Publication history
The Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces.
The characters' provenance is ...
were a quartet of science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
adventurers created by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
. They debuted in 1957, and their commercial success spawned two other science fiction characters: Cave Carson and Rip Hunter
Rip Hunter is a fictional time traveling hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, the character first appeared in ''Showcase'' #20 (May 1959). Following three more appe ...
. Hunter was the more successful of the two. Unlike similar groups, namely Rip Hunter's Time Masters and the Sea Devils, Carson and his team never got their own title.
The group appeared in ''Brave and Bold'' #31–33, 40, and 41.
Next they appeared in ''
Showcase
Showcase or vitrine may refer to:
*Cabinet (furniture)
*Display case
Music
* ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961
* ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
'' #48, 49, and 52. Carson's stories featured Carson and a team of fellow adventurers engaging in various adventures beneath the Earth's surface. He was joined by Bulldozer Smith, Johnny Blake, and Christie Madison.
Cave Carson would later appear as part of the
Forgotten Heroes in the 1980s.
He and his team helps repel the Apellaxian invasion. They help the
Sea Devils and
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
by finding an underwater grotto. The others trapped a group of water-polluting "mercury" aliens inside the grotto.
Carson appeared as an ally to the Time Masters in the
mini series of the same name in 1990.
By himself, he helps in the fight against
Eclipso in the pages of Eclipso's own series. An ally of
Amanda Waller
Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...
, he leads Mona Bennet and Bruce Gordon through underground passages into the fictional country of Parador, which Eclipso had conquered. For his troubles, the villain breaks both his legs and leaves him on the border.
Cave and his team helps the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
in retrieving
Sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
from deep within the Earth's crust. Cave Carson was mentioned in ''
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' #5 on the news radio about an earthquake in India and in Japan in 2005. Later, during the ''
Final Crisis'' event, he was featured briefly in a news report with his cave crew under the
New York City Subway system, finding a way to explore the top of the world. As part of this excursion, they find ancient cave drawings under Manhattan.
Young Animal
The character was relaunched and reinvented in 2016 for DC's new publishing line
Young Animal
In the English language, animals have different names depending on whether they are male, female, young, domesticated, or in groups.
The best-known source of many English words used for collective groupings of animals is ''The Book of Saint Al ...
. The series, ''Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye'', is co-written by
Gerard Way
Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, ''Hesitant Alien'', ...
and Jon Rivera, with art by
Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer.
Career
Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...
. As of March 2018, the series title was changed to ''Cave Carson Has An Interstellar Eye''. It also began again from issue one.
Fictional character biography
Professor Calvin "Cave" Carson is an expert Geologist and skilled cave diver and spelunker. He worked with his friends Bulldozer Smith, Johnny Blake, and Christie Madison. Carson and a team of fellow adventurers engage in various adventures beneath the Earth's surface.
Carson had a lifelong fascination with tunnels and caves, but maybe not always of high moral values as when he was young he started his career as a lab-tech for the company E. Borsten & Sons.
There he started the Mighty Mole Project, who were working on developing remarkable digging machine to help in mining-access. However the government's priority was on space shuttle and satellite projects, the funding of the Mighty Mole Project got cut.
Cave would later join the Forgotten Heroes, who help stop the Appellaxian invasion. They help Aquaman and the Sea Devils find an underwater grotto. The others trapped a group of water-polluting "Mercury" aliens inside the grotto. Cave later works with the Time Masters on one of their adventures in time.
Cave later battles Eclipso when working with government liaison Amanda Waller. He leads Mona Bennett and Bruce Gordon through underground passages of the nation of Parador, which Eclipso had conquered. Eclipso breaks both his legs and leaves him for dead on the border.
Cave also worked with the Justice Society of America in retrieving Sand from deep within the Earth's crust. He was mentioned on the news radio about an earthquake in India and in Japan. Cave was later mentioned in a news report with his crew under the New York subway system, finding a way to explore the top of the world.
References
Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Carson, Cave". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 73. . OCLC 213309017.
^ Jacobs, Will; Gerard Jones (1985). The Comic Book Heroes: From the Silver Age to the Present. New York, New York: Crown Publishing Group. pp. 38–39. .
^ "JLA Year One" #12 (December 1998)
^ "Eclipso" #5 (March 1993)
^ "JSA" #63–64 (2004)
^ "Final Crisis" #3.
^ "Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye" 1 (October 2016)
External links
Toonopedia entry on Cave CarsonDCU Guide: Cave CarsonDCU Guide: Cave Carson chronology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Cave
DC Comics fantasy characters
Comics characters introduced in 1960
Characters created by France Herron