BARA

Real Name: Bara

Class: Extrateresstrial

Occupation: Would-be conqueror

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: unnamed planet

First Appearance: Challengers of the Unknown I #19 (April-May 1961)

Powers: Bara was armed with a freeze ray, disintegrator ray, liquid flame rockets, a transmutation machine that converted matter into pure energy.

History: (Challengers of the Unknown I #19) - The Challengers of the Unknown spotted a group of aliens mining for ore near Challenger Mountain, and they explained they came from a planet whose sun was going supernova, and they used a transmutation machine to convert their planet's population into energy which was recorded on a magnetic tape. Lyo, Ia, and Bara were the only ones not so converted, and were piloting their space ark to find a new planet to inhabit. The ship was damaged during a cosmic storm, and they were constructing a cosmic shield to protect them on the rest of their journey. To finish the job they needed a rare mineral called calextite, which the Challs promised to help them obtain. Bara, planning on ruling their new planet, revived some men loyal to him, pulled weapons on Lyo, Ia and the Challs, and announced that he was taking over their mission. Lyo put up a forcefield to buy them some time, but Bara and his men caught up with Prof. and Red, using the transmutation machine to turn them into energy and record them on a tape. Bara had a tape of a giant Tracking Toba, his planet's mot effective tracker, and sent it to find the rets of his quarry while he went to nearby Dawn City, threatening the residents with a disintegrator ray if they didn't find him calextite. The Toba caught up with Lyo, Ace and Rocky, who covered themselves with dirt to confound it's sense, and Lyo restrained it with energy shackle. The Challs freed their teammates from the magnetic tape, and used the Toba to catch up with Bara. Bara surrendered, and Lyo placed him and his mutinous allies on a tape before bidding farewell to the Challs.

Comments: Created by Arnold Drake? & Bob Brown.