In this review of Flash Gordon #0, Flash Gordon tries to hang on to his space adventurer days while serving as a teacher for a new group of explorers. How does he handle this transition?
Flash Gordon #0
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Manuel Garcia
Main Cover: Joe Quinones
Variant Cover: Miguel Mercado
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 8, 2026
This review contains spoilers
After returning from recent space adventures on Mongo, Flash Gordon must deal with his new responsibilities with the Earth Rocketry Administration (E.R.A) as a civilian advisor for its trainee program. He finds himself struggling as a classroom teacher, though, not yet ready to put his adventuring days behind him.
His friend, Dale Arden, now the policy advisor to the world president, tells Flash that the old days are over, a fact that he’s reluctant to accept. After his conversation with Dale, Flash takes his class on a “field trip” to an outpost on a Neptunian moon that has lost communication with Earth. This isn’t a sanctioned mission, but Flash sees it as an opportunity to teach in a more hands-on style.
Teacher and students crash land their rocket ship onto the moon, courtesy of pilot, “Ditch” Albright, one of E.R.A.’s top candidates. Flash and crew arrive at the outpost’s array, only to find it torn apart by a large alien creature. The alien attacks Krishan, another candidate, but Flash saves her. Ditch, in “shoot first, ask questions later” fashion, fires at the creature and it runs off to a cave.
Flash, wanting to take a more cautious approach with the alien, gets angry with Ditch for attacking. Gordon discovers that the creature was just trying to protect its young after crashing its ship on the moon.
Back on Earth, Flash explains all of this to E.R.A. Director Gamble, who isn’t pleased with the outing. The director rescinds Flash’s flight clearance, relegating him to class work and press tours.
Analysis
As someone who’s never read a Flash Gordon comic, I had no idea what to expect out of this one. Given my lack of Flash experience, I would have to assume that writer Dan Abnett has given readers a pretty good cross section of the character. From the details of this story, Flash’s adventurous ways are front and center, but it’s clear that he doesn’t always go in with guns blazing. I like that he’s balanced in this way. He can put up a fight, but knows when it’s best to do so. Now that he’s been restricted from spaceflight, it looks like he’s going to figure out how to deal with less “exciting” adventures.
The E.R.A. and Director Gamble seem a bit sketchy. At the end of the issue, Gamble is talking about Albright as a soon-to-be mission leader with a big future. He either doesn’t realize that Ditch is more on the violent side or he doesn’t care. I could blame Flash for covering for Ditch, but the director should know his candidates better. Perhaps he does, though, and is fine with that style of leadership. Either way, it leaves Flash with some obvious adversaries and struggles in the future.
The artwork by Manuel Garcia is not overly detailed, but is solid throughout the issue. Not being familiar with characters, I did have to pay closer attention, especially to the males, as their faces could sometimes be quite similar in appearance. Thalassa, the moon of Neptune, has a lot of visual appeal, with the planet and another moon in the skies above the outpost. The alien creature has a giant reptilian look that’s nothing groundbreaking, but still fun to have on the pages. Colors by Ceci de la Cruz are matched well and are distinctive for each scene. The classroom and training labs have a more metallic silver aesthetic, the space and moon scenes are darker tones, and the last few pages in Gamble’s office are brighter colors.
Final Thoughts
Flash Gordon #0 is a basic science fiction tale that is easily accessible to new readers. While the overall story and art are nothing revolutionary, they give readers an entertaining tale. Have fun, comic lovers!
