Writer – Dan Jurgens
Artist – Dan Jurgens
Inker – Bruce D. Patterson
Colours – Anthony Tollin
Letters – John Workman

A man, one Flash Gordon as it was, crashes his car during a storm and seeks help at a mansion in the literal middle of nowhere. Inside said domicile, there resides one Dr. Zarkov who is waiting to give an interview to a woman named Dale Arden. It is not long before they all come together and it is then that Flash and Dale realize that Dr. Zarkov may not be all there, that the man might be missing a few marbles as it were. Zarkov it seems, thinks he is going to take an extraterrestrial probe that he has discovered and fly it back to its originating destination but to do so, he needs two other people to go with him and those two people are going to be Flash Gordon and Ms. Dale Arden. Dan Jurgens takes the reins in this issue, both writing and drawing with just a little help from Bruce D. Patterson and creates an interesting origin for the hero of this book, not to mention those who accompany him. While it would first be set on Earth, the story soon finds the companions on another planet, the probe doing its job and from there, Jurgens would test the mettle of Dale and Flash with a crashed ship, the apparent death of Zarkov, a sandworm-type creature and trying to survive without any supplies. Things eventually settle down for a bit but it is not to last as they are taken captive by a strange squad of men and flown to a city to meet their leader. That leader is a man named Ming and he is unlike any other they have ever met. He is bold and confident but also a man that commands through fear and he is not in the mood to grant favours, not without a little something in return. So it is that Dale is taken away while Flash is made to run a gauntlet and should he survive, he will gain his freedom. That being said, as he battles his way through, he realizes that there is no real escape even if he should come out the other side as the victor. Jurgens does everything right in this first issue and crafts a very fine and very fun adventure yarn starring the venerable action hero Flash Gordon. Everyone is introduced naturally and Jurgens does not stray too long before sending everyone into the fantastic. Ming makes for a great villain under Jurgen’s pen and even better, he makes the reader want to come back for more by the time the last page hits, wanting to see how Flash escapes and just how it is he will rescue Dale. A solid opener from all involved.

3.5 out of 5