Defenders of the Earth, edition number 4 by US based publisher Mad Cave Studios have started to appear online for pre-order.

The Defenders of the Earth cartoon series main characters are Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar, who are all licensed by King Features Syndicate. Mad Cave Studios currently hold publishing permission to release new Flash Gordon and Defenders of the Earth comic books.

This fourth edition is due for release on the 11th of December 2024, a series scheduled to contain 8 editions, with a new edition due for release on a monthly basis. Pre-order advertisements describe this edition as:

With Kro-Tan now controlling the world’s power source¸ the leaders of all countries have lined up against Flash Gordon and his friends¸ the Defenders of the Earth. Now hunted by the people they swore to protect¸ they’re forced to make their last stand. All roads end here in the action-packed conclusion of the first arc of Defenders of the Earth!

Two varying cover designs are currently seen, which feature Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician. Cover 4A (seen below left) is illustrated by Jim Calafiore and cover 4B (seen below right) is illustrated by Djordje Djokovic. The story is written by Dan DiDio, illustrated by Jim Calafiore, colored by Juancho Velez and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.

Interestingly, cover 4B contains an image of the Mandrake the Magician figure released by NECA in the USA in 2022, however NECA released the figure in a box packaging and not attached to a card as found on the Mad Cave Studios comic book cover. The look of the figure is more reminiscent of the design seen on the Defenders of the Earth figure released by Galoob in the UK in 1985.

---