Defenders of the Earth Special #1

1988. Cover price 55p.
28 pages. Full colour.
Marvel Comics Ltd.

Cover p: Alex Saviuk, i: Fred Fredericks.
r: Defenders of the Earth (Marvel Comics / Star Comics) #03 (May 1987).

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED text introduction (uncredited).

 3 Family Honour w: Michael Higgins; p: Alex Saviuk, i: Fred Fredericks, lettering by Ken Lopez, colouring by Nelson Yomtov.

r: Defenders of the Earth (Marvel Comics / Star Comics) #03 (May 1987).

14 Going Great Guns Every Month in-house advertisement for Action Force Monthly #06 (Nov 1988).

27 Stan Lee Presents Dragon's Claws in-house advertisement; a: (uncredited).

28 Bumper Action! in-house advertisement for Marvel Superheroes Annual.

Most of Marvel's specials have proved disappointing, and this (sadly) is no exception to that rule. Despite its title, this doesn't feel special, which is a massive problem when dealing with such an interesting property. Defenders of the Earth pulled together Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician, his assistant Lothar, and the Phantom, from their respective newspaper strips, in order to stop an invasion spearheaded by Ming the Merciless, but this issue doesn't address the rich publishing history of participating characters, nor various film serials, cartoons, or radio series.

It might not occur to readers just how much influence these characters have had on shaping popular culture, and a small reminder would have been welcome. The least I expected was a couple of photographs chosen from film serials. This is a title which doesn't acknowledge what has gone before, in order to properly position new material, instead relying on a reprint (thankfully presented in colour) from the US series. Family Honour is, apparently, a story so special that there isn't even a poster contained on the centre pages to make this a more enticing prospect.

Earth - a planet in peril! Ming the Merciless, ruthless dictator from the planet Mongo, would dearly love to expand his empire to include our own fair world. To this end, he has amassed a huge army of Ice Robots and Men of Frost, commanded by Ming's lieutenant, Garax, and aided by the living computer, Octon. With such a formidable armada of slave soldiers and awesome weaponry arrayed against it, there would appear to be little hope for Earth.

Yet there is one group of terrans that stands in the way of Ming and his monstrous ambitions - THE DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH! Led by the ageless hero, Flash Gordon, this elite band of warriors and mystics have frustrated the evil tyrant's plans time and time again. In their headquarters, codename Monitor, Flash and his comrades-in-arms are ever alert for anything unusual that could warn them of impending attack - and signs don't come much more unusual than freezing snow falling over the sweltering jungles of Africa!

Is Ming preparing for another assault on Earth, or are there equally sinister reasons for these freak weather conditions?

Kit Walker - the Phantom - puts finishing touches to a special environment simulating his natural surroundings in the jungles of Africa, designed by his daughter Jedda, which they can relax in while not defending the Earth. When Flash mentions that it looks so much like the area near the Bandar village, where Kit was first enlisted to their cause, he is suddenly concerned about the safety of those he has left behind.

Kurt Walker, Kit's older brother, petitions Guran - chief of the Bandar tribe - to make him their master, claiming to be stronger, faster, and more intelligent than his brother. Guran makes it clear that Kit was never their master, but their friend, and reiterates the prior Phantom's belief that Kurt wasn't worthy of the mantle of the Phantom. Guran refuses to submit to Kurt's demands, turning Kurt and his friends away from the village. On the journey through the jungle, Kurt's men turn on him, knocking him off a rope-bridge into the river below.

Awakening on the riverbank, Kurt discovers a cave which contains a skeletal form in costume sitting on a throne of skulls. A strange power calls to Kurt, who places the the headdress from the skeleton upon his own head - bringing forth N'Dama once more. A fierce storm blows in to the village, distracting the Bandar long enough for Kurt's former associates to plunder the treasures which reside in the village. Kurt returns to the village, as N'Dama, and rapidly eliminates the thieves by freezing them.

N'Dama demands that the Bandar swear allegiance to him, or else suffer the same fate as his enemies. Allowing the villagers to confer on their decision, N'Dama tells them the temperature will continue to fall for as long as they delay accepting him as their lord and protector. The extreme climate change is not unnoticed, and an alarm sounds in Monitor, alerting the Defenders to the situation. Rick discovers that the coordinates resolve to Jedda's home village, prompting the Phantom and Jedda to return to deal with matters on their own, taking their Skull-Copter provided by the alien Cryl.

Lightning strikes bring down the helicopter when it reaches the jungle, forcing Kit and Jedda to leap for their lives. Kit carries his injured daughter to the Bandar village, and learns all which has occurred since his departure. Learning that N'Dama has taken residence in his Skull Cave, the Phantom rushes there to ensure that his sanctuary has not been defiled.

Finding N'Dama sitting on the Skull-throne and challenges him, only to discover that the threat is his own brother. Attempting to best Kurt in combat, Kit is swiped aside by his powers, and is forced to summon the power of the Phantom - strength of ten tigers - to reach Kurt. Pulling off the headpiece, Kit discovers that the transformation has affected more than his brother's abilities - reshaping his features into a demon-like appearance. Horrified at what he has become, Kurt calls down a bolt of lightning to end his existence.

Before leaving for Monitor, the Phantom hands a communication device to Guran, with which he will be able to request assistance directly should events demand. Taking an older model of Skull-Copter which had been maintained by the Bandar, Kit and Jedda make their way out of the jungle once more.

It seems odd that a series which boasts so much technology should fall back on tired superhero elements so quickly. The appearance of two Skull-Copters is a blatant toy pitch, although the biggest black mark against the story is that the participation of the Defenders of the Earth is so minimal as to make this a Phantom story rather than a Defenders one. While the character's appeal is obvious, this is meant to be a team book.

Extremely disappointing.