Defenders of the Earth 1: Complete Series [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Well, it's finally here: the 5-dvd set release of Defenders of the Earth, Volume One! This was one of the cartoons I used to look forward to watching every Saturday when I was a kid in the mid '80s. The short-lived Defenders of the Earth took three classic pulp adventure heroes from the comic strips published by King Features Syndicate - Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician (and Mandrake's former manservant, now upgraded to hero in his own right, Lothar) - and banded them together against the great villain Ming the Merciless, who again is bent on invading Earth. Defenders of the Earth only lasted one season, in 1986, but still managed to churn out a mind-boggling 65 episodes!

The show also introduced a younger generation of heroes: Rick Gordon - Flash Gordon's brainy but brash son; Jedda Walker - the Phantom's daughter, who has telepathic powers; Kshin - Mandrake's adopted son, who is the magician's apprentice and who has an alien pet named Zuffy; Lothar Jr. (or LJ) - Rick's best friend, who's into martial arts and is also the son of Mandrake's friend Lothar. These kids did their own share of world saving, but, every now and then, also got in the way of the big three.

And let's not forget Dynak, the computer that the Defenders of the Earth heavily relied on. Here's the twist: in the first episode "Escape from Mongo," Ming the Merciless had captured Flash Gordon's wife, Dale Arden Gordon, and was using brainwashing techniques to get her to tell him the whereabouts of Flash. Dale resisted, fatally. But, before she perished, her "soul" was saved into a crystal, which was then used as a power source for the computer Dynak.

Other changes that were made for the cartoon show: Ming's appearance was altered for us sensitive moderns; he went from bearing a haughty Fu Manchu countenance to a more alien, greenish, and, therefore, less offensive appearance. With the same thought in mind, Lothar, formerly Mandrake's manservant, was elevated to full hero status and was shown as more intelligent than he had been previously portrayed. Also, in the comic strips, Mandrake only had hypnotic powers. As a Defender, he drew on actual magic.

To folks out there who enjoy some darn good, hand-drawn animation and nicely paced adventure stories, and especially to those "older" folks who'd thrilled to the exploits of Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Mandrake in the past, in their different incarnations and mediums, this dvd is a must have. I think Alex Raymond, who created Flash Gordon, and Lee Falk, who created the Phantom and Mandrake, would've been happy with this show. The episodes took place in outer space, in the jungles, in urban and exotic locales, which gave each of the three classic originals a spotlight to strut his stuff in his preferred environment. The youngsters, too, were showcased quite a bit, particularly Rick and Jedda, who possibly had a romance blooming. Kshin, as the youngest of the kids, had the most to prove (or so he thought), thus leading to several scrapes, none more dire than in the episode "A Demon in His Pocket."

Over the course of 65 episodes, the Defenders of the Earth, time and again, staved off invasion attempts by Ming the Merciless and his minions. But not every episode had Ming as the main baddie. Longtime foes also popped up to annoy the Defenders, such as in "The Evil of Doctor Dark," where an old foe of Mandrake re-surfaces. Kurt Walker, who was the Phantom's brother but who became his enemy, was developed specially for this series. And, sometimes, Ming eschewed his armadas and blunt tactics and opted for more subtle ploys, as when he tricked the Defenders into entering the computer Dynak into a chess competition in "Bits and Chips" or when he took advantage of the latest Earth craze for household robotic aides in "Ming's Household Help." One of my favorite episodes was "Terror in Time," wherein the Defenders time travelled back to the days of King Arthur and hooked up with Prince Valiant.

I remember the 1980s as a time when there were a lot of good cartoons on tv. I remember rushing home from school just to watch G.I. Joe, Transformers, Thundercats, He-Man, and Robotech. On Saturday mornings, I would wake up early (even before my parents woke up) just to watch Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Battle of the Planets, Voltron, the SuperFriends, and the Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour. And, of course, Defenders of the Earth. God, I miss those Saturday mornings.

Anyway, hot on the trail of the excellent Flash Gordon: The Complete Series dvd collection, BCI does it right with Defenders of the Earth, Volume One with regards to the dvd extras. Special Features include an audio commentary on the pilot episode "Escape from Mongo"; interviews with the show's creators; a full length animated storyboard with Interactive Comparison for Episode #126 "Terror in Time"; an original presentation pilot for "Defenders of the Earth" featuring alternate characters and animation; image galleries; Dvd-ROM features: scripts, storyboards and the complete series Bible (PDF format, PC/Mac readable); detailed character profiles; trivia and fun facts. This dvd collection also comes with a booklet of episode guides and 2 "Comic Strip Champions" art cards (4" X 6") by comic book artists Rafael Kayanan and Mike Allred. Now, there's also supposed to be a bonus episode here from the Flash Gordon animated series - Episode #1 "A Planet in Peril" - but, for the life of me, I can't find it anywhere on the discs. But that probably has to do more with my being mechanically illiterate than anything else.

For those who hearken back fondly to their youth and for the new generations of youngsters who are curious about animated shows done before CGI really took off, this is surely worth dropping a few hard-earned dimes. And, needless to say, keep an eye out for Volume 2, which contains the remaining episodes, also imminently coming your way.

And here are the included 33 episodes (I know, the episode numbering's a bit wacko, but this is how the box set episode guide lists them, so who am I to argue?):

DISC 1, SIDE A
101 - "Escape from Mongo"
102 - "The Creation of Monitor"
103 - "A Demon in His Pocket"
104 - "A House Divided"
DISC 1, SIDE B
120 - "Family Reunion"
105 - "Bits 'n' Chips"
106 - "The Root of Evil"
107 - "Cold War"
DISC 2, SIDE A
108 - "The Sleeper Awakes"
109 - "The Revenge of Astra"
110 - "The Hall of Wisdom"
111 - "The Mind Warriors, Part I"
DISC 2, SIDE B
113 - "The Mind Warriors, Part II"
112 - "The Lost Jewels of Tibet"
114 - "The Evil of Doctor Dark"
115 - "Diamonds are a Ming's Best Friend"
DISC 3, SIDE A
116 - "The Men of Frost"
117 - "Battleground"
118 - "The Panther Peril"
119 - "Fury of the Deep"
DISC 3, SIDE B
121 - "The Defense Never Rests"
122 - "Like Father, Like Daughter?"
123 - "The Would-Be Defender"
124 - "Doorways into Darkness"
DISC 4, SIDE A
125 - "Deal with the Devil"
126 - "Terror in Time"
127 - "Ming's Household Helpers"
128 - "the Starboy"
DISC 4, SIDE B
131 - "The Book of Mysteries"
132 - "The Future Comes But Once"
133 - "Kshin and the Ghost Ship"
134 - "The Carnival of Doctor Kalihari"
DISC 5
135 - "The Mystery of the Book"
& Special Features

It seems tradinonal for most comic companys to have their heros forme a group. DC has JLA, as well as JSA, Teen Titans, etc. Marvel has the Avengers and so on. Thus it only seems natural for King Features to have their comic book heros team up. Fan boys like to see their heros in the same world team up and fight evil, they also like to see heros fight eachother to see whos better. Its a natural thing in the comic book world. thus its no surpise for these heros to join up to forme a team. I dont understand why so many complain about that aspect of this cartoon.

First off this was a great cartoon. Allthough admitdly of the main chartures, Flash Gordon is more well known. (Intrestingly this series was my first introduction to The Phantom). Secondly this series last for at least 65 episodes, long enough to maintain interest in the charture. In regards of Flash Gordon this series is my third favorit incarnation of the chartur. The first is the 80s movie, and the second the filmation series.

Now for a bit of background. Flash Gordon was a top althlet who was rocketed to Mongo to fight the evil tyrant Ming the Merciless. The Phantom is a hero who lives in the jungels and fights crime. (Hes like a cross between Tarzan and Zorro, but has his own special storyline). Mandrake the Magican is an illusionist who poses as a stage magigian and fights crime. His companion is Lothar (a rather uninteresting charture in the comics). what I liked with this series is that Lothar is upgraded to hero states. sure ok hes the token black guy, but he is such a great charture. its good to have him in this series. these three main chartures have previously had their own seprat comic strip adventures. for this cartoon all three join up to fight evil. Each brings something to the team, as the credits proclaim. Flash the pilot, Mandrak with his illusions, Phantom with his cunning, and Lothar brings strength. added to this are the young companions. first there is Flash's son, Rick. there is Lothar's son LJ (Lothar JR). The Phantom's daughter, Jeda, who can camunicat with the animals. finaly there is Mandrake's ward, Kashin. together they forme the Defenders fighting none other then Ming himself. (Ming seems the only big enough villain the heros could face, as Gordon has the only worth while reacuring villain on his roster.).

Flash has lost his wife to Ming's crulety (one of the few times a death is depicted in comics). she is never named on screan. allthough it would be hard to imagine Gordon marrying anyone other then Dale Arden. (I think in the four comic book series based on this cartoon she is even given that name.) However her memory lives on in the computer Dynac. Dynac is an artifial intelligence that at Ming's side are his computor Octon, his Ice warriors, and his treacherous son Kro-Tan. Ming also has a duaghter, but she is NOT named Aura. there are other villains as well. Interestingly there is the Phantoms evil brother, Kurt Walker, who becomes the Weather Demon. the Sky Band, old foes of the Phantom, the episode even retells the orginal storyline of that comic allthough breifly. the Defenders face many challenges along the way.

the setting is in the future, here Mongo is a desolat planet which Ming has used up its resourses, and he wants to claim the earth. the Defenders attempt to stop his plans. there are some interesting episodes, such as when Jedda thinks her father is dead and she must take on his mantel. Krotan would later betray his father and attempt to take over Mongo, only to face a bigger threat. there is even an episode featuring someone I call the the 10th Defender, Prince Valiant of the Hal Foster comics. Valiant's son even makes an apperance. (allthough Valiant would get his own cartoon series much later on). its still nice to see him make an apperance here.through out this series there are many surpises and interesting episodes. some so so storys, but some good episodes.
(I wonder if the story Root of Evil was an early pilot since the art is so different.)

Again this is a rather good series I felt.
a unique cartoon series. well worth watching.

Nice series. Graphics good for the 80's. Nice to see another universe besides Marvel and DC. The last 5 episodes in this set are the best.