Archie Comics has announced that the galaxy’s greatest hero will be saving Earth once again this June with a little help from the Riverdale gang in the one-shot sci-fi comedy adventure Archie Meets Flash Gordon from writer Jeff Parker (Archie Meets Batman ’66) and artists Dan Parent (Archie Meets the B52s) and Rich Koslowski (Archie vs Predator).
“I’m now a pretty big believer that the Riverdale gang can fit with practically any other characters and genres,” states Parker, “but it’s best when they get to really flex and go way outside their zone like say, the planet Mongo with Flash Gordon, King of the Impossible. This of course coincides with the sad passing of cinema great Max Von Sydow who was the most memorable Ming the Merciless, and wait until you see our take on the Emperor of Mongo. I wanted to write more Archie and more Flash Gordon, so this really clicked for me, and I tried to laser in on tailoring this to be a story Dan Parent would enjoy drawing. He hasn’t yelled at me yet, so fingers crossed!”
“I was more than thrilled to work with Jeff again,” adds Parent. “And what could be better than working with a classic character like Flash Gordon? The story has so much action and fun, it really jumps off every page! As a fan of the classic comics and movie serials (and the 1980 movie which I happened to watch again before I was approached with this project), I was excited to take part in another monumental Archie team up. I’m happy to work with my pal Rich Koslowski on this, too!”
“Flash Gordon is an iconic, sci-fi/pulp hero, and in the long tradition of great, off-the-wall Archie crossovers, this seemed like a perfect next step,” said Archie Comics Co-President Alex Segura. “When we were thinking of creative for this, Jeff Parker, who did a bang-up job on Archie Meets Batman ’66, was atop our list. And no one is better equipped to give this one-shot the classic, retro-but-modern vibe that it demands than Archie legend Dan Parent. This book will be fun, accessible, and just what people are looking for.”
Archie Meets Flash Gordon begins when classic Flash Gordon nemesis Ming the Merciless attempts a full-scale invasion of Earth via Riverdale. Flash is on the scene, but he’ll need help from Archie and the gang to set things right and save the day. Look for the one-shot in comic book stores this June.
