Some phans will know that we have reviews of all of the Mad Cave Studios Defenders of the Earth Series up on our YouTube Channel and website but we wanted to conduct a mid series review with the whole extended team. Join Stephen East, Dan Fraser and Jermayn Parker with our USA reviewer Scott Waldyn.
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Some of the discussion points we discuss are:
The Phantom being a Ghost Who Walks
Council of Phantoms. Do we like it? Do we hate it? Is it real?
Does this Phantom behave like our Phantom or any Phantoms we have read in the chronicles?
We discuss the oath of the Phantom being my 'son and their sons will follow' or should it be 'descendants'?
If the DotE Phantom is the 27th. Kurt would then be the 28th, If the DotE Phantom becomes the Phantom again, will that make him the 27th or 29th?
Was shrinking the mansion so Mandrake can take it in his pocket a clever way to get around the Phantom’s quandary?
Zuffy's transformation into a laughable character to someone with bite.
Lothars ex wife is mentioned. Dale is seen at end of issue 4. No mention yet of the Phantom’s wife and or Nardia.
With the future Mad Cave Studios sand alone series. Would we like to see it outside the DotE arc?
Do you like the series? What do you like and do not like?
What do you think will happen in the next four issues?
We start off with a state of play for the series from the half way mark. Stephen East does an amazing job with his plots, if you have not yet read the comics, this may change your mind.
The year is 2020 and instead of a pandemic, the Defenders of the Earth are battling Ming’s Ice Robots. It is the final day of Earth’s war with Mongo and things aren’t looking good and when The Phantom gets shot in the back after going back for Mandrake’s hat, things look very grim indeed. Then just when it looks like Lothar’s about to breathe his last the Ice Robots freeze and through the smoke and rubble tumbles the head of Ming Merciless, followed by Flash Gordon, striding through with laser sword a blaze. And so begins Mad Cave Studios’ publication of the latest Defenders of the Earth adventure.
We then pick up the story 4 years later and the earth seems to have recovered well. A rebuild that experts thought would take twenty years has been done in under 5, very much in thanks to Barin Atomics which has been provided to the earth by Ming’s son Kro-tan. Mandrake, Phantom and Lothar seem skeptical of Kro-tan’s intentions, however LJ doesn’t know what the big deal is about and Flash Gordon has his own battles to contend with, the battles of corporate bureaucracy and the struggle to keep his work-life balance in check.
Also, while the Phantom is still in US recovering from his injuries from the war, his mind often wanders back to his homeland of Bangali. News is reaching him that the Ghost Who Walks has returned. Can it be Jedda taking up the mantle that her father has seemingly left behind or could someone else be abusing the title that has meant justice and peace for 500 years?
The Defenders then go off on their own separate ways. Lothar and LJ to The Seven Nations, Flash to his office and Mandrake hits the stage with the Phantom in the wings. Though it seems that Mandrake is only interested in his name being up in lights again, it is just an illusion as he has been using his stage shows as a cover to gain information from the underground about what is happening in the world. Which is great as Flash Gordon, as well as the rest of the world, doesn’t seem to notice, Is it that he, and they, doesn’t notice or is attention, intentionally diverted elsewhere? Even when taken to Ice Station Earth, Kro-tan’s Earth base he, as well as Kshin, can’t seem to see what is right in front of them, Rick Gordon however, is far more observant and his curiosity grows even deeper when he sees a few familiar faces.
Back in the 7 nations Lothar and LJ confront Kurt Walker, the brother of The Phantom, who has taken up the title and is leading a terrible vengeance to reign upon the Singh Brotherhood, and taking Jedda along for the ride. Has Jedda been seduced by Kurt to believe that what he is doing is right because she only sees the people that they’re helping, not the wake of blood that he’s leaving behind? Why can’t the True Phantom go back to his homeland and put an end to the bloodshed? He seems to have become a mere ghost, haunting roughnecks in alley ways.
The Phantom feels at a loss with what he has become and is lead to the Council of Phantoms, where all Phantoms of generations past sit. The First Phantom leads discussions and is impressed with Kurt’s inroads to finally put an end to the Singh Brotherhood, no matter the cost. The cool head of The Phantom’s father prevails and our Phantom leaves the council, shaken but ready to follow Mandrake’s lead, especially as news has reached him that Rick has been attacked!
It seems that Flash Gordon can only be distracted for so long. When a blatant attack is blasted upon his son, the True Flash Gordon rises to the occasion. But why the attack on Rick? What has he stumbled upon? Is it Kro-Tan who has sent his Ice Soldiers to silence Rick, or could it be Kro-Tan’s sister, the Princess Castra, who has been working as Flash Gordon’s PA for sometime, ensuring that his attention is always on the rebuilding of the planet earth. But how did Flash know about the attack on his son? He tried calling Rick’s landline and he didn’t pick up, but then Gordon gets a message from Rick alerting him and he’s there in a Flash. But Rick is no position to send a message. Do the Defenders of the Earth have an ally in the machine. Someone who can support them to finally crash this system of injustice?
Well, they’re going to need to work fast because even though Rick and Flash have made it to the sanctuary of Xanadu where Mandrake and Phantom are, the Ice Soldiers and Mongo Jets are hot on their heels. If only they had a rocket to out run them with? Something that didn’t rely on Barin Atomics? A real blast from the past… something built by Professor Zharkov would do just nicely.
We love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. Do you like the series? The artwork? The plot? Or you have opinions on where the story will be going, please let us know. You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram.
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