“Yesterday’s” Comic> Defenders Of The Earth #1

We always knew Ming had a big head.

Defenders Of The Earth #1

Marvel/Star Comics (January, 1987)

Adapting the TV series loosely based on the King Features newspaper comic strip characters. When Flash Gordon crashlands near the home of Mandrake The Magician and his attendant, Lothor, the two protect him from Ming The Merciless’ ice robots. Ming is planning to attack the Earth from a new base and have kidnapped Flash’s wife, Dale, and son, Rick to lure Flash into a trap. Rick and Dale prove resourceful and Rick escapes with the help of a little creature he names Zuffy. To help find Dale and Rick, Mandrake seeks the help of his old friend the Phantom, and meets his daughter, Jedda. The Phantom agrees to help, leaving Jedda and her panther, Kisa with Mandrake’s ward, Kshin, and Lotor’s son, LJ (Lothor, Junior perhaps?). The four journey to Mongo, but not in time to stop Ming and his son, Kro-tan, from draining her mind, which ends up in a crystal. The newly formed Defenders Of The Earth vow to stop Ming and someday restore Dale.

What they got right: This is a half-adaptation of the pilot episode, Escape From Mongo (which is available at Hulu with other episodes of the series). The important parts are there (although Phantom joins in the unadapted second half) and sets up the series. By itself it’s a good introduction to the series.

What they got wrong: All of the mistakes (besides the incomplete adaptation) comes from the show. On Flash’s side Dale is now blonde with a really long ponytail. Ming also has green skin now (although I found an alternate intro where he has blue skin) and is back in control of Mongo, which is now suffering from lack of resources, the reason Ming is after Earth. And when did Ming have time for a son…and what happened to his daughter, Aura? (Granted, with all of the concubines Ming had another child isn’t out of the question.) Speaking of children, I don’t know enough about Mandrake and Lothor, but was Lothor ever married? I don’t remember a wife being mentioned in the show. At least Mandrake adopted, but I really know about them is that time they teamed with the Phantom (third review down) during Moonstone’s run. As for Jedda, I’m assuming this means the Phantom (#27 according to the pilot’s closing credits, which a bit further than the comic strip ever got, at #21 and holding for decades) has a son named Kit, per naming tradition, who will someday become the 28th Phantom. He’s never mentioned but if Jedda was the only child (and not the first time a female has assumed the mantle of the Ghost Who Walks, even though Julie was a stand-in for her brother–second review down) her name would be Kit. Also, the Phantom’s “ten tigers” thing is an old jungle saying in the comics based on the Phantom’s training, not an actual superpower.

Recommendation: Someday I’ll go over the TV series (possibly with the Comic Strip Critic, but I have a different Flash Gordon production I want him in on first) in video form but as for the comic itself, it stands out enough on its own to be worth a look. Star would produce some original stories, which I have coming up before I’m done with the three issues I currently own.