Sea Devils, Cave Carlson, Rip Hunter, etc..

[destro]

I've never really tried any of these, also stuff like Challengers of the Unknown. Or any of the other 4 man team non-super hero silver age DC adventure books.

I'd like to pick up a collection of 1 or 2 of them. I can't afford them all, so I'm looking for opinions on what the best ones of them were. Please feel free to include any I've forgotten to name. I've already tried Mystery in Space, Suicide Squad and Doom Patrol.

Thanks in advance.

[prince hal]

I'm a sucker for all of these, but one I've always enjoyed was the Rip Hunter series b/c I love time travel stories and history. Plenty of good stuff in the Challengers series, too, from the Kirby issues early on to the Doom Patrol-esque mid-60s stuff. More like a Marvel series than a DC series at times, a la DP.

Cave Carson and Suicide Squad didn't have runs nearly as long as the others.

Tomahawk has elements of these adventure series, too, despite its setting. Tomahawk and his Rangers (a little like Fury and the Howlers at times, especially in their imperviousness to bullets) encountered giant purple gorillas, monsters of all shapes and sizes, underwater Indian tribes, and of course, dinosaurs.

[destro]

I'm a sucker for all of these, but one I've always enjoyed was the Rip Hunter series b/c I love time travel stories and history. Plenty of good stuff in the Challengers series, too, from the Kirby issues early on to the Doom Patrol-esque mid-60s stuff. More like a Marvel series than a DC series at times, a la DP.

Cave Carson and Suicide Squad didn't have runs nearly as long as the others.

Tomahawk has elements of these adventure series, too, despite its setting. Tomahawk and his Rangers (a little like Fury and the Howlers at times, especially in their imperviousness to bullets) encountered giant purple gorillas, monsters of all shapes and sizes, underwater Indian tribes, and of course, dinosaurs.

I've always avoided Tomahawk because I thought it would just be a lesser version of Jonah Hex in a slightly different setting, but that sounds kind of interesting.

[Cei-U!]

Well, since I've read all these stories, I'm a good one to ask. Although they have their individual specialties, the Sea Devils, the Suicide Squad, Rip Hunter's chrononauts and Cave Carson's spelunkers are essentially the same characters and face the same assortment of monsters, aliens and lame-ass costumed villains that plagued the Challs and the Blackhawks (though the Rip Hunter stories are at least amusing for their total disregard for actual history). The real selling point for these books is the art: Russ Heath, Irv Novick, Joe Kubert, Andru/Esposito and Gene Colan (Sea Devils); Andru/Esposito (Suicide Squad); Bruno Premiani, Kubert, Mort Meskin and Lee Elias (Cave Carson); Ruben Moreira, Mike Sekowsky, Kubert again, Andru Esposito again, Nick Cardy, Alex Toth and the criminally overlooked Bill Ely (Rip Hunter). I'd suggest you start with whichever title's artists most match up to your tastes.

Cei-U!
I summon the toss-up!

[destro]

Well, since I've read all these stories, I'm a good one to ask. Although they have their individual specialties, the Sea Devils, the Suicide Squad, Rip Hunter's chrononauts and Cave Carson's spelunkers are essentially the same characters and face the same assortment of monsters, aliens and lame-ass costumed villains that plagued the Challs and the Blackhawks (though the Rip Hunter stories are at least amusing for their total disregard for actual history). The real selling point for these books is the art: Russ Heath, Irv Novick, Joe Kubert, Andru/Esposito and Gene Colan (Sea Devils); Andru/Esposito (Suicide Squad); Bruno Premiani, Kubert, Mort Meskin and Lee Elias (Cave Carson); Ruben Moreira, Mike Sekowsky, Kubert again, Andru Esposito again, Nick Cardy, Alex Toth and the criminally overlooked Bill Ely (Rip Hunter). I'd suggest you start with whichever title's artists most match up to your tastes.

Cei-U!
I summon the toss-up!

Thanks Cei-U. I hadn't even considered looking at it that way. Judging by that list I'm thinking Sea Devils might be a good start for me. Rip Hunter is a book I've always had some interest in ever since I saw the "George Washington is really a traitor" cover.

Is Captain Storm any good?

[md62]

Challengers of the Unknown would be my pick. I tried many of these series but the Challengers (& the Doom Patrol) were the only ones that held my interest.

[foxley]

Personally I'd go with Sea Devils. The art was gorgeous.

[Cei-U!]

Is Captain Storm any good?

Like a lot of Kanigher-scripted war series, it's essentially the same story told over and over again. It's well-done, especially the Irv Novick art, but monotonous if read one issue after the other. I'd try an issue to see if you like it but, really, Storm doesn't get interesting until he joins the Losers.

Cei-U!
I summon the wooden-legged skipper!

[dan bailey]

Like a lot of Kanigher-scripted war series, it's essentially the same story told over and over again. It's well-done, especially the Irv Novick art, but monotonous if read one issue after the other!

I never really realized it as a kid, when I was reading "Enemy Ace" as it came out in Star-Spangled War Stories, but I grasped pretty quickly when I got the Showcase Presents collection a few years ago that if I were to take a drink every time Von Hammer invoked "the killer skies," I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning inside an hour. (Not that I've been able to drink for the better part of a decade, of course. But still.)

[prince hal]

I never really realized it as a kid, when I was reading "Enemy Ace" as it came out in Star-Spangled War Stories, but I grasped pretty quickly when I got the Showcase Presents collection a few years ago that if I were to take a drink every time Von Hammer invoked "the killer skies," I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning inside an hour. (Not that I've been able to drink for the better part of a decade, of course. But still.)

I see your "killer skies" and raise you "Nothin's ever easy in Easy."

[destro]

I did try Enemy Ace and found that I enjoyed them a lot more just reading a couple of stories a week. Usually I just want to plow through an Essential or Showcase in a couple of days, but these War Titles seem to need a bit of breathing room between stories.

[Perseus]

I love Showcase Presents Enemy Ace. Also, Showcase Presents Sea Devils is alot of fun. The art is gorgeous. The OP mentioned which team to try. How bout try the material that has already been reprinted like Challs, DP, Sea Devils, etc. Cave Carson has not been reprinted so you would be buying expensive back issues. Rip Hunter Showcase is out later this summer so that will be nice. Much of this material has very nice art and looks great in b&w.

DC Legacies issue 3 has the wonderful backup with Sea Devils, Challs, and Cave Carson. It was my favorite part of the whole Legacies maxi series.

[destro]

I love Showcase Presents Enemy Ace. Also, Showcase Presents Sea Devils is alot of fun. The art is gorgeous. The OP mentioned which team to try. How bout try the material that has already been reprinted like Challs, DP, Sea Devils, etc. Cave Carson has not been reprinted so you would be buying expensive back issues. Rip Hunter Showcase is out later this summer so that will be nice. Much of this material has very nice art and looks great in b&w.

DC Legacies issue 3 has the wonderful backup with Sea Devils, Challs, and Cave Carson. It was my favorite part of the whole Legacies maxi series.

Yes I should have clarified, I'm not trying to get the back issues. Only collections. The back issues are way out of my price range. I didn't realize Cave hadn't been reprinted (odd) so that's out right there.

But since I'm only really able to pick up two right now I've settled on the Challs and Sea Devils to start with.

[BDiogenes]

prince hal, destro, Cei-U!, and md62, as background on me, I would observe titles I didn't read in ads or stores, at least their covers. The only sff I ever noted in Tomahawk was the ice being on the cover of #100; it's news to me the book had anything more than Native American adventures, of which race I assume the title character was. Cave Carson I learned from you had many trial issues in the audition titles, more than I noticed. Cei-U!, since you are obviously plugged into this material contemporaneously, how many issues of "...War Stories" did the SS appear in before it went to general dinosaur tales? I read all but didn't notice switch. I agree with you about the art as I wasn't much for careful reading in those days; I can't recall more than scanning the pages of Rip and didn't even buy the try-out issues, which I now wish I had. Time travel never grabbed me long; the ability was fascinating, but then my interest hinged on where one landed, at least in those days. Am I correct that these DC's did not credit artists on their title pages and less so the farther back ones goes? md62, I agree with you on Challs (and the DP). But I can see no use for reprints in b & w and minus the original accoutrements. I'm amazed anyone but libraries would buy those trade paperbacks not in color.

[destro]

^ Just to address your last point, I have a couple of reasons for getting the b/w collections.

1st, I enjoy the comics without color. I'm willing to read them with or without. Sure it's nice to have the orignal and be able to read the letters page, look at the old ads, full color, etc.. but it's simply not always possible, especially on older books. Also you can see the art a bit more clearly without coloring if that's your thing.

Which brings me to my 2nd reason. Money. I can't afford the back issues and some of the color collections tend to be extremely pricey as well. The b/w collections are something I can realistically afford.