Comic Title: Rip Hunter... Time Master #4
Publisher: DC (National Comics Publications, Inc.)
Address: 575 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Sep/Oct 1961
On Sale Date: July 20, 1961 Copyright Date July 20, 1961
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1961

Frequency: Bi-monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 32
Editor: Jack Schiff

Title: "The Bird-Men of 2000 B.C."
Pages: 25

Feature(s):
Rip Hunter (of Earth-1)

Writer: Jack Miller
Artist: Nicholas Peter Cardy

Reprinted In:
Showcase Presents:Rip Hunter, Time Master Vol. 1 TPB (2012)

Feature Character(s)

• Rip Hunter (last appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #3; next appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #5)

Supporting Character(s)

• Jeff Smith (last appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #3; next appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #5)
• Bonnie Baxter (last appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #3; next appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #5)
• Corky Baxter (last appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #3; next appearance in Rip Hunter... Time Master #5)

Villain(s)

• Roog and his followers (warlike bird-men; no further appearances)
• General Abu and a Babylonian army (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Rex Steele (a sportsman; no further appearances)
• Shreeb and a race of bird-men (no further appearances)

Comments:
Chap. 2: "The Ancient Air Raid"
Chap. 3: "The Avenging God of Gilgamesh"

Synopsis:
Rip Hunter is called when a bird-man mysteriously appears from nowhere. Rip speaks with the bird-man and learns that he is from ancient Babylon. Returning to that time period in the time sphere, the bird-man, Shreeb is reunited with his people. However, they are attacked by a warlike group of bird-men who also plan to attack the humans on the mainland.

Rip and his team help Shreeb and his people retake their island home from Roog, the leader of the warlike group. However, they are unable to stop Roog from attacking the Babylonians. As the battle begins, all the bird-men become weak and must retreat to their island home.

The Babylonians, led by General Abu, chase them. Rip disguises the time sphere as Gilgamesh, the Babylonian god in order to scare them away, but the ruse fails. The bird-men continue to grow weak, making Rip realize the source of their problem.

The island has a volcano which used to emit smoke, but no longer does. The smoke is necessary for the survival of the bird-men, so Rip uses dynamite to open a volcanic chamber, filling the atmosphere with smoke. Unable to breathe, the attacking army is driven off, and the bird-men regain their strength. Returning to the present, Rip believes the volcano eventually sank the island of the bird-men.