As it’s Goulart, I’m prepared to accept that the text was a parody. Did the artist know? Was there, in fact, an artist of was this made from Letraset action-transfers?
Blonde guy in back: “Oh look at me! I’m a scary monster! Grr! Grr!”
(Either that, or B. Chiclitz is right and he thinks it’s a basketball game).
@fred: it does look like a Scooby Doo scene, doesn’t it? But I think that’s Old Man Jenkins in the Gill-Man suit, trying to scare people off from his Florida swamp property scheme.
@Anna T., fred: “why is the stripe off-centre like that?” I guess that is an Unknown the team won’t be Challenging.
I keep thinking the title is loading up, with that hourglass there.
(Because, otherwise, why the hourglass?)
I agree with @Tat that this is likely a parody (which doesn’t explain the off-center stripes) and possibly created entirely from Letraset or Colorforms.
The blonde woman is from a different set, being much brighter colored than the others. And the anomaly @fred noticed is because the “artist” was in a hurry and left a wrinkle during the application. Swampy is indeed Old Man Jenkins; he and the background scenery are from a Scooby-Doo set missing everything else.
@Cygnia Considering it’s using a title logo and costumes straight from one part of their comic run, I’m going with yes. And it turns out that yes is correct. These are in fact the Challengers of the Unknown from DC comics fame.
@GSS ex-noob Why the hourglass? Because the Challengers considered themselves to be living on borrowed time. Hence hourglass.
As for the off center stripe and the logo itself none of that can, alas, be completely blamed on the cover artist. this particular costume choice also came direct from the comics at the time. First use of that costume and logo I could find is July 1977 with Challengers of the Unknown #81. This book appears to have been published in November 1977. So clearly there was a mandate for the cover to use recognizable elements of the Challengers of the time. And yes, it’s a direct comic book tie in novel.
September 19th, 2019 at 9:45 am
“We’ll take this act to Vegas if it kills us!”
September 19th, 2019 at 9:50 am
“Use your uniforms to blend into the scenery, and the monster won’t find us!”
September 19th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
So they’re just Scobby Doo with a gill man instead of a dog and wear silly uniforms w/ off center striping.
September 19th, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Was this based off the DC property?
September 19th, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Rule number one of UAI: always make your figures dynamic, even when it makes no smeggin’ sense.
September 19th, 2019 at 1:54 pm
As it’s Goulart, I’m prepared to accept that the text was a parody. Did the artist know? Was there, in fact, an artist of was this made from Letraset action-transfers?
September 19th, 2019 at 2:00 pm
Swamp Thing is about to get cracked on the skull by an aggressive title.
September 19th, 2019 at 3:04 pm
Are they Challengers of the Known Unknowns? Or Challengers of the Unknown Knowns? Or Challengers of the Unknown Unknowns? Asking for Don Rumsfeld.
September 19th, 2019 at 4:23 pm
@fred: Yes, and why is the stripe off-centre like that?
It looks so bad…
September 19th, 2019 at 5:39 pm
This basketball team plays the worst defense ever! Not to mention their uniforms are ridiculous.
September 19th, 2019 at 5:54 pm
Captain Kirk to landing party:
“What? Everyone is wearing a red uniform??? Oh Crap!”
September 19th, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Blonde guy in back: “Oh look at me! I’m a scary monster! Grr! Grr!”
(Either that, or B. Chiclitz is right and he thinks it’s a basketball game).
@fred: it does look like a Scooby Doo scene, doesn’t it? But I think that’s Old Man Jenkins in the Gill-Man suit, trying to scare people off from his Florida swamp property scheme.
@Anna T., fred: “why is the stripe off-centre like that?” I guess that is an Unknown the team won’t be Challenging.
September 19th, 2019 at 9:54 pm
If the blonde lady is missing a pen I think I see it under her uniform. Why she can’t feel it is beyond me as it looks rather uncomfortable.
September 20th, 2019 at 3:15 am
Zor the Pescaton photobombs the Argos Catalogue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_and_the_Pescatons
September 20th, 2019 at 7:07 am
I keep thinking the title is loading up, with that hourglass there.
(Because, otherwise, why the hourglass?)
I agree with @Tat that this is likely a parody (which doesn’t explain the off-center stripes) and possibly created entirely from Letraset or Colorforms.
The blonde woman is from a different set, being much brighter colored than the others. And the anomaly @fred noticed is because the “artist” was in a hurry and left a wrinkle during the application. Swampy is indeed Old Man Jenkins; he and the background scenery are from a Scooby-Doo set missing everything else.
September 20th, 2019 at 9:49 am
Man, the “Look Ma, no feet!” tag is going to get quite the workout…
September 20th, 2019 at 12:08 pm
@daard23
that’s why the monster is so angry. It can’t work out who it’s supposed to kill.
September 23rd, 2019 at 2:44 pm
@Cygnia Considering it’s using a title logo and costumes straight from one part of their comic run, I’m going with yes. And it turns out that yes is correct. These are in fact the Challengers of the Unknown from DC comics fame.
@GSS ex-noob Why the hourglass? Because the Challengers considered themselves to be living on borrowed time. Hence hourglass.
As for the off center stripe and the logo itself none of that can, alas, be completely blamed on the cover artist. this particular costume choice also came direct from the comics at the time. First use of that costume and logo I could find is July 1977 with Challengers of the Unknown #81. This book appears to have been published in November 1977. So clearly there was a mandate for the cover to use recognizable elements of the Challengers of the time. And yes, it’s a direct comic book tie in novel.
September 24th, 2019 at 9:50 pm
@Jarikith: Great info, thanks! So perhaps the random action poses can be explained by the cover artist just copying random figures from the comic?
The novelization of the comic book! Back when comics (and everything) were goofy, in the disco years.
I’m sure Mr. Goulart slaved over this work for months. Not.