Adventure Comics #497
DC Comics
United States
- Published
- March 1983
- Page count
- 100
- Cover price
- 1.25 USD; 1.50 CAD
- Colour
- Black & white
- Format
- Comic series
- GCD
- www.comics.org/issue/358602
Credits
- Editing
- Carl Gafford
Nicola Cuti
Issue contents
Cover
Untitled
(Challengers of the Unknown; Superboy)
Cover, 1 page
Featuring
- Feature
- Challengers of the Unknown; Superboy
- Genre
- Superhero
- Code
- C-103
- Characters
- Challengers of the Unknown [Red Ryan; Rocky Davis; Prof Haley; Ace Morgan]; Superboy; Ultra Boy
Credits
- Art
- Gil Kane [as GK]
- Colours
- Anthony Tollin
- Letters
- Gaspar Saladino
Notes
Lettering and coloring credits from Carl Gafford in a December 2010 e-mail.
1Credits
- Letters
- typeset
Notes
Inside front cover. Table of contents.
2Featuring
- Feature
- Challengers of the Unknown
- Genre
- Adventure
- Characters
- Challengers of the Unknown [Ace Morgan; Rocky Davis; Prof Haley; Red Ryan]
Credits
- Script
- Bob Rozakis
- Pencils
- Alex Toth
- Inks
- Dan Adkins
- Colours
- Anthony Tollin
- Letters
- John Costanza
- Editing
- Nicola Cuti
Synopsis
Continued from last issue... The not-yet-Challengers investigate who sabotaged their plane... Red Ryan escorts an old friend, Johnny Green, in Las Vegas, when a car tries to run them down! Johnny explains HE was the target, not the heroes. Johnny won $300K from mobsters but hadn't collected. He was to fly to Vegas with Red. Mobsters planted a plastic sabotage device to crash the plane: plastic to fool metal detectors. The heroes meet the mobsters. A fight brings "Chaos in the Casino". Johnny gets paid and the mob goes to jail. And the heroes finally get their TV appearance as "Challengers of the Unknown!"
Notes
An original adventure that finishes their expanded origin from Showcase 6 and Challengers of the Unknown 31. More Challs stories were planned for Adventure Comics Digest, but they were bumped out by Legion reprints. The only finished unused story became part of DC Comics Presents 84.
3Featuring
- Feature
- Superboy
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Superboy [also as Clark Kent]; Ultra Boy [Jo Nah, also as "Gary Crane"](introduction and origin); Marla [also as "Ben Crane"]; Pete Ross; Krypto; Lana Lang; Martha Kent; Jonathan Kent
Credits
- Script
- Jerry Siegel
- Pencils
- Curt Swan
- Inks
- George Klein
- Colours
- Gene D'Angelo (reprint colorist).
- Letters
- Milt Snapinn
- Editing
- Mort Weisinger (original story)
Synopsis
Ultra Boy must discover Superboy's secret identity as an initiation test for the Legion.
Notes
Ultra Boy spelled "Ultra-Boy" in this story. Coloring credit from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.
4Featuring
- Feature
- Aquaman
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Aquaman; Mera; Vulko; Narkran; Aquagirl; Aqualad (cameo flashback); Aquababy (cameo flashback)
Credits
- Script
- Steve Skeates
- Pencils
- Jim Aparo
- Inks
- Frank Giacoia
- Colours
- Bob LeRose (reprint colorist)
- Letters
- Jim Aparo
- Editing
- Dick Giordano (original story)
Reprint history
- First print
-
Aquaman (DC, 1962 series) #46 (July-August 1969) — The Explanation!
- Also printed
-
Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly (Colour Comics, 1965 series) #55 ([November 1969?]) — The Explanation
Synopsis
Mera has been held captive by the same gangsters Aquaman has been fighting. After they escape, they head for Atlantis for the final showdown with Narkran.
Notes
Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.
5Featuring
- Feature
- Marvel Family
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Captain Marvel [also appears as Billy Batson]; Captain Marvel, Jr. [also appears as Freddy Freeman]; Mary Marvel [also appears as Mary Batson]; Uncle Marvel; Black Adam [Teth-Adam]; Shazam
Credits
- Script
- Otto Binder
- Art
- C. C. Beck
- Colours
- Nansi Hoolahan (reprint colorist)
Synopsis
The Marvel Family unite to battle the evil Black Adam.
Notes
Coloring credit from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.
6Featuring
- Feature
- Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Superboy [also appears as Clark Kent]; Legion of Super-Heroes [Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl; Lightning Lad; Sun Boy; Chameleon Boy (statue); Bouncing Boy (statue); Shrinking Violet (statue); Invisible Kid [Lyle Norg] (statue)]; Lex Luthor; Urthlo; Mon-El
Credits
- Script
- Jerry Siegel
- Pencils
- John Forte
Al Plastino [page 4 and some Superboy and Luthor heads only] - Inks
- John Forte
Al Plastino - Colours
- Gene D'Angelo (reprint colorist)
- Letters
- Milt Snapinn
- Editing
- Mort Weisinger (original story)
Reprint history
- First print
-
Adventure Comics (DC, 1938 series) #300 (September 1962) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask!
- Also printed
-
Giant Superboy Album (Colour Comics, 1965 series) #5 ([June 1969?]) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask
-
Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #377 (June 1969) — The Face behind the Lead Mask
-
Superman Supacomic (Colour Comics, 1959 series) #146 ([October 1971]) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask
-
Super Heroes Album (Murray, 1977 series) #12 ([April 1979]) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask
-
The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives (DC, 1991 series) #1 (1991) — The Face behind the Lead Mask
-
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes (DC, 2007 series) #1 ([April] 2007) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask!
-
Superman: Tales from the Phantom Zone (DC, 2009 series) ([June] 2009) — The Face Behind the Lead Mask!
Synopsis
At a regular meeting of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Legionnaires lose control of their powers. Urthlo arrives and announces that he now controls the Legionnaires' powers and there is nothing they can do about it. But Saturn Girl comes up with a serum to temporarily cure Mon-El and immunize him against lead, and Superboy releases him from the Phantom Zone to knock out Urthlo, who turns out to be an automaton created by Lex Luthor sent into the future to destroy the Legion.
Notes
Coloring credit from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail. Reformatted to fill 12 full pages.
7Featuring
- Feature
- Spectre
- Genre
- Superhero
- Characters
- Spectre; Jim Corrigan; Hamilton Benedict
Credits
- Script
- Neal Adams
- Art
- Neal Adams
- Colours
- Jerry Serpe (reprint colorist)
- Editing
- Julius Schwartz (original story)
Synopsis
An evil force invades the body of young Hamilton Benedict, giving him supernatural powers to battle the Spectre.
Notes
Coloring credits from Carl Gafford in December 2010 e-mail.
8Credits
- Author
- Paul Levitz
- Letters
- typeset
Synopsis
Discussion of the Legion stories reprinted in the issue.
Notes
Inside back cover.
9Featuring
- Feature
- Legion of Super-Heroes; Aquaman; Marvel Family; Spectre
- Characters
- Legion of Super-Heroes [Lightning Lad; Brainiac 5; Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl; Sun Boy]; Urthlo; Aquaman; Mera; Captain Marvel; Mary Marvel; Captain Marvel, Jr.; Black Adam; Spectre
Credits
- Pencils
- Howard Bender
- Inks
- Frank Giacoia
Notes
Back cover. Previews of the stories in the issue.
Indicia
The indicia for this issue is not recorded. The identified publisher might be an associated or parent company, rather than the specific listed publisher.