Nerdly » ‘Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #1’ Review (Mad Cave Studios)

15th Dec2025

‘Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #1’ Review (Mad Cave Studios)

by Phil Wheat

Written by Dan DiDio | Art by Alex Sanchez | Colour by Juancho Velez | Letters by Carlos M. Mangual | Published by Mad Cave Studios

I haven’t read any of the Mad Cave Flash Gordon books OR the previous Defenders… series, so I came into this one cold, as a fan of the old cartoon rather than the comics. Thankfully, there’s an introduction in the front of the book that gets you up to speed – essentially Ming the Merciless is dead, killed by his son Kro-tan, who also brainwashed Flash for years and now everyone blames Flash for what happened and want him dead.

That’s where this book starts – with the titular team on Mongo, being sentenced to death. Not only by the Lion Men but also Flash’s former allies, the Hawk Men. Back on Earth, the kids of the Defenders – Rick Gordon, K’Shin, Zuffy, LJ, and Jedda – are on their own mission to find Flash Gordon’s wife, and Rick’s missing mother, Dale.

This book is all set up for what is to come. It sets up the story, the characters and the relationships not only between them but also with the other characters that inhabit Mongo. There’s a lot of groundwork being laid here, the kind of necessary scene-setting that signals bigger things on the horizon. It’s exposition-heavy, sure, but in a way that feels purposeful — like the creative team clearing the decks so issue #2 can hit the ground running when it lands in LCSs.

Visually, this thing absolutely sings. Alex Sanchez’s art gives Mongo the kind of scale and texture it always deserved — a proper alien world, full of oddball species, clashing cultures and environments that feel hostile, ancient and alive all at once. The colours burst off the page too; everything has that slightly heightened, pulpy sci-fi sheen that matches Flash Gordon’s legacy without feeling dated. It’s vibrant, loud, and packed with detail in a way that makes even the quieter moments feel rich.

And credit where it’s due: the creative team are clearly operating as a single unit. The lettering guides you cleanly through some pretty dense sequences, and the cues woven into the layout help sell the drama without ever overwhelming it. For a book that’s juggling two separate casts, political fallout, ancient grudges and a brand-new crisis, it never tips into chaos.

Which brings me to Dan DiDio’s writing. Even coming in fresh, it’s obvious how confident the storytelling is. There’s no warm-up, no hand-holding — you’re dropped straight into a world already teetering on the edge, and the book trusts you to keep up. It’s fast, but it’s also surprisingly character-driven, digging into the guilt, mistrust and fractured loyalties surrounding Flash without turning him into a punching bag. The wider tensions between Mongo’s factions feel genuinely dangerous too, which gives the Defenders’ dilemma real weight.

Then, of course, there’s the kids. Their subplot easily could’ve felt like an afterthought, but instead it becomes the pulse of the issue — equal parts fun and myth-building, capped with a big supernatural cliffhanger that leans into classic Saturday-morning-cartoon energy. It’s a smart contrast to the political drama on Mongo and helps broaden the book’s scope without feeling like filler.

By the end, this first issue doesn’t pretend to offer a resolution. It’s a table-setter, and a good one, laying out the stakes, the emotional fractures, and the two parallel threats – the political crisis on Mongo and the kids’ supernatural mission – that are clearly going to collide down the road. As someone who walked in blind but fond of the old animated series, I came away impressed. If issue #2 keeps this momentum and cuts back on the necessary scene-setting, this could shape up to be something genuinely special in Mad Cave’s expanding universe.