'Defenders of the Earth' Complete Omnibus Available for Preorder
- Scott Waldyn
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Missed out on the recent Defenders of the Earth revival from the Mad Cave Studios team? Both the 8-issue original Defenders of the Earth and 4-issue sequel series Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny are collected together in one complete omnibus.
This posting was discovered over at Simon & Schuster, with a release date of November 17th, 2026. It can also be preorder on Target, with both sites listing it at $29.99 for a trade paperback edition. There's no word if a hardcover Defenders of the Earth omnibus will be available.
For Those Who Came in Late...
Mad Cave Studios revived the Defenders of the Earth series way back in 2024. Former DC Publisher and legendary comics writer Dan Didio helmed this continuation of the classic '80s team-up, with artist Jim Calafiore for the first series and artist Alex Sanchez for the follow-up series. Juancho Vélez provided colors, and Carlos M. Mangual provided letters for the series.
While this revival took inspiration from the animated series, it was also a semi-sequel to the 4-issue Defenders of the Earth series that Marvel created way back in the 80's to go along with the cartoon. Ahead of the new series, Mad Cave Studios collected a trade paperback of the original Marvel series, which we reviewed here.
In this new series, the Defenders find themselves fragmented after the defeat of Ming the Merciless. Flash Gordon is busy working with Krotan (Ming's son), K'shen, and a new corporation to rebuild Earth, leaving no space to spend time with his son, Rick. Mandrake the Magician is on tour, with The Phantom at his side. Jedda is out on her own, and Lothar and LJ are back at the Seven Nations. A new, mysterious threat brings them together, with a few familiar villains and faces to come along for the ride.
Watch Our Review of Defenders of the Earth (issues 1-8)
This series was followed up by a 4-issue miniseries, Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny, that saw the heroes travel to Mongo in order to save it from destruction. Watch our reviews of Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny here.
Details on the Defenders of the Earth Complete Omnibus
Synopsis: "The full collection of the modern reimagining of the classic animated series! Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Lothar attempt to unite a fractured world against threats new and old.
"Picking up with characters and storylines from the original series, 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! All twelve issues written by Dan DiDio and drawn by celebrated artists J. Calafiore, Alex Sanchez, and more are collected here in a gorgeous, oversized collection."
What About the Stories in Flash Gordon: Quarterly?
One detail that isn't known at this time is if the omnibus will include the handful of stories that appeared in the pages of Flash Gordon: Quarterly. These stories, also written by Dan Didio, filled in the gaps between the first 8 issues of Defenders of the Earth, providing more context to the greater mystery and offering allusions and teases for what was to come next.
As we get closer to the release date, we will update as more details become available.
