- Title: Flash Gordon #1 (of 6)
- Comic Vine: link
Recent attempts to revive Flash Gordon for the new millennium have been less than impressive (see the now defunct Sci-Fi Channel original series). Now Flash is returning to the comic pages with a new series from Ardden Entertainment.
Written by Brendan Deneen with art by Paul Green this first issue reinvents the characters while also returning them to their roots. Here Flash Gordon is a professor and adventurer, Hans Zarkoff is a mad scientist, and Dale Arden is a agent for the CIA.
Flash is approached by Dale and her gorilla-like partner who believe Hans Zarkoff is working on a Weapon of Mass Destruction. The truth behind the circumstances is far more complex and Flash and Dale end up with Zarkov in his experimental space ship only to find themselves not in Kansas anymore as they travel through a portal to another world.
This is the first comic produced by the newly created Ardden Entertainment and it shows some promise. I was initially unsure with the exaggerated look, but I think it will work better in the alien worlds of Mongo.
I like the balance in this first issue of Flash being returned to his roots (and given back his brain) rather than a dumb jock in circumstances way over his head. We get little of Zarkov (and none of Ming) in this first issue so it will be interesting to see how these characters are fleshed out, too.
Where the series really breaks with tradition is in casting Dale Arden as not only bright but the most physically capable member of the band. She’s at the very least Flash’s equal and quite possibly more. It looks as if she will play a strong role in the series, and her sleek look and skintight jumpsuit is guaranteed to make teenage boys very happy.
Although I wasn’t blown away by this first issue I was entertained and given enough of a taste to want more. Here’s hoping this version of Flash Gordon stays around awhile.