The Creators – Dan Didio – Writer, Jim Calafiore – Artist, Juancho! – Colours, Carlos M. Mangual – Letters

The Players – Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Lothar, Rick Gordon, Kshin, LJ, Kro-Tan, The Ghost Who Walks, Jedda

The Story – What does a planet, a people and a hero do after Ming? Some carry on, some rebuild and others wonder how people can just forget.

The Take – Continuing off of the first issue by author Dan Didio and artist Jim Calafiore, Lothar and LJ find that things in Africa are far different from when they left. For one, the Singh Brotherhood are not as they were and The Phantom is an imposter, at least to them though seemingly appointed by the council of Phantoms. Factor in a little death and destruction and a third Phantom and they are more than a little confused as to what is exactly going on. Back in the States, Mandrake and the original Phantom are at one of his shows where events transpire as one might guess, but it is not as it seems as well for Mandrake has deduced that something is extremely wrong making readers wonder if the circumstances on different continents are somehow tied together. One piece of the puzzle comes to light when those who peruse this book see Flash Gordon and his son Rick meet up with Kro-Tan, son of Ming who is responsible for the Earth making the comeback it has done in the last few months. With alien technology and methods unknown to most on Earth, Kro-Tan has been helping Flash and the general public get back on their feet but even so, something is going on behind the scenes and while Flash has not picked up on it, Rick sees somebody whom he has seen previously, someone who should not be there and it nags at him. All of this is fairly interesting, but it is the conclusion of this issue that proves to be the most intriguing as it ends with not only a cliffhanger but a scene that begs a lot of questions which then may lead to more questions after that. Didio writes a solid tale and a fun one to boot while Calafiore continues to draft it in a style that is unlike what readers have seen from him in the past but still quite good and just as compelling as the story. With this second book, the creators continue to expand the mythology of their story, exploring the characters and what makes them tick while also furthering the mystery that is taking place and so far, it remains entertaining, more than enough to pick up the next book when it gets released.  Good stuff!

Worth It? – Yes.