You can find it here.
Spoilers for the first arc are unmarked.
This comic strip provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Queen Fria of Frigia, and a number of female guards and soldiers from the various Mongothic peoples. Even Dale Arden, to an extent.
- Affably Evil: Downplayed. Vultan isn't exactly evil, but he attempted to have an innocent man assassinated and allowed another innocent to take the fall. Downplayed because the assassination was for his kingdom's benefit, and he knew that Flash would escape.
- Alas, Poor Villain: The Kiran Assassin was born to it and had no choice. She was turned invisible (stated to be painful), killed the wrong target, was tortured for it, turned invisible again, and defeated by an interloper she underestimated. She was then captured, and implied that she would be killed to keep her from talking.
- All-Loving Hero: Flash found himself on another planet after having been forced there by a desperate man, and then encountered a number of people who tried to enslave and/or kill him. He forgave them all (Ming excepted), and he even became close friends with many of them.
- All Planets Are Earthlike: Mongo has an atmosphere suitable for humans, and gravity comparable to Earth, as well as a diverse array of biomes that can all be found on Earth in one form or another. Many of the inhabitants are even outwardly identical to humans. However, it has a number of sentient creatures that are definitely not of Earth, and even more monsters.
- Ambiguously Brown: This version of Prince Barin.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Dale. When she and Prince Ronal discuss holidays, she alludes to Hannukah. The holiday Ronal talks about has vague similarities to Hannukah, but it would be unusual for a non-Jewish person of the time period to think of it.
- Anchored Ship: Flash and Dale aren't together, and Flash tells her that they can't be together because she refuses to tell him why she doesn't want to go back to Earth.Flash: I can't be with somebody if they can't trust me. After all this time... can't you?
- Anti-Villain: Bones Malock is the sheriff of Borrower's Firth. They have nothing against Flash or his friends, but he came to their town and would benefit them if they held onto him for a while as the political situation sorts out.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Dr. Zarkov accepts the reality of Azura and the Kirans' abilities, but he doesn't believe that it's actually magic. Downplayed because everything else he's seen and done on Mongo has a scientific explanation.
- Arch-Enemy: Flash to Ming, as in all versions of the story.Ming: Hah. Oh, simple Prince Barin... as if I'd ever surrender if Flash Gordon were alive to see it. Draw your steel, Earthman.
- As You Know: Dale recounts their experiences with Queen Azura to Zarkov as they discuss the possibility that she's behind the murder of Ming II.
- The Atoner: Though he was right about Mongo and the threat it posed to Earth, Dr. Zarkov feels incredibly guilty about how he forced Flash and Dale to join him. He is determined to make it up to them one day.
- Avenging the Villain: Downplayed. Jailmaster Rachus doesn't go so far as to kill Flash for (supposedly) killing Ming, but he happily defies orders and tosses him into the harshest part of the Tombs, instead of elite holding as he was ordered.
- Big Bad: Ming the Merciless, as befits a Flash Gordon story.
- Big Damn Heroes: When Dr. Zarkov found that Dale was taken by Azura, he frantically contacted Prince Thun. Thun was able to get to Dale in time to save her from the thousand foot fall Azura subjected her to.
- Break Them by Talking: Ming managed to break Barin. Barin agreed to call on the Allied Mongothic Nations to surrender. Flash's ship crashed into the flagship just after he said it.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Downplayed trope. Ming has fallen (hopefully) and some of the allies, such as the Wingmen, think that they should go back to how Mongo was pre-Ming, ie. each kingdom dealing with others on an individual level.
- Brutal Honesty: Aura asked Dale a question, and Dale answers honestly, even if she had to muster her courage to do it.Dale: Now he has to go up in front of the whole planet and act like he's fine. And maybe... maybe... neither of you is as good at that as you think you are.
- Chromatic Arrangement: Flash is red, Dr. Zarkov is blue, and Dale is green.
- Cliffhanger: Used a few times, perhaps most notably when Flash was found standing over Ming II's corpse.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Prince Barin was taken some time before the strip proper begins. Ming had fun with him for days.
- Combat Pragmatist: Zigzagged. While Count Korro is right to (implicitly) point out that Bok's powerful Dragonman physiology is stronger than his own, he fought him with a snowsteel blade while Bok only had a sparring sword, and Bok had no idea because they were supposed to be sparring.
- Control Freak: Airman Brother Sojas, who emerged as the leader of the Valkr Jungle airmen. He led the community for almost the entire time, and he has a personal reason to disbelieve Flash and Dale's account of Ming's fall.Dale: He needs us to be guilty, Flash... 'Cause if we're telling the truth and Ming really is gone, his men can finally leave. And he'll go back to being just some guy.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The reader knows that Dale was on the run from something when she encountered Flash and Dr. Zarkov.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Zigzagged. Bok won the fight with Flash, but his obvious unwillingness to kill Flash led Flash to befriend him.
- Defector from Decadence: Those Mongothians who supported Ming but then switched to supporting the Allied Mongothic Nations.
- The crashed airmen in the Valkr Jungle also qualify. They didn't turn on Ming's regime, but they realized that they could live out their lives quietly so long as everyone believed they were dead.
- Didn't Think This Through: Barin is an excellent swordsman. He was also a wreck after a week of torture at Ming's hands. Ming, also an excellent swordsman, safely toyed with him throughout their entire duel.
- Sojas was an airman, but that wasn't a position that would have given him a lot of combat experience. Dale was able to beat him in their duel. While he briefly stalemated Flash because he ambushed him, their actual fight consisted of Flash hitting him and him hitting the ground.
- Diplomatic Impunity: Queen Fria takes Flash, Bok, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov under her protection after they save Ronal, meaning that Aura can't touch them if she wanted to without causing a huge diplomatic incident. Downplayed, because Aura very much doesn't want to (though Aegia does).
- Disowned Sibling: Downplayed. Aura fully agrees with Ming's decision to cast out Ming II, but she doesn't deny their relationship. She also doesn't want him at her wedding.Aura: You're not welcome here. Walk out or be dragged out.
- Dynamic Entry: Flash uses the chaos of the space battle to crash his specially constructed fighter into Ming's flagship. This surprises the mooks on hand when he comes out.Flash: Hi. You guys might want to get to some escape pods.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Azura. She might qualify as Raven Hair, Ivory Skin, were she not so very creepy.
- Establishing Character Moment: The Final Battle has begun and it's the Allied Mongothic Nations' last and only chance.Aura: Are you ready, Flash Gordon?
Flash: with a confident grin Me? Always. - Even Evil Can Be Loved: Some Mongothians still view Ming as the rightful emperor. Taken to extremes with Jailmaster Rachus, who deliberately places Flash in the harshest part of the Tombs despite being ordered to put him in the softest.
- Evil Emperor's Beautiful Daughter: Princess Aura to Ming, as usual. She doesn't want to be Daddy's Little Villain, though. She desperately wants to be a good person, but she doesn't find that easy so far.Aura: I have vowed to be different. To be good. It just... doesn't come naturally.
- The Evils of Free Will: Ming thinks so, and tells Barin at length:Ming: I've given them the gift of domination, Barin. A life in which they need make no choices. A life in which nothing is their fault.
- Face Framed in Shadow: Ming's face is almost always at least partially in shadow. The only exceptions are when the camera only shows a part of his face.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Team Earth and every friend they made since coming to Mongo. Also Team Earth themselves, given that Dr. Zarkov literally kidnapped them.
- Fiery Redhead: Aura is mostly an aversion. She is strong willed, but she is also very controlled, hiding her emotions to better do her job.
- Fighter, Mage, Thief: Flash is the Fighter, a highly trained and brave warrior. Dr. Zarkov is the Mage, whose scientific skills verge on magic (typical of Pulp Era stories). Dale is the Thief, who has some combat ability but whose main contributions are through skills and cunning.
- Fourth Ranger: Bok the Dragonman chooses to stick with Flash.
- Gladiator Games: The prisoners in the Bellows fight in secret games for the sick amusement of wealthy spectators. These are to the death, unless the crowd wants to see a fighter fight again.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Flash is a blonde, and very pure of heart.
- Half-Human Hybrid: It turns out that Fria is part giant.
- Happily Married: Queen Fria and Prince Ronal, though Ronal does harbour a slight crush on Dale.
- Healing Vat: Flash awakens from his coma in one. It's probably why he woke up fully recovered and with no apparent brain damage.
- Hellhole Prison: The bottom level of the Tombs is known as the Bellows. It is one of these. Why?Chief Convict Bulon: There are no rooms. No guards. No food but what you can catch and kill.
- Her Boyfriend's Jacket: Dale wears Flash's shield shirt when going to spy on Azura. There's a definite practical element there, but it's hard to miss the subtext.
- The Hero: Flash Gordon, as always.Flash: internal monologue Doesn't matter what changes—doesn't matter if it takes one day or ninety years—you fight the fight. And the next one. And the next. Until you've saved every one of us.
- Heroic Build: Flash isn't as jacked as some examples, but he's got one.
- Hidden Depths: Dale isn't a warrior like Flash is, and she isn't a genius like Dr. Zarkov, and she is the most openly anxious member of Team Earth. She's also as brave as they are, has a keen eye for detail, more fighting skill than is apparent, and is very quick thinking.
- The High Queen: Fria fits this to a T. She's beloved by her people, and takes her role seriously.
- Honesty Is the Best Policy: Flash doesn't lie unless he has to. This is partly for idealistic reasons and partly for practical ones.Flash: All I know is I'd rather make a friend than a sucker. Suckers turn into enemies... and we still have plenty of those.
- Honor Among Thieves: The jailbreak happens because the criminal who got the Galvanic Cutlass came to free Bones, happy to repay a debt.
- Honor Before Reason: Barin has been tortured for days, and is in bad shape, but he is the rightful king of Mongo so he will be the one to fight Ming in a final duel. And he was desperate to regain his honour after Ming broke him.
- Horse of a Different Color: Frigians use snowbirds, said to be the fastest animal on Mongo.
- How We Got Here: The first proper strip shows Flash talking to his friends as he prepares to take off. A few strips later, we go back in time a bit to see that conversation from their end.
- The strip does this every Sunday, summarizing the last week of stories to set the stage for the next.
- Humans Are Diplomats: Team Earth (Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov) were inadvertently critical in forming the alliance against Ming, mostly because circumstances kept introducing them to the various leaders of Mongo and their courage and Flash's charisma gave them a common friend.
- Hunk: Flash, as is traditional.
- Hypocrite: Inquisitor Aegia figured out that Vultan was behind the assassination attempt (and his true target) but went after Flash anyway despite her talk of the importance of law and order and justice.Aegia: Better a man with with no country than a head of state, Prince Vultan.
- Ignored Expert: Zigzagged. Dr. Zarkov tried to raise the alarm about Mongo, but he was ignored because people thought he was crazy. He was right, but he had a nervous breakdown that caused him to shanghai Flash and Dale on his trek to Mongo.Dr. Zarkov: In my frenzy to save my world, I lost my mind ...proving them wrong about the science... but right about me.
- Inadequate Inheritor: Ming II in the eyes of Ming the Merciless, who struck him from the line of succession in favour of Aura.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Flash, but of the heroic kind.
- Intrepid Reporter: Dale Arden, as usual. Her observational skills are just the tip of the iceberg in regard to what she can do.
- Kirby Dots: Shows up a few times, starting with when the bomb aboard Flash's specially constructed fighter triggers, knocking out the flagship's gravity engines and sending it into freefall.
- Lady of War: Fria leads her troops into battle personally.
- Loyal to the Position: Inquisitor Aegia looks well upon Ming, but still willingly serves in her position under the new regime.
- Jailmaster Rachus is a partial subversion. He's unhappy with the regime change, but is willing to serve nonetheless. However, when he gets his hands on Flash Gordon, the man whom most of Mongo believes killed Ming, he will disobey orders to punish him.
- Magnetic Hero: Flash. It's how he was able to help assemble the coalition that took down Ming. Seen again in the Nineveh arc, when his kindness persuades Bok to join him.
- Mighty Glacier: Bok is both strong and durable, but he wasn't fast enough to land a hit on the assassin even though he could see her.
- Murder by Mistake: Ming II wasn't the assassin's target, and neither was Flash. The assassin was supposed to kill Prince Ronal, to drive a wedge between Fria and Aura and Barin. However, the assassin killed the wrong Prince of Mongo.
- Mysterious Past: Dale was on the run from someone or something when she met Flash and Dr. Zarkov, but only she knows that. She is very cagey about herself when asked at Aura and Barin's reception, and is in absolutely no hurry to return to Earth.
- Mythology Gag: The week leading up to the franchise's 90th anniversary used a MacGuffin to pay tribute to previous installments not canon to this strip.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Ming the Merciless, who lives up to the name. Also Jailmaster Rachus, pronounced Rack Us.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Queen Azura sports one.
- Never Found the Body: Ming's ship crashed, and the radiation makes exploring it impossible. The rebel leaders don't trust that he's dead without some kind of confirmation, but widespread rumour holds that Flash killed him.
- Unfortunately, they never found Barin either. Just a scrap of his tunic.
- No Indoor Voice: Prince Vultan, in tribute to BRIAN BLESSED. Though he can whisper when he has to.
- Non-Human Non-Binary: Downplayed. Bones Malock looks human, just like most Mongothians, but technically isn't.
- Not the Fall That Kills You…: Played Straight. Azura tries to kill Dale by throwing her from the top of her quarters, a thousand feet (100 stories) high. She is saved by a timely rescue from Thun and his sky cycle. The shield shirt she wore wouldn't have been enough to save her from the landing, but it spared her ribs the damage of the collision.
- Not Worth Killing: After his duel with Ming, Barin came to in an escape pod with his sword still in his hands. The implication is clear.
- It turns out that Jailmaster Rachus was behind the prison fights. He tells Flash to do his worst. The reply?
Flash: You aren't worth my worst. - Oh, Crap!: Dale was visibly shocked to learn that she would have to duel Sojas instead of Flash.
- Old Master: Bones Malock is a skilled fighter able to give Flash problems (though they think Flash might have won had the fight continued), and they have a sword that shoots lightning.
- One Last Job: The quest to find Barin. Flash even describes it as such.Flash: Aura dropped one last job on us.
- Perp Walk: Flash is walked past the rulers of Mongo after he is arrested for killing Ming II.
- Post-Script Season: Downplayed. Each arc is supposed to be ten weeks long. However, the creators and editors realized that the 90th anniversary was due to happen on the first week of the second arc. Therefore, they gave the first arc an extra week so that it coincided with the anniversary instead. They realized this in time to seed the Entropy Egg into the strip, thus giving us that last week (see Mythology Gag for details).
- Race Lift: Zigzagged trope. The original comic strip portrayed all humanoid Mongothians as having yellow skin, but eventually switched to drawing them as white. This strip has them with a broad variety of human range skin tones.
- RevengeSVP: Ming II was angered at not being invited to Aura and Barin's wedding, so he tried to disrupt it. He had better luck at the reception, where he insulted Barin's looks, implied that Aura would cheat on Barin with Flash, and demanded that Aura give him the throne of Mongo or else.
- Rightful King Returns: Played straight and Subverted: Prince Barin is the rightful ruler of Mongo, and with Ming's defeat he is poised to marry Aura so that they rule Mongo together. Too bad he vanishes in the chaos on Ming's flagship.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Mongo's royal stewards (the royalty of their respective kingdoms) are no strangers to getting their hands dirty when need be. Like when waging war against their conqueror. Most clearly seen with Fria, who personally leads Flash, Bok, and her guards against the pirate miners.Bok: I'm ready for some nonsense about assembling a committee to get permission to investigate it... but she wants these scrubs gone now. This land is under her protection.
- See the Invisible: Dale figured out where the assassin should be, and threw a bottle of wine at her. It broke, splashing her with wine, allowing Flash to knock her out.
- Self-Imposed Exile: Barin didn't try to contact anyone because he almost called for a surrender.
- Shame If Something Happened: Aegia to Vultan about the Kiran assassin.Aegia: Do not concern yourself with your wayward assassin, Your Grace. Prisoners go missing all the time.
- Shock and Awe: Bones Malock's Galvanic Cutlass shoots electricity.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Aura. We don't know if she had the crush on Flash as in other versions of the story, but she is a redhead and she inherited her father's bright green eyes.
- Snow Means Love: Averted. Flash and Dale break up (sort of; they aren't together) on a night in Frigia.
- Speech Bubbles: Azura's are jagged, emphasizing her creepiness.
- Statuesque Stunner: Fria is 6'1, the same height as Flash. Her being part giant might have something to do with it.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The communicator that Dale slipped Flash doesn't work in the Tombs because it's too far underground. The prisoners who attack him for it anyway get solidly beaten because Flash is in a terrible mood, and he's perfectly fresh while they're varying degrees of malnourished.
- Tap on the Head: Averted! Barin shoves Flash out of the way when he goes to fight Ming, and Flash lands in an escape pod but hits his head quite hard. He passed out before he could properly secure himself in the pod as it was jettisoned, and it crash landed. He was in a coma for eight days.
- It's still tender days later, when he's in prison.
- Tear Up the Contract: Jailmaster Rachus tears up the order placing Flash in elite holding prior to sending him to the Bellows. This was due to his disdain for Barin and respect for Ming the Merciless.
- Tough Leader Façade: Aura and Barin both think that they must affect one.
- Track Trouble: The rocket train is almost derailed (and Queen Fria thrown from in, prompting an aerial rescue from Flash) when a 300-foot tall something walks through it.
- Trial by Combat: Sojas proposes one in order to let the god Toa rule on the truth of Flash and Dale's words. However: he intends to fight Dale, and he has intentions for her should he win.
- True Companions: Flash feels this way about Dale, Dr. Zarkov, and many of the people he fought beside on Mongo, regardless of how he met most of them. Best shown by his response to Barin's confession. Healing from the shame won't be easy, and will probably take a long time, but...
- Tyke Bomb: The Kiran assassin was raised to the job from birth, and she had no choice in it. Her training was so focused that she speaks in broken English, unlike the other Kirans we meet.
- Villain Respect: Downplayed because Bones Malock isn't a villain, though they are definitely the antagonist of the Borrower's Firth segment. They are impressed by Flash and company's skill and cunning to the point of considering letting them go, but they decide against it. The reason?Bones: Only... you swiped that sword. Without trading for it. And that don't fly down here in Borrower's Firth.
- Azura feels it for Dale. She tried to kill her, but she also allowed Thun to rescue her and then get away.
- Visual Pun: Dr. Zarkov tells Flash via viewscreen that he's been liasing with the Chief Seismologist at the Frigian Scientific Society. The next panel shows her lounging on his bed as he's at his desk talking, and both Zarkov and the chief seismologist are wearing bathrobes. Liasing, huh, Doc?
- The Voiceless: Azura makes quite the impression during the Nineveh arc, but she never speaks on panel. Averted when she captures Dale.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Mongo's people were distrustful and divided before Ming's conquest. Aura fears that Barin's disappearance will start that again, with the addition of a new faction loyal to Ming and his empire.Aura: The only new rule the people might accept is my claim and Barin's combined... Wartime alliances crumble quickly in peacetime. We were all enemies once. We may be again.
- Wedding/Death Juxtaposition: Ming II confronts Flash alone after Flash ducks out of Aura and Barin's wedding reception. He is killed during the struggle via a stab in the back.
- White Mask of Doom: Inquisitor Aegia sports one.
- Would Hit a Girl: Flash will fight any threat regardless of their gender.
- Wretched Hive: Borrower's Firth is a secret community of thieves and scavengers, but it does run on a code: trade for what you want.
