DC Challenge
From Hey Kids Comics
DC Challenge was a 12-issue comic book series produced by DC Comics from November 1985 to October 1986, as a round robin experiment in narrative. The book's tagline was "Can You Solve It Before We Do?"; reputedly, it was conceived during a rooftop party at a comic book convention.[1]
The premise of DC Challenge was that each chapter would be written by a different author and illustrated by a different artist;[2] no consultation between authors was permitted. As well, each chapter would end in a seemingly impossible cliffhanger (from which that chapter's author had to have planned a viable escape), and the name of the next chapter would be provided. Authors were free to use any character or concept from DC's (then) 50 years of publication, with the exception of those whose appearances they were currently writing. Dick Giordano had been the original editor of the series, but turned the job over to Robert Greenberger before the first issue was published. The last issue of DC Challenge was a collaborative effort by six of the twelve writers.
The Issues[edit | edit source]
| Issue | Date | Story title | Writers | Artists | Featured characters | Comments | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 1985 | "Outbreak!" | Mark Evanier | Gene Colan and Bob Smith | Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Adam Strange, The Riddler | [3] | |
| 2 | December 1985 | "Blinded By the Light" | Len Wein | Chuck Patton and Mike DeCarlo | Superman, Batman, B'wana Beast, Jonah Hex, Congorilla | [4] | |
| 3 | January 1986 | "Viking Vengeance" | Doug Moench | Carmine Infantino and Bob Smith | Superman, Hawkwoman, Jonah Hex, Batman, Aquaman, Adam Strange, Viking Prince, Hawkman, Alanna | [5] | |
| 4 | February 1986 | "Atomic Nights" | Paul Levitz | Gil Kane and Klaus Janson | [6] | ||
| 5 | March 1986 | "Thunderbolts and Lightning" | Mike W. Barr | Dave Gibbons and Mark Farmer | [7] | ||
| 6 | April 1986 | "A Matter of Anti Matter" | Elliot S! Maggin | Dan Jurgens and Larry Mahlstedt | [8] | ||
| 7 | May 1986 | "Don't Bogart That Grape . . . Hand Me the Gas Pump!" | Paul Kupperberg | Joe Staton and Steve Mitchell | [9] | ||
| 8 | June 1986 | "If This Is Love, Why Do My Teeth Hurt?" | Gerry Conway | Rick Hoberg, Dick Giordano, and Arne Starr | [10] | ||
| 9 | July 1986 | "All This and World War, Too!" | Roy Thomas with uncredited plotting assistance by Jean-Marc Lofficier[citation needed] | Don Heck | [11] | ||
| 10 | August 1986 | "Jules Verne Was Right!" | Dan Mishkin | Curt Swan and Terry Austin | [12] | ||
| 11 | September 1986 | "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" | Marv Wolfman and Cary Bates | Keith Giffen and Dave Hunt | [13] | ||
| 12 | October 1986 | "Prologue" | Mark Evanier | Dan Spiegle | [14] | ||
| "Phase 12.1: Fathers Against Suns" | Mark Evanier | Denys Cowan and Rodin Rodriguez | |||||
| "Phase 12.2" | Dan Mishkin | Luke McDonnell and Rick Magyar | |||||
| "Phase 12.3" | Roy Thomas | Stan Woch and Jan Duursema | |||||
| "Phase 12.4" | Gerry Conway | Steve Lightle and Gary Martin | |||||
| "Phase 12.5" | Len Wein | Ross Andru and Frank McLaughlin | |||||
| "Phase 12.6 Final Phase" | Mark Evanier and Marv Wolfman | Tom Mandrake |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ DC Challenge #1, (Nov. 1985)
- ↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
In a playful twelve-issue maxiseries, DC decided to put its writers and artists to the test. With each issue written and drawn by a different team, DC Challenge told a story that was in a constant state of flux.
- ↑ DC Challenge #1 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #2 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #3 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #4 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #5 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #6 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #7 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #8 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #9 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #10 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #11 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DC Challenge #12 at the Grand Comics Database
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