I took a chance and I'm reading Showcase Presents Challengers of the Unknown volume 1. I'm about halfway through, having read their original Showcase appearances and the first seven issues of their eponymous title. Based on what I have read thus far, I have a statement and a question.

The statement is this: These are men who each have a death wish. Having escaped death, they aren't just living life to the fullest but intentionally putting themselves in mortal peril. Not only that, but their actions sometimes put others in peril as well. For example, having opened one of four boxes and releasing a threat to all mankind, one of the Challengers goes and opens a second box before the first problem is even dealt with. And so it goes until all four are opened. Good grief!

My question is this: What did the Challengers do that seems to have made all law enforcement agencies trust them implicitly? Perhaps this is covered later in this collection or sometime beyond. I have to wonder while reading these stories, though, what leads everybody who is "good" to trust these four guys in purple jumpsuits.

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  • When they first appeared they wore purple tops and grey or light purple trousers. The look can be seen on their first two Showcase covers, and I think it doesn't work at all.
  • I don't have an answer for your question, Jeff, but I've read the early Challs adventures in two DC Archives and I tend to think of them as a sort of "dry run" for the FF. I look at features such as this in order to determine what Stan Lee and what Jack Kirby brought to the table regarding (arguably) their most famous collaboration.
  • Ace, Rocky, Red and Prof each enjoyed some level of fame in his chosen field of expertise prior to banding together as the Challengers which may have influenced people to view them as good guys. Or because it was a simpler time, their declaration of being on the side of the good guys may have been enough for most people.
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