Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Flash Gordon #6

Flash Gordon #6
Ardden Entertainment
Deneen & Green

The first arc ends with a huge bang as Flash Gordon and company take the fight directly to Ming. You might think this comic is just one massive battle but it actually isn't. Instead the drama plays out centered on the main cast of characters while the major war goes on around them. The comic is very good because it doesn't rely too heavily on Flash. The supporting cast has been built up enough over the previous issues that they can (and do) carry much of the issue. Add in a terrific cliffhanger and you have a great comic book.

The issue wastes no time getting into the action as Ming's troops observe the Hawk Men dive bombing the city. While this gets the invasion under way the small team of Flash, Aura, Barin and Thun infiltrate the city looking for Ming and to a lesser extent, Dale. They find Ming first.

I would have guessed that Ming would have some underlings helping to battle these four, but this is not the case. Ming takes them all on and it shows just how powerful he is and why he is the ruler of Mongo. This helps to prop this comic up even higher as you see Ming battling Barin, Thun and Flash all in classic fashion, trash-talking and all. It's a terrific battle sequence because the art remains focused on the emotions rather than just the physical action.

Ming executes his grand escape but he does so with a hostage. Eventually Flash finds Dale. Dale was able to navigate through the city during the battle because she found herself an unexpected ally. The comic does a great job of tying up loose ends from the overall arc but ending it in a way that it's not neat and clean. The comic ends with a celebration, but we see how a new set of invaders has entered the mix right under everyone's noses.

The comic is just plain fun. The characters are all steeped with massive egos, but it only adds to the fun. Each character has their own level of arrogance. Sometimes it works for them and other times it works against them. In either case it's fun to watch the physical battle as well as the battle of the egos. The story is told in such a manner that the characters themselves become unforgettable rather than just the story.

The artwork is terrific. The style does have some Manga influences to it, but the art sits apart from other styles in the way it zooms in to faces involved in the action in one panel then zooms out to the 10,000 foot view of the battle in the very next panel. I've never seen artwork make use of multiple layers of focus within one panel quite the way it is done here. It's a great looking comic.

With the ending of the first arc hitting with a such a shocker at the end it only makes the wait for the second arc that much more painful. I'd say Flash Gordon has found a nice home here with the folks at Ardden.

5 out of 5 geek goggles