Defenders of the Earth #4 cover

Original cover art for Defenders of the Earth #4 (Mad Cave Studios) — a full-ensemble, high-drama showcase featuring all the core heroes of the miniseries: Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Lothar, and Mandrake the Magician, facing the ultimate threat—Ming the Merciless—with Dale Arden (Flash Gordon’s fiancée) caught at the center of the storm. 

The scene hits like a classic Saturday-morning cliffhanger turned up to eleven: sweeping arena scale, a sea of spectators, confetti in the air, and multiple focal points that pull your eye through the composition—romantic peril up top, conflict and motion below, and Ming’s ominous presence anchoring the tension. It’s built to read instantly as a cover, while rewarding close inspection with layered storytelling and character interplay.

Executed as a true collector’s piece, this is one-of-a-kind published cover original art, rendered with bold spot blacks, crisp linework, and rich halftone (mezzatinta) textures—that timeless comic-book finish you can’t fake digitally.

Artwork details • Title: Defenders of the Earth #4 (Cover Art) • Publisher: Mad Cave Studios • Original size: 11” × 17” • Medium: Ink + halftone (mezzatinta) • Characters featured: Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, The Phantom, Mandrake, Lothar, Ming the Merciless