From The Scoop: Cave Carson

In the 1960s, any hobby or profession was fair game for a comic book storyline. In decades since, publishers seem to have settled on a few fail-safes: detectives, uniformed and plainclothes law enforcers, scientists, and students. But back in the day, writers skewed a bit gutsier, cast their nets a bit wider, and asked themselves things like, "How would a comic about an ambitious spelunker do?"

Cave Carson first appeared in Brave and the Bold #31 in 1960. With fellow excavators and explorers Bulldozer Smith, Johnny Blaze, and Christie Madison, Cave (born Calvin) Carson embarked on a series of engrossing adventures beneath the Earth's surface. Using the Mighty Mole, a special digging vehicle he crafted himself, Cave and his crew tunneled beyond the known regions of the land to find what lay beneath. He met with several creatures, prehistoric and futuristic (both pretty popular and standard in comics of that time), but never distinguished himself as a standout with readers.

By 1964, the writers had their answer: no one wanted to reader about an innovative spelunker when there were angst-ridden, love-lorn, caped crusaders and avengers to be examined. So Cave disappeared that year, with only a short revival during the 1980s comic, aptly titled Forgotten Heroes.

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