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December 1967 - January 1968 |
Open in the Under-Pacific HQ of the Challs. Prof can't get in contact with King Tulaga of Vaniki Island for their weekly radio chess match. "So let's go see what's checkmatin' your chess buddy." But the Challs note that every time they go looking for trouble, they miss Red. Vaniki Island has supposedly been civilized by King Tulaga, who's introduced modernisms. The natives row out in war canoes, but Prof notes, "that doesn't mean a thing. Tulaga's people have lived at peace for years."  Guess again. The tarps on the canoes flip off to reveal machine guns. The Challs get hosed with bullets prior to boarding. But instead of more bullets, they get tossed leis of flowers. Except they contain a strange smell - knockout gas. The Challs tumble into the ocean. |
Reviving, they find they're trussed to poles in the village. King Tulaga opposed the will of "Seekeenakee - Stone God That Walk Like a Man", so was ousted by King Venuka. The Challs shall be tossed down "Tamua - Hole That Has No Bottom!" And down they go into a well. "Thus die all who oppose Seekeenakee!" Luckily, or not, the well is full of water to break their fall. But the walls are too slippery to climb. Prof says, "Wait right here!" Rocky snidely notes, "I was actually thinking of runnin' out to a movie or somethin'." Diving, Prof finds an inlet and outlet. Together the Challs block the outlet with rocks. The water rises, and they climb out of the well. And before the well drowns the whole island, Prof drops a mini-bomb to blow out the bottom. |
So "what's all this jazz about Seekeenakee?" Prof: "A legend. A stone god who was supposed to run the show around here maybe a thousand years ago." Baloney, says Rocky.  Then one stone rears his ugly everything. "Hold intruders! Do not move yet another step! You stand before Seekeenakee! He at whom you laughed one moment ago. Now, what say you, fools?" Rocky: "Nothin' much, except maybe, can I take back that laugh?" No go. The stone god cuts down a tree on our guys. They return by picking up the tree and ramming Seek in his stone gut. Seek responds by grabbing the tree and trying to brain them. |
All the while Prof cracks jokes about a supposed "Doctor Kopfshrinker" who wrote an interesting paper. They take, as seen, the good doctor's advice. "Shut up and ruuuuun!"  The natives fan out to find the Challs, but Prof produces, from his cigarette case, the world's smallest remote control unit. The Gizmo circles the area. Assuming the Challs have gone, the natives give up the search. "It's time for the ritual." |
What ritual? whispers Rocky. Ace, "I don't know. It's not my church." Prof offers, "Let's go find out." Dropping onto three natives, the Challs take their loinclothes and feathers, rub earth into their skin, and go spying.  Still cracking jokes, the Challs attend the ceremony. Ace wonders why a peaceful people have turned vicious. And where'd they get the rifles? "Seekeenakee and ye shall find." Rocky notices that one The Holy Four - the god's advisors - "use the same tailors as the Ku Klux Klan." And one wears high heels. Amazing. The Holy Four are Professor Carter Danton, the Nobel physicist. Heinrich Vandergild, the international banker. Alicia Medina, the movie star. And Harry Noone, professional killer - The Challs' spying is interrupted as a shadow tries to brain Rocky. It's "Tino Manarry, the Singing Fink!" And Red's kid brother! Tino stashed a radio transmitter on their plane. Oh well, "Welcome to the beach party." |
Seekeenakee has big plans. It's time to invade the next island, Oana - and then spread across the whole South Pacific! Dressing, the Challs make a break for Tino's plane. Machine guns follow them, and Tino is winged. Of all people, Rocky carries him. "Me let them creeps kill you? I'm savin' that pleasure for myself, you little crumb." But Tino's plane won't start. The engine took a couple of slugs. So the Challs are temporarily out of the fight. While Seekeenakee's Holy Four are VERY busy on the island of Oana. Alicia Medina wines and dines the President, tucking him "in her pocket". Only a Colonel Brackshaw, head of the army, will fight Seekeenakee. Harry Noone takes care of that, with a sniper's bullet. "Signed, with love, the all-powerful Seekeenakee!" The President forces the local clergy to accept Seekeenakee as a LIVING god. And Prof Danton fires his ultra-energizer to bring "flaming death from the heavens!" Oana is conquered! The Challs finally get to Oana. But they're expected. Hardly does their plane taxi into a hanger than the doors slam shut. An image of Alicia Medina appears, "like a TV image in the air!" (Nowadays we call that a hologram.) She offers the Challs a choice: join Seekeenakee or die. Ace decides to go along. Rocky condemns him as a traitor. |
Seekeenakee arrives. "You have made a wise choice." Even better, Ace offers a "bright piece of military planning" that he'll illustrate with a fountain pen. "Ahh," thinks Rocky, "that pen. Now I get it!" So does Seekeenakee. He snaps the pen, knowing it contains "a poisonous gas meant to destroy me!" Prof jumps in, "Let me show you something!" But he's tripped up too, and relieved of his silver case full of explosive devices." Prof marvels, "This boy knows what we're going to do before WE do!" Rocky tries punching, and gets thumped flat. So does Ace. Prof pulls his trick: a mini-TV. It shows Vaniki Island completely deserted. "We removed all your people and mined the island!" (Actually, Prof had called in a hurricane alert so the island was evacuated. His ace in the hole.) Seekeenakee cannot allow his home base to be destroyed. Ordering guards to watch the Challs, the stone god rushes home. |
The Challs get the drop on the guards, and the fight is on!  |
Taking off, the Challs meet Seekeenakee for the final time - presenting him with a mammoth bomb!  Later, at headquarters, the Challs congratulate themselves. The Holy Four are behind bars and Stone-Face is dead. Except - the islanders radio word. They dug up the bomb rubble. Seekeenakee is gone! Rocky: "Holy cow! You suppose he really was immortal?" The narrator asks, "Who is old Stone-Face? How does he know more about the Challengers than they do? If you miss the next is, you're missing the hottest thing that ever poppped from the DC oven!" Of course, WE know who Seekeenakee really is. And all will be revealed in COTU 60! |
Comments This comic warms us up to the return of Red Ryan, as we learn later. But note how the story is more sophisticated than earlier tales. Usually it's enough to meet and scotch the big monster. But here Seekeenakee has laid a LOT of groundwork to conquer - not the world for a welcome change - the entire South Pacific. He's got a cadre of thugs, spies, and scientists helping him, so the Challs have to defeat not just a monster but an army and cabal. Different and interesting. And the ongoing jokes are great too. The Challengers were on a roll. The book received the 1967 Alley Award for "Best Non-Super-Powered Group Title". Alleys were awarded by a fanzine whose editors, Roy Thomas and Mike Friedrich, went on to become creators. Cited here. |
And just for fun, here's a Murray Boltinoff cartoon. Unlike the usual "Doctor Eureka" or "Casey the Cop" cartoons, this one incorporated a cover ad for a war comic. Clever and unique. At least, I never saw it done before or after. Love the "DC" on the soldier's helmet.  |