We have the book-length "The Menace of the Ancient Vials" by Writer/Artist Jack Kirby and inker Wally Wood and reprinted from Showcase #12 (1958). The Challengers are assigned to capture Karnak, an international spy. The spy and his henchmen land their plane on a small island whose only inhabitant, archeologist Amos Hunter, has discovered five vials from an ancient civilization. When the Challengers land on the island, Karnak has his henchmen drink the contents of one of the vials.
Goons Gortz and Brommer are transformed by the potion into giants. The Challengers manage to defeat them and corner Karnak. The henchmen revert to normal size and start fighting the Challs again. In the process, the second vial is shot and destroyed, releasing a fire being. The being sets the forest on fire, forcing everyone 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 Challengers .
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 Challengers are able to catch some of the duplicates, and are only able to locate the real Karnak by following one of the duplicates 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. After the Challengers capture Karnak, his doubles disappear.
Edited by Murray Boltinoff.
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