Challengers of the Unknown #1

Challengers of the Unknown #1 (1997) kicks off with the team summoned to the isolated town of Harvest, Wyoming, where decades of unexplained disappearances have left the townspeople wary and tense. Written by Steven Grant and Len Kaminski, with bold, atmospheric art by John Paul Leon and sharp inks by Shawn Martinbrough, the issue builds tension through eerie isolation and sudden violence—ending with the Challengers chained on a playground, spared from a mysterious celestial force that lifts the townspeople into the sky. The cover by John and Shawn delivers a striking, ominous image that perfectly captures the story’s unsettling tone.