Kings Watch #2 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Thursday, October 17th, 2013

Do these properties really need a crossover? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The adventures of FLASH GORDON, THE PHANTOM, and MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN continue, by JEFF PARKER (Agents Of Atlas, Dark Avengers) and MARC LAMING (Planet Of The Apes)! The nightmares from space keep coming, Flash Gordon sees an alien hell, and now people are being murdered over the mystery behind The Kings Watch. Reporter Dale Arden tracks down the secret of Professor Zarkov’s scientific triumph, exposing him to the Cult of The Cobra. Only The Magician knows what horror is really coming for the world, and that humanity hangs on what The Phantom will do…

Thanks to the efforts of this creative team, three iconic characters get the opportunity to exist in our modern world. That right there is certainly enough to warrant the attention of devoted followers, but trust me it goes beyond that as we’re treated with a tale that breathes with a steady purpose.

Jeff Parker pens the script and the scribe handily builds upon the foundation of this title’s first outing. He crafts a logical intersection that sees magic, science fiction and legend brought together to form something that’s more than the sum of its parts. The dialogue is what really sells this event, as the author handily uses dynamic personalities to not only play with our heroes and their varied stories but also pay homage to elements of their prior iterations. In short: this was an outstanding ride.

The art by Marc Laming is destined to impress even the most discerning eye. He builds a believable world that makes use of all the players while offering some sights from Mongo that are reason enough to purchase this release. I did find a couple of the illustrations of Flash Gordon to be a wee bit off, but taken as a whole the body of work does more than enough right to earn the ability to render these characters.