Merciless: The Rise of Ming #3
Written by Scott Beatty
Art by Ron Adrian
Colors by Roni Setiawan
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Alex Ross
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Merciless: The Rise of Ming #3 is a great sci-fi action/thriller. From front to back, it’s got everything that fans of classic science fiction could ask for. And it’s cooler because it’s Ming the Merciless.

Writer Scott Beatty gives us another chapter in the origin of Ming the Merciless, and it’s a great roller coaster ride. This is CLASSIC sci-fi writing, but the format is updated for today’s audience. It’s action from cover to cover and you only catch your breath and the very end…and then there’s the last page. Beatty has been a fantastic science fiction writer for awhile now (his Buck Rogers series from Dynamite is totally underrated), and it’s nice to see him take the reins on another series. What I also like about this series is that it’s not just a spin-off of Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist that doesn’t need to exist. The audience needs to know how Ming got so merciless, and it’s nice that it flows into the current Flash Gordon series.

Ron Adrian is REALLY good. He’s got a great style and knowledge of the Flash Gordon universe. Even though you don’t see the same things that you do in the Flash Gordon series, everything gels perfectly with this book. None of the new scenery seems out of place or foreign which I would imagine is hard to do when your working on a title set in a very specific universe. Adrian pulls this off, hands down. Great art here in this issue!

Honestly, this is a great series. Hopefully you’ve picked up the previous two issues, if not, what are you waiting for? It’s got a great anything-can-happen vibe, even if you know what happens to some of the characters all ready. It’s an exciting, well written, well-drawn comic. Definitely worth your time and money.