Some longtime fans of Challengers of the Unknown may chafe by the addition of major players in the Justice League to the book – Superman and Batman tend to hog the spotlight, even in stories ostensibly about semi-ordinary Joes and Janes and their super-science missions. But in this new era of the Justice League Unlimited, the inclusion of big-time superheroes acts as a sort of lifeline for the Challengers, who haven’t had a series of their own in nearly 20 years; longtime fans can’t quite afford to be purists when they’re desperate for content.
DC
Luckily, Challengers of the Unknown #1 balances the Justice League of it all. The focus of the first issue falls on Kyle “Ace” Morgan, and while Ace bumps up against a lot of supers throughout the issue (Hal Jordan, Superman, a couple of Flashes), they’re used almost entirely to spotlight what a good man he is. We’re told that the Green Lantern ring could just as easily have chosen him over Hal, and Superman delivers a lot of dialogue about how much he respects the guy.
DC
This first issue doesn’t dive into the other Challengers just yet – they’ve all been split off into teams, each with their own superhero retinue and off on their own adventures, and we must assume that subsequent issues will pop over to check in on the other odd-couple pairings.
DC
Because the book relies on this Justice League backbone, it’s inherently tied to the events of the DC All-In Special, which saw Darkseid upset the order of reality (and kick-start his own). Challengers is driven toward video-game like MacGuffins: giant crystal anomalies of unknown origin and purpose. The book feels altogether video-gamey in this setup – think of this issue as the Ace and Superman “level”.
These anomalies might play deeper into the All-In/Absolute narrative than they first appear – the series might be bent on exploring some foundational aspects of that other universe. Ace is confronted with what seem to be alternate reality specters (perhaps rough-draft castaways of Darkseid’s new universe). If this is the book’s intention – to deepen narrative tones playing out elsewhere – that makes Challengers a much more important book than a simple Justice League B-plot, even if covertly.
It still might not sit well with old fans, but it does provide our Challengers with something to do – perhaps something important to do. Challengers of the Unknown #1 leaves us wanting, then, in all the right ways.
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