Flash Gordon. The Phantom. Mandrake the Magician. Lothar. Some of the most iconic adventure heroes in comics history came together in Defenders of the Earth.
Now, Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with King Features Syndicate, is bringing the entire modern reimagining together for the first time in Defenders of the Earth: The Complete Collection.
Written by Dan DiDio with art by Jim Calafiore, Alex Sanchez, and more, colors by Juancho!, and letters by Carlos M. Mangual, the oversized 320-page paperback collects all 12 issues of the series, picking up the characters and storylines of the original animated series while pushing the Defenders and their families into a new era.
The Defenders stage a multi-world hunt for the missing Dale Arden, The Phantom fights for his spot in the family legacy, and the younger generation—Rick, LJ, Jedda, and Kshin—take up their mentors’ roles as both Earth and Mongo fracture in political chaos!
For longtime fans of the original Defenders of the Earth animated series, classic King Features adventure comics, and sprawling superhero team stories, Defenders of the Earth: The Complete Collection delivers the entire modern saga in one volume, bringing its legendary heroes and the generation following them together against a world coming apart.
Defenders of the Earth: The Complete Collection goes on sale November 17, 2026, in paperback (ISBN: 9781545829172 | $29.99).
The Baltimore Comic-Con comes to the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 25-27, 2026. Baltimore Comic-Con welcomes Jim Calafiore, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Sarah Myer, Margeaux Pepoy, and Matt Wieringo as guests of the 2026 event! Tickets are now available online!
In 30-plus years working in comics, Jim Calafiore has worked on Peter David’s Aquaman, Judd Winnick’s Exiles, Gotham Underground with Frank Tieri, Red Lanterns with Charles Soule, various Batman books, Deadpool, and Black Panther.
After a run on the critically-acclaimed Secret Six with Gail Simone, they reunited for their creator-owned success Leaving Megalopolis. He’s currently working on his creator-owned supernatural-comedy saga, NED, Lord of the Pit.
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was born in Spain and began drawing comics professionally in Argentina at age 13. In the 1960s, he drew romance titles for Charlton Comics. Garcia-Lopez came to the U.S. in 1974 and started working for DC Comics, drawing series such as Superman, Batman, Hawkman, Tarzan, and Jonah Hex. His other notable work includes Atari Force, Deadman, New Teen Titans, and On The Road to Perdition. Since 1982, Garcia-Lopez has designed and pencilled the definitive versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many other characters for various DC Comics style guides, which are created for licensees only. His style guide art has been seen on countless DC Comics licensed products and is still being used today.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson broke into comics in 2015 with the BOOM! Studios miniseries Last Sons of America and Warlords of Appalachia, leading him to DC Comics and Marvel, where he is best known for his acclaimed work on Superman and Action Comics, Marvel’s Alien series, Green Lantern: War Journal, and his current fan-favorite run on The Incredible Hulk. He has also written such characters/titles as Aquaman, Captain America, Marvel Zombies: Resurrection, Extreme Carnage, and his creator-owned series The Fellspyre Chronicles at DC Black Label and Crocodile Black at BOOM! Studios. Johnson has also been published with Archaia, IDW, Aftershock, Dynamite, and Scout Comics.
Sarah Myer (they/them) is an Eisner-nominated comic creator best known for their current run illustrating the interiors and covers for 20+ issues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures monthly comic, short strips in the TMNT: Battle Nexus series, their award-winning graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story, and their webcomic Cheer Up, Michael! Their other work includes exclusive cover illustrations for Dynamite and Disney’s Darkwing Duck and Justice Ducks comics, cover and interior art for Recognized: Helen Stephens (Good Trouble Comics and NYC Department of Education), and cover illustrations for Green Archer Comics’ Buck Rogers vs. The Cyber Lords, Press Guardian #2, and Cryptid Hacker Force #1 issues. Previous work includes a contribution to the Ringo-nominated comic anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment, color work on TMNT vs. Street Fighter, cover illustrations for TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen, and more. Sarah’s broad range extends to writing and illustrating nonfiction comics focusing on history, politics, memoir, and how-to instructional narrative.
With over 35 years drawing and writing comics, Margeaux Pepoy (formerly Andrew) has worked for U.S., Canadian, British, and French publishers on hundreds of comics on such characters and titles as The Simpsons, Fables, Batman, The X-Men, Iron Man, Star Wars, Sonic the Hedgehog, Godzilla, Doctor Who, Red Sonja, Transformers, Wallace & Gromit, Futurama, Scooby Doo, Archie, Betty & Veronica, Lanfeust, Uncle Scrooge, The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, MAD Magazine, Dick Tracy, Captain Canuck, and many more. In 2000, Margeaux was asked to redesign Little Orphan Annie and drew the newspaper strip for the next year. In 2005, she brought her knack for retro glamour with a modern twist to writing and drawing a revival of Katy Keene, the classic Archie Comics character. Since 1990, she has written and drawn many stories of her own Harvey Award-nominated creation, The Adventures of Simone & Ajax, which has been collected in book form by IDW and is now published by Spicy Tomato Studios. Recently, she completed drawing a graphic-novel adaptation of George MacDonald’s Phantastes and art for the 2026 Street Sharks Annual, as well as drawing covers for Betty & Veronica, Vampirella, and Cherry Poptart. Having been nominated several times, Margeaux won an Eisner Award in 2009. She has also won an Inkwell Award and been nominated for the Harvey and Hugo Awards. She lives in Chicago.
Matt Wieringo works in advertising. Chances are, you’ve swiped past, fast-forwarded through, or tweeted a rude response to something he’s worked on without knowing it. He’ll let it slide if you donate to the Mike Wieringo Scholarship Fund at S.C.A.D. See how he just effortlessly sneaked an ad into his bio? Dang, he’s good. Matt lives in Richmond, VA with his wife (and Wonder Woman uber-fan) Suzanne and their two cats, Ivan and Danger.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Jason Aaron (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jo Chen (Runaways), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (The College Try), Paris Cullins (Blue Devil), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Colleen Doran (The Sandman), Garth Ennis (The Boys), Trish Forstner (Feral), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Chris Giarrusso (Mini Marvels), Torunn Grønbekk (Catwoman), Gene Ha (Mae), Larry Hama (GI Joe: A Real American Hero), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Jamal Igle (Superman), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Infernal Hulk), Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), Mike Kunkel (Herobear and the Kid), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), Jose Marzen Jr. (Y: The Last Man), Mike McKone (Teen Titans), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adriana Melo (Fantastic Four), Pop Mhan (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Mark Morales (Thor), Bill Morrison (The Simpsons), Sarah Myer (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Phil Noto (Fantastic Four: First Foes), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jimmy Palmiotti (The Punisher), Margeaux Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Tom Raney (Incredible Hulk), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, courtesy of Flesk Publishing), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matthew Dow Smith (DC’s Misfits of Magic), Scott Snyder (DC K.O.), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Gus Vazquez (Sunfire and the Big Hero Six), Mark Waid (Action Comics), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Rich Woodall (Sgt. Werewolf), and Thom Zahler (Long Distance).
Writer: Dan DiDio Artist: Jim Calafiore Colorist: Juancho! Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
To the world’s population, Kro-tan’s arrival was a godsend. Mongo’s technology was a quick cure for a ravaged Earth, and people were eager for any new technology he provided. However, as his influence spread, so did his desire to recreate Earth in Mongo’s image for him to rule. Dependence on Kro-Tan’s technologies made people compliant and easy to subjugate. Some even welcomed it. Those who didn’t disappeared, and by the time our heroes noticed, it was too late.
Join the Baltimore Comic-Con on October 17-19, 2025 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced comics guests Jim Calafiore, Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Mark Morales, Amy Reeder, and Rich Woodall to this year’s event. Purchase your tickets now!
In 30-plus years working in comics, Jim Calafiore has worked on Peter David’s Aquaman, Judd Winnick’s Exiles, Gotham Underground with Frank Tieri, Red Lanterns with Charles Soule, various Batman books, Deadpool, and Black Panther.
After a run on the critically-acclaimed Secret Six with Gail Simone, they reunited for their creator-owned success Leaving Megalopolis. He’s currently working on his creator-owned supernatural-comedy saga, NED, Lord of the Pit.
Becky Cloonan began her career making minicomics as part of the Meathaus collective. Since then, she’s gone on to write and draw on titles like Dark Agnes, Conan the Barbarian, The Punisher, True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Gotham Academy, Detective Comics, and Batman, and working on creator-owned books like Southern Cross and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories, By Chance or Providence. When she’s not making comics, she illustrates album art, and gig and movie posters for My Chemical Romance, Black Sabbath, Adult Swim, and Mondo. She enjoys old movies, true crime podcasts, and still tries to self-publish new minicomics when she can. Becky currently lives in Portland with her partner Michael, two weird cats, and a couple dozen plants.
Michael W. Conrad has often been described as “a gin soaked monster”, which is a lie — that was how Hemingway’s son described his father. Based on this, we can ascertain that Conrad is a liar, which is a fine way to describe a writer.
While Conrad laments the fact that his art is indeed a commodity, he revels in the high strangeness that has afforded him the opportunity to contribute to the legacies of many characters y’all know including: Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Godzilla, Nightwing, Doom Patrol, and countless others.
Michael’s own work has been markedly more subversive, including Tremor Dose and Double Walker. These books explore an absurd and often surreal anxiety, with a focus on an inability to reconcile one’s own perceptions. With a number of creator-owned projects currently in development, one can only imagine that these explorations will continue in future work.
Conrad remains critical of himself and often feels like an imposter, but as his contributions to comics grow, one can only imagine that such ideations are rapidly being replaced with dread.
A longtime comics pro, Mark Morales has worked for many companies, including Image, Dark Horse, Chaos, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics, mostly as an inker. Past projects from Mark include Thor, Daredevil, Batman, X-Men, Avengers vs. X-Men, Spider-Man/Deadpool, and Astonishing X-Men. Currently, he is working on Weapon X-Men from Marvel Comics.
Whether it’s creating new characters or reinventing older ones, Amy Reeder is here to remind us that great characters are what keep us hooked on comics. Her cover work spans many of the DC and Marvel characters we all love, but she’s especially known for her interior work on titles like Madame Xanadu, Batwoman, Amethyst, and Wonder Woman. Amy co-created Rocket Girl through Image Comics, as well as Moon Girl from Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur–who now stars in her own cartoon on Disney! These days, Amy tends to write what she draws, which includes her recent work on DC’s Amethyst. Currently, she’s working on an unannounced romance graphic novel, while balancing cover gigs for the Big Two.
Rich Woodall is the former Co-Publisher of Black Caravan. He is also the creator or co-creator of The Bloody Ring of Dracula, Gods of Brutality, The Electric Black, Kyrra: Alien Jungle Girl, Johnny Raygun, and Sgt. Werewolf! Woodall has also worked on covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Last Ronin, The Powerpuff Girls, Masters of the Universe, Crossover, and Phantom Starkiller.
2025 GUESTS
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Kaare Andrews (Spider-Man: REIGN 2), Eddy Barrows (Superman), Marty Baumann ((Pixar artist), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Josh Blaylock (Mercy Sparx, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Russ Braun (The Boys), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Letizia Cadonici (House of Slaughter), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jim Cheung (Young Avengers), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (Emma Frost: The White Queen), Chris Claremont (X-Men), Matthew Clark (Adventures of Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Becky Cloonan (Somna), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Michael W. Conrad (Manowar: Invictus), Dani (Sensational Wonder Woman), Jeff Dekal (Something is Killing the Children), David Finch (Moon Knight), Trish Forstner (Feral), Franco (Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales), Barbara Friedlander (Swing with Scooter), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Mike Grell (Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters), Brian Haberlin (Spawn, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Incredible Hulk), Jae Lee (Inhumans), Tula Lotay (Barnstormers), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Laura Martin (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons), Shawn Martinbrough (Red Hood: The Hill), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), Mike McKone (Red Goblin), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Josh Middleton (Aquaman), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Mark Morales (Thor), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Sarah Myers (TMNT Saturday Morning Adventures), Tom Nguyen (The Switch), Mike Norton (Battlepug, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Kevin Nowlan (Batman: Sword of Azrael), Dan Parent (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), John J. Pearson (In Bloom), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), Barbara Perez Marquez (The Cardboard Kingdom), Tom Raney (Green Lantern), Amy Reeder (Power Girl), Esad Ribic (Conan the Barbarian), Afua Richardson (Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds), Craig Rousseau (Herculoids), Jim Rugg (Street Angel), Declan Shalvey (Old Dog), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Jeff Smith (Bone), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Zoe Thorogood (It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Universe), Mark Waid (Justice League Unlimited), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Keith Williams (Web of Spider-Man), Maria Wolf (Phoenix), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Wild Things), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).
(W) Dan DiDio (A) Matt Horak, Brent Schoonover, Sal Velluto (C) Juancho (L) Carlos M. Mangual (CA) Jim Calafiore (CB) Djordje Djokovic
A battle over bits and bytes! Kshin betrays the team to unleash Kro-Tan’s deadly serpent, Mongor. Meanwhile, Dynak-X faces off against Octon, only to discover Kro-Tan’s shocking secret: her body is still alive in stasis!
(W) Dan DiDio (A/CA) Jim Calafiore (CB) Djordje Djokovic (L) Carlos M. Mangual
Phantom versus Phantom! The Defenders establish a new base in Africa, where Mandrake empowers the ghostly Phantom to roam freely beyond Xanadu. Now, Phantom must team up with L.J. and Rick to track down Jedda and thwart his brother’s sinister plans.
(W) Dan DiDio (A) Jim Calafiore (L) Carlos M. Mangual
Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar are united again in this reimagining of the classic animated series, Defenders of the Earth. Picking up with characters and storylines from the original series, Flash confronts Ming in a final battle, only to find that even greater threats await him as his teammates as they each must confront ghosts of their past to protect their families and future.
(W) Dan DiDio (A/CA) Jim Calafiore (C) Juancho! (L) Carlos M. Mangual (CB) Djordie Djokovic
With Kro-Tan now controlling the world’s power source, the leaders of all countries have lined up against Flash Gordon and his friends, the Defenders of the Earth. Now hunted by the people they swore to protect, they’re forced to make their last stand.
All roads end here in the action-packed conclusion of the first arc of Defenders of the Earth!
(W) Dan DiDio (A/CA) Jim Calafiore (CB) Djordje Djokovic (L) Carlos M. Mangual
Kit Walker’s brother, Kurt, claims to be the new Phantom and has launched an all-out war with the Singh Brotherhood. Even worse, his brother convinced his daughter, Jedda, to join him. Meanwhile, Rick Gordon battles an enemy from his own past. With the world crumbling around them both, is Mandrake’s magic enough to hold the pieces together?
(W) Dan DiDio (A/CA) Jim Calafiore (CB) Djordje Djokovic (L) Carlos M. Mangual
Kit Walker’s brother, Kurt, claims to be the new Phantom and has launched an all-out war with the Singh Brotherhood. Even worse, his brother convinced his daughter, Jedda, to join him. Meanwhile, Rick Gordon battles an enemy from his own past. With the world crumbling around them both, is Mandrake’s magic enough to hold the pieces together?
