Flash Gordon: The Girl from Infinity, Vol. 1

Gr 3-8–The origin story for a strong, capable, and mysterious girl who shares the name of the 1930s-era superhero; however, this Flash Gordon is a delightfully capable preteen. She arrives aboard a spacecraft a thousand years hence, landing at the Ark, where human life is carefully maintained by a boy named Dale Arden. He names her for the “Gordon” inscribed on the spacecraft—an escape pod aboard which humanoids have been sent into space in deep sleep—and “Flash” for her meteoric arrival. Together they embark on adventures with roots in various sci-fi arcs, all of which are presented here afresh. Panels flow with energy, rendered in vivid color, allowing middle grade readers to be swept into the adventures and characters—good, evil, wise, and unwitting. Bennett and Johnson are skilled storytellers in plot and imagery, making the cliff-hanger ending a thrilling promise of more to come. Flash is pale and blonde, Dale has tan skin and dark hair, and other characters range in racial, gender, and age cues.