Challengers Of The Unknown #4
Chad Burdette
Recap
Spinning out of Absolute Power and the DC All In Special, the terror of the Darkseid shockwave has cascaded across the DC Universe… tearing open the very fabric of time and space itself! Only one band of super-scientists have the right stuff to challenge the fate of a universe… enter: THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UKNOWN in guest starring members of the Justice League
Comic Watch Reviews:
- Justice League: The Atom Project #1 – Captain Atom, A Man On The Run
- Justice League: The Atom Project #2 – Snap, Crackle, Fizzle
- The Question: All Along The Watchtower #1: Who Watches the Watchmen?
- Challengers Of The Unknown #1: Meet The Challengers Of The Unknown
- Challengers of the Unknown #2: One More Robot Learns To Be Something More Than A Machine
- Challengers of the Unknown #3: Something Happening Here, What It Is Ain’t Exactly Clear…
The Challengers continue to investigate Darkseid anomalies throughout the universe... and... within themselves...? As more Challs members face isolation aboard the Watchtower and evaluation by Mr. Terrific, a closely guarded theory begins to form as to why the Challengers might have been particularly affected by Darkseid's disappearance... even as they're kept in the dark while the League speculates. Now Red Ryan must investigate a newly sentient asteroid with the Green Lantern himself — Hal Jordan. But what does it mean when Red can begin to hear the asteroid's... thoughts? And what happens when he loses control of his own body after being exposed to the asteroid's... blood?
Review
Challengers Of The Unknown #4 is the penultimate issue in this series that has found the Challengers at the center of the Omega energy mystery that began the All-in era of the DCU.
Like the previous installment this issue has one of the main members investigating an anomanly, this time Anomanly-D, an asteriod, out in the far reaches of space. Red, of the core Challengers team, and one of the two members not in isolation and under the suspicion of Mister Teriffic, is accompanied by Hal (again) and Captain Comet to investigate. The reusing of Hal, while it makes sense,as Red is a pilot, it would have been more interesting if another Lantern could have been used. Captain Comet takes a backseat as a character, as the trio discover that the asteroid is possibly a living being and that someone is trapped in the center of the rock.
Things get wordy as GL and Red make their way to the voice they here below as the exchange between Hal and Red covers similar ground about why the Challengers do what they do and Hal’s past. Like the others, Red has a vision (this one of Black Manta as he was preparing to kill Arthur’s son) and is paralyzed, even through there is nothing physically wrong with him, leaving him sequestered with the others.
Mister Teriffic is less suspicious acting in this issue then he has been in previous issues and at least Supes, Wonder Woman, and Batman join the conversation. Cantwell also plausibly reveals why The Challengers have been the ones experiencing the Omega radiation effects and sets the stage for the final issue.
It was a bummer to that Cave Carlson is presumably dead but hopefully when the story resolves he will be back.
The art and colorwork continue to be top notch, bringing the settings of the issue to life.
Final Thoughts
Challengers Of The Unknown #4 provides a plausible explanation of why the strange things are happening to The Challengers and sets up the payoff of the final issue which will move the overall DC All-In era tory arc forward to the next stage.
Challengers Of The Unknown #4
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
