The relaunch of Flash Gordon by Mad Cave Studios continues this month, debuting new title Flash Gordon Quarterly, an anthology of short stories set in both the universe of the main title and various alternate worlds. The Beat reached out to chat with up-and-coming comics writer Louis Southard on his and artist Nuno Plati‘s Flash Gordon Quarterly #1 story, “The Battle of Little Mingo”.
This interview was shortened and edited for clarity.
JARED BIRD: You’ve been promoting the first issue of Flash Gordon Quarterly from Mad Cave Studios. How did this project come together at Mad Cave?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Well, I think you have to credit that all to the mastermind, Chas Pangburn, who is the senior editor of licensed properties at Mad Cave. Ever since they got the rights to Flash Gordon and a lot of their titles, they wanted to make sure they used it to the best of their ability and got top creators on board with big ideas. If you look at the Flash line in its entirety, you will see that in its apex form. You’ve got the amazing flagship book by Jeremy Adams and Will Conrad, the children’s edition from Franco Aureliani and Art Baltazar, they’re reprinting the classics, they’re going back with Dan Didio to continue Defenders of the Earth. Quarterly is the next step in that. It’s a combination of expanding the new main universe and kicking the door open for the Flash Gordon multiverse, which is fortunately what I get to be part of.
BIRD: Flash Gordon’s been having a big year this year, with the new launch from Mad Cave, the comic strip by Dan Schkade, and the various universe titles. What was it like writing a character as legendary as Flash Gordon?
SOUTHARD: I love comic book history. I wrote a whole book about it called Comics Are Dying: The Comic, and I very much enjoyed learning about Alex Raymond’s version of Flash Gordon as well as Buck Rogers’ version. Learning about the competition behind that and the effects it’s had on pop culture over time is very interesting. It’s a character who has existed for 90 years. The fact that now I get to be part of that tapestry alongside an amazing team is exciting. There’s never been a multiverse of stories, so the fact that me and Nuno Plati, as well as the other multiverse team Jordan Thomas and Russell Mark Olson, are getting to make the first Earth Two and Earth Three so to speak. To add a new chapter to the history and continuity is somewhat intimidating but I’d consider it exhilarating. With the multiverse, how do you build a better Flash Gordon? If you get to go to a whole new world, let’s do something entirely different, and we made sure to do that the first chance we got. I’m very proud because I’m the first Gen Z person to write a Flash Gordon story, and I might be the youngest to ever do one at 24. I don’t know for sure, but I think that’s the case.
BIRD: That must not lead to any sort of pressure, I’m sure. The youngest person ever to write on Flash Gordon.
SOUTHARD: I don’t sweat it at all!
BIRD: I’m not too familiar with the character of Flash Gordon myself. I haven’t read anything, and I’ve only seen the 80s movie. Would you recommend this book to Flash Gordon beginners?
SOUTHARD: I think what Mad Cave is doing with their relaunch is very smart. 90 years is a long time, and there are people still around whose entrance point is the Alex Raymond comic, or the comic strips, or the 80s cartoon, or the Defenders of the Earth cartoon. There’s a lot of entry points to jump on. The idea of this line is that however you imagine it, or even if you’re new to it, everything happened. Your mind’s eye version of what happened has happened. This is what happens next. What Jeremy Adams has done as our lead writer has made something satisfying for older fans while being a great jumping on point for newer fans. With the Quarterly title, other creatives get the chance to see Jeremy and Will’s new world, and show other facets of the characters who reside in it, while playing with what they were before. With the Flash-Fiction stories, the multiversal stories, I think that’s an even greater jumping on point because you have to sum up the characters to their most essential aspects. If you want to get an idea who these characters are, I genuinely think the Quarterly is a great way to do so. If you like what you read, you can check out the other books in the line having some knowledge in mind.
BIRD: How did you become a part of this project at Mad Cave?
SOUTHARD: I was speaking to Mad Cave for a while about developing a different project, and I was offered a selection of different intellectual properties to work on. I wasn’t familiar with the first two, but I was offered a secret, exciting third thing that peaked my interest. As soon as I found out it was Flash Gordon, I was on board. I did my own research and from what little I knew I was excited to join in and write Ming the Merciless. I was very pleased with myself because working with license holders has a lot of layers to it, with multiple people to please including myself. Something I’d want to read too. The story passed through with gold stars, and it was a great process. Everyone’s been a dream to work with, and Mad Cave has been absolutely great. I have nothing bad to say about them, genuinely. It’s a great environment for a creator to work in, and a great place for aspiring creators. They’re hardworking, smart and kind, which can be sorely lacking these days.
BIRD: What influenced the western setting for ‘The Battle at Little Mingo’?
SOUTHARD: We had a meeting and I had to send in a list of ideas that I had, including a funny animal version with Mink the Merciless. They saw a suggested wild-west version, and I’ve written a lot of westerns previously. I’ve always wanted to write sci-fi, but they said I’d be perfect for a wild-west version of Flash Gordon. You know what, I am! It seems like the desert keeps pulling me back in. I didn’t mind it at all. It was good fun, and I got to come up with alternate universe versions like Sheriff Gordon, Deputy Dale, and Governor Ming T. Marcellus. It was cool to play with western tropes, and like I mentioned earlier, do something a little different. Prove why it’s different, what can be done, and if you’re lucky enough to get it continued, do something different. I had a lot of fun working with Nuno Plati. We made mood-boards to match the characters and their inspirations, like matching Ming T. Marcellus with John D. Rockerduck from DuckTales. I read the Duck Tales art book, and they said ‘only a real jerk would wear white to the desert’ and we decided that was perfect for Ming. I’ll shout out the colorist Joao Lemos too, and my ever faithful letterer Buddy Beaudoin.
BIRD: What was it like working with artist Nuno Plati?
SOUTHARD: As a fan, I was awestruck. He worked on various Spider-Man titles back in 2013 that got me into comics. The fact that I was working with someone who was part of the books that got me into comics was a full circle, magical moment, especially as this was my first work for hire book. It was amazing. He was great, and his designs were killer, and his pages and layouts were incredible. He brought in Joao, because they’ve worked together for a long time. Creatively, he knew what he was doing, and I knew if I let him do what he wanted he’d bring back some killer ideas and pages. The giraffe horse was his idea, and that’s how I knew this guy was brilliant. I think if you’re getting a Louis Southard western, you need a weird horse. It was a really smooth collaborative process, and there are no words for that type of full circle moment.
BIRD: In terms of artistic trademarks, weird horses in cowboy books isn’t a bad one to have. Should we expect to see more Louis Southard – Flash Gordon to come?
SOUTHARD: That is entirely up to the readers. If you love this wild west Flash Gordon universe that we have teased, please tell Mad Cave that you want to see more. I have a whole story planned out. The Quarterly story is standalone, but it’s also an unintentional set-up for something you wouldn’t imagine. If you really like it, tell Mad Cave and show them you bought a copy. Here’s where my real motivations come out. In my research into Flash Gordon, there was a villain I fell in love with completely. His name is Pyron the Comet Master. He’s a later addition, a guy who pilots an artificial comet that blasts through the sky. He’s got a sidekick named Flamme, dresses her up to match the overall scheme. He has an army of dinosaur men henchmen. He’s just a regular human and so is Flamme, but then you have the dinosaurs who swear allegiance to him and his comet mastery. I have been begging everyone under the sun to let me bring back Pyron. If you read this, let Mad Cave know #WeWantPyron. I will bring him back and disappear into the night a happy man. That’s my goal!
BIRD: Everyone should want more of it. I know I do, and I think Pyron is the villain we need in 2024.
SOUTHARD: He’s the villain we deserve! He warmed the emptiness of my soul. I want to bring him to the masses.
BIRD: We need a true villain to unite the people. Thanks so much for your time.
Below is a piece of concept art from Louis Southard and Nuno Plati’s story in the first Quarterly issue.
Flash Gordon Quarterly #1 is out September 4th, 2024 from Mad Cave Studios. If you like it, and any story in particular, let them know.
