There’s a surprising two-month jump between the beginning of the Challengers story and this second issue. The setup seemed much more conducive to an immediate follow-up. But whatever.

Things have happened in the intervening time, I guess. Not, like, terribly interesting or even terribly important things, though. But when the time-banished villain that now inhabits Ace’s partially decayed body starts coming after the Challengers, things change.

Not that the Challengers had moved on. They continued to sort of wonder about the curious tablet, though it apparently took them two months to REALLY start caring, since that’s where this story picks up. Google tells them there are other tablets out there, and the Challengers are off on another fun little pulp excursion – with apologies to Raiders of the Lost Ark for one scene.

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN is not exceptional in any way, really, but it’s just fine, and a bit different from some of DC’s other fare. It’s a reasonable pulp adventure, though not, perhaps, quite as good as the UNCHARTED tie-in DC’s currently publishing. It does keep its plot moving along, though, for what it’s worth.

There are probably too many characters, but they seem to be dropping like flies. Heck, the preview blurb for DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #8 says it’s not a question of if any more Challengers will die in the next issue, but who! Perhaps the better question will be, though, will I care at all?