Challengers of the Unknown #23
In "Death Guarded the Doom Box," the Challengers of the Unknown race to recover the legendary Doom Box before it falls into the wrong hands, tracking Burt Langdon into a treacherous valley filled with bizarre traps—ranging from a tree that functions as an elevator to a battalion of giant robot Romans. As they confront a two-headed dragon and a wall of flames guarding the artifact, the team discovers the horn's true purpose: it was designed to destroy the box if it’s ever removed from its ring of fire. Written by Arnold Drake and illustrated by Bob Brown, this 1961 DC adventure blends classic sci-fi mystery with pulpy peril, all rendered in bold, dynamic art. The cover, also by Bob Brown, captures the moment of explosive tension.
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Burt Langdon has stolen the Horn of Herix from a museum. The Challengers track Langdon to a valley where a Doom Box, a legendary weapon, is hidden. Weird boobytraps slow the Challs: an alligator, a tree-turned-elevator, and giant robot Romans. They find the horn discarded, then the Doom Box guarded by a flames and a two-headed dragon! Ace blows the horn and a ray from the box drives back the dragon and flames. Langdon’s gang attacks, grabs the box, and runs. Ace blows the horn again, and the box explodes, because the horn was made to destroy the box if it were moved from its ring of flames.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).