Mandrake the Magician is the focus of this, the final issue of Defenders of the Earth.
When Mandrake attempts to train his apprentice Kshin, the mage accidentally frees a forgotten adversary. Meanwhile, Rick Gordon and Jedda go on a date, only to run afoul of Ming the Merciless' newest band of ice warriors.
Everything is set-up for a climatic battle in issue #5. There's even a blurb for a 'To Be Continued' in the very last panel. Yet, a fifth issue was never to be.
The reason for the sudden cancellation is both very clear and also a bit of a mystery. The quality of the stories had slumped after a nearly flawless first issue written by Stan Lee. The cartoon in which this comic was based was sporadically scheduled on TV at best! Plus, some of the major characters were mostly forgotten.
Yet, like I said, this issue promised an issue #5. Plus, on the back cover, there's an ad for fans to subscribe to this series. It just doesn't add up. Unfortunately it was a trend for Star Comics titles to just up and disappear.
No matter how successful the titles might have been, Marvel never really could get retailers to commit to ordering titles from the all-ages imprint. Plus, somebody at Marvel never could manage to snag long-lasting licenses. (Other examples of this issue were then flops/ now cult hits Animax, Silverhawks and Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos.
A good story that for one reason or another will never be resolved. I am so glad I got to find these issues for cheap at a Con. A great blast from my past. It was fun while it lasted.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
This second issue of Defenders of the Earth has the newly formed team creating a secret base. Meanwhile, Ming the Merciless has the same idea, choosing the North Pole as the locale of his operations on earth.
Power Pack's Michael Higgins takes over storytelling from Stan Lee. It's like selecting a bench-warming roller blade enthusiast to replace Wayne Gretzky. There's just some mighty shoes to get filled here.
One issue I have with Higgins isn't so much his talent, but his writing style. I think he must have been from the U.K. because the Defenders of the Earth are now starting to spout little bits of slang every once in a while and it's rather odd British bits of dialogue that's being thrown about. Last issue, Stan Lee had everybody sounding like a 1980s New Yorker. Now everyone sounds like they're from London's East End. It's rather an disjointed transition.
Once again, the Phantom is grossly underused. He appears in the first act. But it's not until the third and final part of this story does he finally talk as well as spring into action. This issue is more about Mandrake and his bodyguard Lothar than anyone else. It's not so much a bad thing as poor use of all of your available characters.
I think I am starting to see some cracks in this franchise's foundation leading to why both the comic book and TV series were quickly cancelled.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
Defenders of the Earth- it was the crossover I never thought possible. I had grown up reading the adventures of Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician. But I wasn't aware that those heroes knew each other.
Then in 1985, Marvel Comics teamed with King Features Syndicate to create a 65-episode cartoon that teamed these legends together again for the first time as the Defenders of the Earth. The cartoon wasn't easy to find in my area of the country. But the occasional Saturday or Sunday that I was able to watch it, I was hooked.
I never did purchase the action figures, mostly because Galoob's bulky sculpts just didn't appeal to me. But I really loved the comic book! Published by Marvel's Star Comics imprint, the series was a continuation of the series.
This first issue was written by Stan the Man. It's entirely based on the pilot episode. In it, Ming the Merciless has kidnapped Flash Gordon's wife Dale and son Rick. Ming sends some of his robot sentries to capture Flash, who has sought refuge in the mansion home of renowned magician Mandrake. Along with his bodyguard Lothar and his son LJ and young apprentice Kshin, Mandrake agrees to help Flash recover his family.
To do this, the heroes need a master tracker. So, they go to deepest, darkest Africa where they recruit the Phantom and his daughter Jedda to assist them in locating Ming's base on the planet Mongo.
Needless to say, the heroes find Ming and manage to destroy his fortress. But the rescue of Dale and Rick takes a dark turn that I wasn't expecting, especially for kids' cartoons in the mid-80s. But the ending sets everything up for Flash, Mandrake, Lothar, the Phantom and their progeny to form the Defenders of the Earth as Ming now has his eyes set on conquering our planet for his newest throne world.
This was an enjoyable blast from the past. Having Stan Lee as writer for the first issue was a pleasant surprise. The artwork by Alex Suviuk was beautiful and the story itself was very good.
The Phantom seems a bit of an afterthought though. He's not really needed in the story. I'm wondering if King Features demanded that the Phantom be added to the team as by 1985, his comic strip was the only one of the three characters in high rotation nationwide. Compared to Mandrake and Lothar, you must admit that the Phantom has better name recognition. Still, the purple clad hero feels more like an bit player in this book instead of star player that he really was.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
