Archie and Flash Gordon to Cross Over in New Story By Jeff Parker & Dan Parent

This summer, Archie Andrews and the Riverdale gang will come face to face with Flash Gordon, one of the Defenders of the Earth, in a new story from writer Jeff Parker and artists Dan Parent and Rich Koslowski, titled Archie Meets Flash Gordon. The one-shot comic book issue features all the heroes and villains of both worlds in what Archie Comics describes as "a history-making sci-fi comedy adventure." The crossover kicks off when classic Flash Gordon nemesis Ming the Merciless attempts a full-scale invasion of Earth, via Riverdale (where else would you start?). Flash is on the scene, but he'll need help from Archie and the gang to set things right.

Parker and artist Evan "Doc" Shaner did an acclaimed run on Flash Gordon for Dynamite Entertainment about five years ago, which likely made him an obvious choice for a story like this. That's especially because it was Parker who handled writing duties on the popular Archie Meets Batman '66 story.

"I'm now a pretty big believer that the Riverdale gang can fit with practically any other characters and genres," Parker said in a statement, "but it's best when they get to really flex and go way outside their zone like say, the planet Mongo with Flash Gordon, King of the Impossible. This of course coincides with the sad passing of cinema great Max Von Sydow who was the most memorable Ming the Merciless, and wait until you see our take on the Emperor of Mongo."

The crossover re-teams Parker with artist Parent, who drew the aforementioned Batman crossover.

"I wanted to write more Archie and more Flash Gordon, so this really clicked for me, and I tried to laser in on tailoring this to be a story Dan Parent would enjoy drawing," Parker said. "He hasn't yelled at me yet, so fingers crossed!"

"I was more than thrilled to work with Jeff again," Parent said. "And what could be better than working with a classic character like Flash Gordon? The story has so much action and fun, it really jumps off every page! As a fan of the classic comics and movie serials (and the 1980 movie which I happened to watch again before I was approached with this project), I was excited to take part in another monumental Archie team up. I'm happy to work with my pal Rich Koslowski on this, too!"

"Flash Gordon is an iconic, sci-fi/pulp hero, and in the long tradition of great, off-the-wall Archie crossovers, this seemed like a perfect next step," said Archie Comics Co-President Alex Segura. "When we were thinking of creative for this, Jeff Parker, who did a bang-up job on Archie Meets Batman '66, was atop our list. And no one is better equipped to give this one-shot the classic, retro-but-modern vibe that it demands than Archie legend Dan Parent. This book will be fun, accessible, and just what people are looking for."

Archie Meets Flash Gordon arrives in comic shops on June 3, 2020. You can check out the official solicitation text below.

A strange phenomenon occurs, leading to an alien crash-landing in Riverdale. Fortunately, someone arrives on the scene to save the day: FLASH GORDON! A conqueror from another world wants to colonize Earth and he's close to sustaining a portal that could let his warships through—which leads Flash Gordon, along with Archie and his friends, to the Planet Mongo in this special crossover event!

Script: Jeff Parker
Art: Dan Parent
Cover: Dan Parent
Variant Cover: Sandy Jarrell
On Sale Date: 6/3
48-page, full color comic
$4.99 U.S.