the sharks. But - if the kid can build a rep against
the Challs, they'll talk. "My undying thanks, Villo! I won't
fail you - I promise!" |
Later, on a city street, Bubble-Master amuses a crowd with goofy bubbles floating in the air. But once he's got an audience, the apprentice villain lobs a "special plasti-case bubble with a VERY special gas inside!" That bubble breaks a jewelry store window. Bubble-Master sucks up jewelry with his bubble gun. And "the famed death-cheaters" drop from the hovering Gizmo! Rocky wonders, "What kind of a school dropout would pull a kookie stunt like this in broad daylight?" Bubble-Master, that's who! And he flattens the Challs with flat bubbles, "like gettin' slugged with a pizza!" Rainstorm bubbles flood them off their feet. Jet-boomerang bubbles make them flip!  Rocky's still a little dizzy -
"and no cracks, Red!" Before the Challs can recover,
Bubble-Master jumps into his bubble-craft and zaps the Gallopin'
Gizmo with his bubble-gum bubble. "I'll give your regards
to Villo! Un-happy landings!" With the Gizmo gummed up and
needing special chemicals to be cleaned, the Challs are grounded.
Further, in their last encounter (COTU
52), Brainex destroyed Prof's detector, so they can't locate
Villo. "What's the score?" Ace moans, "You can
bet your Batman button that Villo's back in action," and
probably responsible for the "wrecking crew goons". |
Under the sea, Villo admits Bubble-Master did well, but he needs more testing. The Villa surfaces and walks ashore
under its own power. But nefarious plans are underfoot. Villo
doesn't like his apprentice referring to "our plans".
And he'd be disgraced if the underworld found out he needed help!
At the same time, Brainex talks about OUR schemes and resents
Villo's cracks about "a machine". Bubble-Master even
presumes to ask why Brainex doesn't simply kill the Challs -
and Villo grabs him by the throat. "I - and I alone - will
have the pleasure of erasing the Challengers!" Villo and
BM walk out through the monitor - but Villo reminds Brainex to
be ready with his "response signals" - to pull Villo
back WITHOUT his bubble-making friend! |
The Challs circle the skies, hunting and waiting as Villo's "number one target". And they get nailed by a supersonic blast! From the bubble-craft, Villo aims a gun that sends the Challs spinning!  But Bubble-Master has used the
"we" word once too often. Villo growls, "Why,
you puffed-up little pawn! Nobody shares anything with me!"
And Villo kicks BM out of his own bubble-craft! "I hope
you have a trick bubble to land on!" BM burbles, "Why,
you double-crosser! You truly ARE the world's worst villain!
No one tops you!" And he's gone into the clouds. Villo,
braggart that he is, takes BM's last words as a compliment. |
And now that Villo's turned off the current, the Gizmo has leveled out and can follow him - into a trap! Villo hops out of the bubble-craft and runs for his Villa. "Brainex will capture them in a paralyzing ray - and they'll be at my mercy!" Except the double-crosser is double-crossed. Brainex takes off with the Villa, leaving Villo stranded!  Brainex is tired of being called
"just a machine" with Villo hogging all the credit.
"You've got such a swelled head, let's see you think yourself
out of this! I bid you a fond g'bey, keed! Ha, ha!" |
Never slow, Rocky nails Villo with a flying tackle. "Ugh! Always it's the Challengers who turn defeat into sudden victory!"  The Challs bounce Villo around
for a while. But the bad guy's determined to get that "transistor-traitor".
Ace asks, "What made you so nasty, anyway? You hate your
mother when you were a kid?" Villo gets locked up in a special
cell guarded by - a machine. |
Brainex meanwhile, summons the Sub-Humans to show Villo he's more than a mere machine. "I'll show him I'm the master of - mankind!" The Subbies go to town, tearing down an amusement park, tipping over a ship. And once again, the Challs zoom in the Gizmo and split to attack, this time with X-ray beams. No good. And Red's jet-unit gets smacked out of the sky. He falls, but Rocky maneuvers under and catches him, though he's knocked cold. The Sub-Humans disappear. Lucky. Rocky wipes his brow. "That thing made us look like a plate of mashed potatoes." Red's awake, but his arm is broken. He gripes, "C'mon, you're not gonna make ride the bench, are you, Coach? Can't you keep me in the ball game?" Unable to stop the Sub-Humans,
the Challs try to pry the secret out of Villo. He says, "Get
me out of here and I'll destroy them for you!" Ace snipes,
"You sound like an old Humphrey Bogart movie. No deals!"
Villo blurts the monsters are as hard to kill as a thought because
they're creations of calculus! |
Leaving Villo locked up, the Challs take off. Prof recalls how he climbed inside Brainex. (Editor's note says COTU 50, but it was actually COTU 52.) Why not fight fire with fire? Pit computer against computer? Prof can use the computer at the State College nearby. In his cell, Villo chews a roll that tastes like rubber. It should. It expands into a trick balloon courtesy of Bubble-Master! Isn't he dead? But a note says to puncture the balloon and aim the spray at the bars. Villo burns free. Topside, Villo dodges the bullets
of prison guards and jumps into the bubble-craft. BM explains
that, after Villo kicked him out of the craft, BM inflated a
parachute bubble! Villo is stunned. He's forgiven the double-cross?
Oh, sure, BM was sore for a while. But he expected villainy and
admired Villo for living up to his reputation. "Very touching...
Now let's find Brainex." BM gushes, "Oh, if only my
mother could see me now!" |
At State College, Prof works with a computer the size of a garage. They can monitor the Sub-Humans as they ravage the city. Ace and Rocky fly the Gizmo smack into a hammer head without results. Prof programs by guess or by gosh. "Let's face it, friend - the human mind bows out of this one! Here goes nothing!"  The computers battle it out. Then
Prof's machine absorbs "an unknown calculus... a sudden
new thought!" Brainex overheats. The Sub-Humans look dazed
- and explode! Brainex wails, "I've lost! I didn't prove
my mastery over mankind!" |
Humiliated by his defeat, Brainex flashes his pick-up ray and fetches Villo and Bubble-Master. All the villains have learned their lessons. Brainex needs to recharge, so they're stuck on the sea bottom. Villo and his "new, part-time, junior partner Bubble-Master" will use the time to plan "a rampage that will be completely anti-world!" And the Challs? Ace says, "I
suggest we sleep with one eye open!" |
Comments A final narrative says the villains will be back, but it didn't happen. Maybe the editors were too embarrassed about creating Bubble-Master. The story's goofy at times, but you have to admit it's funny, especially the double- and triple-crossing. Just as well the villains squabble. If they got organized, they'd be dangerous! I love too that calculus (ooh!)
is the last-ditch secret weapon. Pretty rare for mathematics
to save the day! You wouldn't see that anywhere except in a Challengers
comic. |
One sweet thing in DC's Silver Age were Public Service pages dedicated to all kinds of good works. They were a nice reminder there were things in life more important that superheroes - things like ordinary people. One of my favorites was this page that ran at Christmas.  |
An ad for this issue ran in TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED.  |