Flash Gordon #19
Published and © by Gold Key (Western), September 1978
Title: “Return to Mongo”
Synopsis: Flash and crew return to Mongo to find Ming back in control – but the Lizard Men are also a threat!
Writer: John Warner
Artist: Carlos Garzón
Review: Flash Gordon makes his Bronze Age return with this odd initial outing from Gold Key. Picking up both story and numbering from Charlton’s Silver Age iteration of the book, this new Flash leans hard into Alex Raymond’s classic look for the character. Carlos Garzón, a longtime assistant to Al Williamson, is a great fit for Flash; while he delivers a few confusing panels, Garzón’s refined rendering is quite stylish. But writer John Warner does little to bring new readers up to speed and the story’s conclusion offers up a literal deus ex machina. This series could go either way.
Grade: B-
Second opinion: “(Gold Key’s) revival of the series featured solid scripting from John Warner and nice artwork from Carlos Carlos Garzón.” – Steve Whitaker, FantaCo’s Chronicles Series Annual #1, 1983
Cool factor: Carlos Garzón deserved more attention. And George Wilson’s covers always deliver.
Notable: First Gold Key issue. … Continues numbering from the Charlton series, which was last published in January 1970.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is also a Whitman edition of this issue.
Character quotable: “I am Silith, queen of the caverns of night, goddess of the light beyond the ever constant darkness!” – Silith, first of her name
Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 24, 2025.
