The story continues this July, courtesy of Jeremy Adams (Green Lantern) and Will Conrad (Black Panther), in the all-new ongoing Flash Gordon monthly comic book series. Mad Cave Studios also recently unveiled its diverse array of related products for 2024, proving that there's a Flash Gordon story for every generation of science fiction fan and comic book reader.
Let’s take a look at the breadth of 2024 Flash Gordon and Defenders of the Earth projects!
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THE ULTIMATE SPACE HERO’S UNIVERSE COMES UNRAVELLED!
The all-new Flash Gordon monthly series, written by the critically acclaimed animation screenwriter Jeremy Adams and illustrated by top DC Comics and Marvel Comics artist Will Conrad, debuts its #1 issue on July 24.
"When Mad Cave's editor-in-chief Mike Marts started listing off the litany of projects they are working on and came to Flash Gordon, I had an almost automatic reflex. 'I’ll write Flash Gordon!' I exclaimed. There was something about it that made my heart and head jump—something about the chance to work on a project that has history, that's steeped in adventure and unrestrained imagination. A book that would be a heckuva lot of fun to write!" says Adams.
In Flash Gordon #1, Flash awakes on a secret prison planet somewhere in the galaxy. Upon learning that Dale Arden is the subject of an assassination plot, he's forced to break out and make his way across the galaxy to save her. Along the way, he encounters old friends, new threats, and a greater mystery of who is pulling the strings of this universe.
"You may be wondering, what will be this version of Flash Gordon?" Adams asks. "The way I see it, my job is to give readers a chance to relax, smile, and root for the good guy. It's a comic that retailers can point to when someone who has never read a comic comes in and wants to try something out. It’s not here to be controversial—it’s just here to entertain. This is a book that anyone can read and enjoy."
Befitting a major series launch, Mad Cave Studios is offering a wide selection of cover variants for fans and collectors to enjoy: Cover A by series artist Will Conrad, Frazer Irving's Cover B (which connects with covers for issues #2-5 to create a single panoramic vision), Cover C by Reilly Brown, a blank Cover D that aspiring artists and seasoned professionals can illustrate themselves, plus two special retailer incentive covers by industry heavyweights Joe Chiodo and Dan Panosian, respectively.
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A CLASSIC TALE BY LEGENDARY CREATORS… AND THRILLING NEW ADVENTURES TO COME!
In 1986, the animated series Defenders of the Earth united the King Features comic strip heroes Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Lothar to face fearsome threats alongside the next generation of heroes. The following year, Star Comics—a division of Marvel Comics—expanded upon that story with a four-issue miniseries.
Beginning in 2024, Mad Cave Studios proudly celebrates Defenders of the Earth with a trade paperback of that 1986 comic book series… and expands upon that legacy with a brand-new miniseries!
The Defenders of the Earth trade paperback, hitting stores on June 19th, collects the complete four-issue storyline from 1986 for the first time ever. Featuring contributions from legendary writers Stan Lee, Bob Harras, and Michael Higgins, with pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Fred Fredericks, and a dynamic new cover by Scott Chantler, this 96-page trade paperback pits the colorful heroes and their children against the dark forces of Ming the Merciless.
Launching in August, an all-new eight-issue Defenders of the Earth miniseries will challenge the four core heroes in surprising new ways! Stay tuned as Mad Cave plans to reveal more details about the miniseries in mid-May.
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FROM ALL-AGES GRAPHIC NOVELS TO VINTAGE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES AND MORE
Additional offerings from Mad Cave Studios' diverse line of Flash Gordon comics and graphic novels include:
Flash Gordon Classic Collection, a line of archival hardcovers that reprint the gorgeous original Alex Raymond newspaper strips, launches with the July release of its first volume, featuring the hero's earliest adventures in Sunday strips from January 1, 1934 to April 18, 1937, with additional background material and an introduction from comics industry legend Alex Ross.
From Mad Cave Studios’ kid-friendly Papercutz imprint, Flash Gordon Adventures is an all-ages original graphic novel series by the award-winning creative team of Art Baltazar and Franco, perfect for fans of Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy. Readers will be thrilled by the zany adventures of Flash Gordon and his friends, while enjoying valuable, but humorous life lessons learned about friendship, teamwork, and how alien-world gravity affects the digestive system, why a lizard machine is important for making new lizards and why Dr. Zarkov develops a way to make fake beards for Ming to wear.
And finally, Mad Cave Studios has teased a Flash Gordon Quarterly anthology series, debuting its first release in September, that spotlights new and unique takes on the characters—frequently in wildly entertaining genres that readers might never expect. Stay tuned as Mad Cave plans to reveal more details about the miniseries in mid-June.
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Mad Cave Studios is thrilled about these upcoming Flash Gordon projects, and hopes you are, too! Visit Mad Cave's dedicated Flash Gordon website to learn more about the creative team and how to acquire copies for yourself.
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