The concept sounds simple: every issue a different writer carries on from where the previous writer left off. Simple. It gets more complex: at the end of every issue, the writer must leave a (or many a) cliffhanger ending for the next writer to solve, with the clues to its solution apparent throughout the issue. As well, the writer must have the solution to his cliffhanger ready to print in the lettercol, and he cannot write characters he is currently writing.
Whoah, blow your mind yet?
This is the brainchild of 9 overworked, underpaid, drunken(?), quite tired DC Comics Writers and Editors, developed on the roof of a hotel, late after a comic conference. The writers picked numbers to determine the order in which they wrote, and then drew names of artists whom they assumed would be willing to work with them. For the 12th issue, all the writers would jam and wrap up the entire story.
Sounds interesting, don't it?
And it was. Way back in 1985, the DC Challenge emerged, no pre-existing storyline to follow, and no pre-determined ending. It was up to each writer to carry on what was done before them and pass it all (and more) along to the next one and hope it all worked out in the end. What it became was a complex tale involving half of the DC universe (including many many many characters not seen for over 20 years). It started off with dead people coming to life, turned into an alien invasion, and finally wrapped up with Darkseid behind the whole thing. Sounds like Plan 9 From Outer Space (only they didn't have Darkseid).
Some writers did an excellent job of brining together and making sense of what was done before them, while others were more happy making things much more complex by adding storylines instead of finishing them. A creative idea such as this really proves how strong a writer is, working under such odd conditions (ie. working on a story you didn't start and can't finish). All the writers said they loved doing it but they wouldn't do it again. Something about it being to hard to wrap your head around... the same goes for reading it as writing it. It's very difficult to read and remember all the little details that went on (although some goodly writers did concise recaps), and at times its either too simple or too complex to continue reading.
But the writers also said they had a lot of fun doing the series, and that fun and energy is translated over to the reader. And, it even begins to wrap up nicely by the 10th issue, which is a great thing.
The art is at times good, with artists like Dave Gibbons, Keith Giffen, and Steve Lightle, and bad (Don Heck, Joe Staton, Rick Hoberg, Tom Mandrake), but is best for featuring classic DC artists like Curt Swan, Gil Kane and Carmen Infantino. The lettercolumns were excellent witht the previous issue's writer giving their take on how their cliff hangers were wrapped up, and what they would have done different, although those stopped for 3 issues and letters were put in their place (which was a very bad move).
While not quite a classic, and hardly a must read, DC Challenge is fun (mostly for hardcore DC fans) and is a steal if you can find it in the cheap bin or even for cover price (considering the price of comics these days).