Ever since Dynamite Entertainment picked up the rights to Flash Gordon from King Features in 2010, the publisher's been rolling out bigger and bigger plans for the Earthling's adventures on the planet Mongo. Following his tenure on the Kings Watch crossover between Flash (ah-ahhhhh), The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, Jeff Parker is returning to the King of the Impossible for Flash Gordon #1 with artist Evan "Doc" Shaner (Adventures of Superman, Deadpool) and colorist Jordie Bellaire (Pretty Deadly).

Set for an April 9 release, Flash Gordon #1 kicks off a new ongoing series just in time for the character's 80th anniversary -- and in the right medium, as Flash appeared in comics for the first time in a syndicated newspaper strip by creator Alex Raymond.

From the sound of things, this book will act as a fresh jumping-on point for new readers (or at least casual fans who have only seen the 1980 live action film or heard its Queen soundtrack in odd 15 minute chunks over a period of decades), with Flash and friends battling Ming the Merciless as the tyrant attempts to conquer the wider universe. Preview pages show that Flash Gordon will at one point bungee jump, although since they're unlettered, we cannot confirm that he will be shouting "SUUUUUURGE!" In any case, Shaner and Bellaire make it look cool.

"Dynamite and editor Nate Cosby have put together the dream team for Flash Gordon, and I'm the lucky writer who gets to work with them," said Jeff Parker in an official Dynamite press release. "We're bringing Flash back for a new audience. It's over-the-planet high action and adventure where Flash's spirit and optimism are as powerful as anything the forces of Ming the Merciless can dish out. We also have some of my favorite artists contributing covers - make no mistake, this book is going to absolutely kill!"

Flash Gordon #1 will ship with variant covers by artists including Gabriel Hardman, Jonathan Case, Declan Shalvey, Marc Laming, Stephen Mooney and Ken Haeser.

 

Interior Preview

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Covers

Jonathan Case

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Gabriel Hardman

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Marc Laming

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Stephen Mooney

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Ken Haeser

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