Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Prince Valiant And More Are Back In ‘Kings Quest’ In May

As much as Dynamite might be known for picking up a few unusual licenses, the upcoming Kings Quest series is not actually a comic book adaptation of the classic Sierra adventure game about wandering around, picking up everything you can, and then banging them together to see what happens. Instead, believe it or not, it's actually something better.

Coming in May, Kings Quest is Ben Acker, Heath Corson and Dan McDaid's sequel to Jeff Parker and Marc Laming's Kings Watch that finds the classic King Features adventure characters --- Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Jungle Jim and a time-tossed Prince Valiant --- reuniting to take on an entire army. In space.

If you've missed out on Dynamite's King imprint, the original story that brought all the characters together was one of my favorite event books in recent years.

Not only was it built on an intriguing premise --- Ming the Merciless invades Earth by crippling electronic communications, the kind of problem that can only be solved by a guy who hates pirates and a shiftless daredevil teaming up to fight dinosaurs --- but it was the kind of thing that left an interesting setting behind it. Without the Internet and cell phones, the world of King ended up having those pulp roots that you want from characters from the '30s that still managed to feel crisp and modern.

After Kings Watch, each character got their own solo miniseries, and after the first issue of Kings Quest hits shelves in May, the previous books are getting the deluxe treatment in the form of an almost 500-page paperback, out on May 18.

Kings Quest #1 hits shelves on May 5 with a cover price of $3.99. Here's the official solicitation text:

THE PERFECT JUMPING-ON POINT FOR NEW READERS! Join Flash Gordon, TWO Phantoms, Mandrake the Magician, and Prince Valiant on a disastrous intergalactic rescue mission! All they have to do is defeat a limitless alien armada and NOT get eaten by a space jungle. Brought to you by the innumerable talents of Ben Acker (The Thrilling Adventure Hour), Heath Corson (Bizarro), and Dan McDaid (Judge Dredd)!