Comic Title: Showcase #12
Publisher: DC (National Comics Publications, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Jan/Feb 1958
Approx. On Sale Date: November 19, 1957 Copyright Date November 17, 1957
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1957
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Frequency: Bi-monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 32
Editor: Jack Schiff

Title: "The Menace of the Ancient Vials"
Pages: 24

Feature(s):
Challengers of the Unknown (of Earth-1)

Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Wallace Wood

Reprinted In:
Challengers of the Unknown #77 (1970)
Challengers of the Unknown Archives Vol. 1 HC (2003)
Showcase Presents Challengers of the Unknown Vol. 1 TPB (2006)
Challengers of the Unknown Omnibus HC (2012)
Showcase Presents:Showcase Vol. 1 TPB (2012)
Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby TPB (2018)

Feature Character(s)

• Challengers of the Unknown (last appearance in Showcase #11; next appearance in Challengers of the Unknown #1)
• Ace Morgan (last appearance in Showcase #11; next appearance in Challengers of the Unknown #1)
• Prof. Haley (last appearance in Showcase #11; next appearance in Challengers of the Unknown #1)
• Red Ryan (last appearance in Showcase #11; next appearance in Challengers of the Unknown #1)
• Rocky Davis (last appearance in Showcase #11; next appearance in Challengers of the Unknown #1)

Villain(s)

• Karnak, Gortz, and Brommer (International spies; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Amos Hunter (an archeologist; no further appearances)
• Sheriff Chet Hollister (no further appearances)

Comments:
Chap. 2: "The Fire Being"
Chap. 3: "The Demon from the Depths"
Chap. 4: "The Deadly Duplicates"

Synopsis:
The Challengers are assigned to capture Karnak, an international spy. The spy and his henchmen land their plane on a small island. The island’s only inhabitant is archeologist Amos Hunter, who has discovered five vials from an ancient civilization. The Challs land on the island, so Karnak makes his henchmen drink the contents of one of the vials.

Gortz and Brommer are transformed by the potion into giants. The Challs manage to defeat them and corner Karnak. The henchmen revert to normal size and show up to fight the Challs again. In the process, the second vial is shot and destroyed, releasing a fire being. The being sets the forest on fire, and everyone is forced to retreat to the beach.

Red and Rocky chase the henchmen who have escaped using Hunter’s boat. A third vial, carried by Brommer is dropped into the ocean summoning a kraken. Meanwhile, using Hunter’s manuscripts Ace and Prof defeat the fire being. Karnak escapes in his plane, followed by the Challs.

From the air, Ace and Prof spot Red and Rocky in the water. They rescue their comrades and manage to defeat the kraken. They follow Karnak’s plane to the California coast where Karnak has used the fourth vial which has created dozens of duplicates of himself.

The Challs are able to catch some of the duplicates, but are only able to locate the real Karnak by following one of them back to Karnak’s hide-out. Karnak tries to escape using the final vial, but it is only the antidote to the vial which created the duplicates. The Challs capture Karnak, and his doubles disappear.