Rip Hunter #1 is an issue of the series Rip Hunter (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1961. It was published on January 19, 1961.
Synopsis for "The Thousand Year-Old Curse"
Rip and the crew return to 1660, near Boston, to help his friend Martin Craig prove to his girlfriend's father that there is no family curse that would prevent him from marrying his daughter, Nancy. Upon arrival, the team leaves the Time Sphere and tries to find Martin's ancestor, Elliott Craig. His uncle, Hiram, tells them he's defying the curse by volunteering to scout out a tribe of Indians who are said to be on the warpath. They find Elliott, now held prisoner by the tribe. They manage to get him away but end up trapped in a box canyon. Climbing the cliff walls, they barely manage to escape with the help of Bonnie and the Time Sphere. After learning that Craig's cousin has died they aren't sure it wasn't the curse in effect after all. They further trace the curse to 14th century Switzerland and they head to Thunder Valley to a village being attacked by a giant lizard-like volcano creature. They see Craig's ancestor, Bern Craig, attacking the beast, despite being known as the town coward. Rip and Jeff try to rescue Bern, who is swooped up in the beast's claws. They see the creature enter a volcano, evidently the end of Bern, but the two follow tracks, leading them to a chalet where they find Bern alive with two friends. Bern tells them that he wanted to leave the town and prove himself but didn't want his parents to suffer embarrassment because of him so he staged this ruse to show he was a hero. Rip finds out the real origin of the curse was with Sir Edmond Craig in the 10th century. They arrive at a castle in 960 A.D. and are attacked by knights. Astounding the knights with gunfire, Rip gets them to relate how Edmond Craig, begging the king not to heed the words of charlatan wizard Karatan, is cursed by the wizard and soon after falls to his death from the castle walls. Believing something is not right, the group approaches Craig Castle but must fight off a gang of highwaymen first. They learn the wizard has been impersonating Sir Edmond's ghost in an effort to keep the curse alive, and despite Karatan's employing mystic illusions, Karatan is felled in the end by a heart attack. They find a book with blank pages which gradually appear as they return to the present. The book reveals Karatan's treachery and the fact that the curse had been a hoax to get into the good graces of the king. There now is no longer a reason Martin can't marry Nancy.
Appearing in "The Thousand Year-Old Curse"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Karatan (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Bern Craig (Single appearance)
- Edmond Craig (Single appearance)
- Hiram Craig (Single appearance)
- Elliot Craig (Single appearance)
- Martin Craig (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Faux volcano creature
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is divided into three chapters:
- Part I: The Thousand Year-Old Curse
- Part II: The Secret of the Volcano Creature
- Part III: The Wizard of the 10th Century
- Rip Hunter and the Time Masters appeared last in Showcase #26.