Flash Gordon Sunday by Alex Raymond from 12/20/1942 Large Full Page Size

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Flash Gordon Sunday by Alex Raymond from 12/20/1942 Large Full Page Size:
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This is aFlash GordonSunday Pageby Alex Raymond. Fantastic RaymondArtwork!This wascut from the original newspaper Sunday comics section of 1942. Size:15 x 22 inches (Full Page). Paper:some light tanning, small archival repairs on backside, otherwise: Excellent!: Bright Colors! Pulled from loose sections!(Please Check Scans) Please include $5.00 Total postage on any size order (USA) $12.00 International Flat Rate. I combine postage on multiple pages. Check out my other sales for more great vintageComicstrips and Paper Dolls.Thanks for Looking!

Alex RaymondFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaAlex RaymondPromotional photograph of Alex Raymond fromKing Features\'Famous Artists and Writers, 1949BornOctober 2, 1909[1]
New Rochelle, New YorkDiedSeptember 6, 1956(aged46)
Westport, ArtistNotable worksFlash Gordon,
Rip KirbyAwardsReuben Award(1949),
Comic Book Hall of Fame, 1996

Alexander Gillespie \"Alex\" Raymond(October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956)[2]was an Americancartoonist, best known for creatingFlash GordonforKing Featuresin 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many other media, from a series ofmovie serials(1936–1940) to a 1970stelevision seriesand a1980 film.

Raymond\'s father encouraged his love of drawing from an early age, leading him to become an assistant illustrator in the early 1930s on strips such asTillie the ToilerandTim Tyler\'s Luck. Towards the end of 1933, Raymond created the epicFlash Gordonscience-fiction comic strip to compete with the popularBuck Rogerscomic strip and, before long,Flashwas the more popular strip of the two. Raymond also worked on the jungle adventure sagaJungle Jimand spy adventureSecret Agent X-9concurrently withFlash, though his increasing workload caused him to leaveSecret Agent X-9to another artist by 1935. He left the strips in 1944 to join theMarines, saw combat in thePacific Ocean theaterin 1945 and was demobilized in 1946. Upon his return from serving duringWorld War II, Raymond created and illustrated the much-heraldedRip Kirby, a private detective comic strip. In 1956, Raymond was killed in a car crash at the age of 46;[3]he was survived by his wife and five children.

He became known as \"the artist\'s artist\"[4]and his much-imitated style can be seen on the many strips he illustrated. Raymond worked from live models furnished by Manhattan\'s Walter Thornton Agency, as indicated in \"Modern Jules Verne,\" a profile of Raymond published in the Dell Four-ColorFlash Gordon#10 (1942), showing how Thornton model Patricia Quinn posed as a character in the strip.

Numerous artists have cited Raymond as an inspiration for their work, includingJack KirbyandBob Kane.George Lucascited Raymond as a major influence forStar Wars. He was inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famein 1996.Maurice Hornstated that Raymond unquestionably possessed \"the most versatile talent\" of all the comic strip creators. He has also described his style as \"precise, clear, and incisive.\"[5]Carl Barksdescribed Raymond as a man \"who could combine craftsmanship with emotions and all the gimmicks that went into a good adventure strip.\"[6]Raymond\'s influence on other cartoonists was considerable during his lifetime and did not diminish after his death.

Contents[hide]

• 1Biography
  • 1.1Early life and career
  • 1.2Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim and Secret Agent X-9
  • 1.3Military career
  • 1.4Rip Kirby
  • 1.5Legacy
  • 1.6Specific influences
  • 1.7Death
  • 1.8Personal life
• 2Bibliography
  • 2.1Collected editions
• 3Awards
• 4References
• 5Further reading
• 6External links

Biography[edit]Early life and career[edit]

Raymond was born inNew Rochelle, New York, the son of Beatrice Wallazz (née Crossley) and Alexander Gillespie Raymond. Alex wasRoman Catholic.[7][8]His father was acivil engineerand road builder who encouraged his son\'s love of drawing from an early age, even \"covering one wall of his office in theWoolworth Building\" with his young son\'s work.[9][10]After the death of his father when he was 12, he felt that perhaps there was not as viable a future in art as he had hoped and attendedIona Prepon an athletic scholarship.[9]

Raymond\'s first job was as \"an order clerk inWall Street\".[9][10]In the wake of the1929 economic crisis, he \"enrolled in theGrand Central School of Artin New York City\" and began working as a solicitor for amortgage broker.[9][10]Approaching former neighborRuss Westover, Raymond soon quit his job and by 1930 was assisting on Westover\'sTillie the Toiler, through which Raymond was \"introduced to [the]King Features Syndicate\", where he became a staff artist[11]and for which he would produce his greatest work.[9][10]

Raymond was influenced by a variety of strip cartoonists and magazine illustrators, includingMatt Clark,Franklin BoothandJohn La Gatta.[12]From late 1931 to 1933,[13]Raymond assistedLyman YoungonTim Tyler\'s Luck, eventually becoming theghost artistin \"1932 and 1933... [on] both the daily strip and the Sunday page\",[5]turning it \"into one of the most eye-catching strips of the time\".[13]Concurrently, Raymond assistedChic YoungonBlondie.[10]

In 1933, King Features assigned him to do the art for an espionage action-adventure strip,Secret Agent X-9,[11]scripted by novelistDashiell Hammett,[10]and Raymond\'s illustrative approach to that strip made him King Features\' leading talent.[11]

Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim and Secret Agent X-9[edit]Further information:Flash Gordon,Jungle JimandSecret Agent X-9

Towards the end of 1933,[5]King Features asked him to create a Sunday page that could compete withBuck Rogers in the 25th Century,[10]a popular science-fiction adventure strip that had debuted in 1929 and already spawned the rivalBrick Bradfordin 1933.[11]According to King Features, syndicate president Joe Connolly \"gave Raymond an idea ... based on fantastic adventures similar to those ofJules Verne\".[9]

AlongsideghostwriterDon Moore,[11]apulp-fictionveteran, Raymond created the visually sumptuous science-fiction epic comic stripFlash Gordon.[10]The duo also created the \"complementary strip,Jungle Jim, an adventurous saga set in South-East Asia\", atopperwhich ran aboveFlashin some papers[14]Raymond was concurrently illustratingSecret Agent X-9, which premiered January 22, 1934, two weeks after the two other strips.[15]It wasFlash Gordonthat would outlast the others, quickly \"develop[ing] an audience far surpassing\" that ofBuck Rogers.[14]Flash Gordon, wrote Stephen Becker, \"was wittier and moved faster,\"[6]so \"Buck\'s position as America\'s favorite sci-fi hero\", wrote historian Bill Crouch, Jr., \"went down in flames to the artistic lash and spectacle of Alex Raymond\'s virtuoso artwork.\" Alex Raymond has stated, \"I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself. It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration—since it is entirely creative. An illustrator works with camera and models; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business—he is playwright, director, editor and artist at once.\"[9][11]A. E. Mendez has also stated that \"Raymond’s achievements are chopped into bite-sized pieces by the comic art cognoscenti. Lost in the worthwhile effort to distinguish comics as an art form, the romance, sweep and beauty of Raymond\'s draftsmanship, his incomparable line work, is dismissed. To many, it\'s just pretty pictures. Somehow or another, it\'s OK for people likeCaniffandEisnerto borrow from film. That’s real storytelling. But for Raymond to study illustrators, well, that\'s just not comics.\"[12]

Debuting on January 7, 1934, Raymond\'s firstFlashstrip introduced the \"world-famouspoloplayer\", improbably roped into a space adventure alongside love-interestDale Ardenand scientistDr. Hans Zarkov.[14]Transported byrocketto the planet Mongo, \"which was about to collide with Earth\", the trio \"immediately became embroiled in the affairs of Mongo\'s inhabitants—particularly those of its insidious warlord,Ming\", who would become Flash Gordon\'s nemesis throughout the franchise\'s many incarnations.[14]

Early in 1935, Hammett decided to depart as writer ofSecret Agent X-9in order to pursue a career in Hollywood. While it has been presumed that Raymond took on the writing duties of the strip until a replacement could be found, biographer Tom Roberts instead believes that the strip was written by committee during editorial conference, a viewR. C. Harveybelieves is supported by the strips themselves.[16]SaintauthorLeslie Charteriswas hired to take over the writing of the strip in September 1935, but the pair would only collaborate on one storyline.[17]By the end of 1935, \"the [work]load was too much for Raymond,\"[5]who leftSecret Agent X-9to artist Charles Flanders, in order to devote more time to his meticulous Sunday pages.

Raymond\'s work onX-9is said to particularly reach for \"the feel of the best pulp interior art of the time,\" a style that would evolve with his own so-called \"great flourishes\" and \"later blossom to full effect inFlash GordonandJungle Jim\".[12]\"Under his pen,\" writesMaurice Horn, his Sunday pages \"became world famous (especiallyFlash Gordon).\"[5]However, historian and critic R.C. Harvey argues that \"despite Raymond\'s great talent as an illustrator, his deployment of the comic-strip medium (onX-9) was not very impressive.\" Harvey feels that Raymond\'s work suffers in comparison toMilton Caniff\'s contemporaneous work, with Raymond\'s failings as a visual storyteller less noticeable on a weekly Sunday strip, where the space afforded played to his skills as an illustrator.[17]

The firstFlash Gordonand one from 1936 show how Raymond expanded from the standard layout to larger panels.

Raymond\'s sensual artwork—for which the artist particularly \"studied popular illustrators,\" including pulp artist Matt Clark, whose work Raymond\'s male figures particularly evoke[12]—outshone its borders and \"attracted far more loyal readers than... [the] rather contrived and unconvincing adventure stories\" his work depicted.[14]Raymond swiftly became \"among the most highly-regarded—and most imitated—in all of comics\" for his work on the weekly strip, with Harvey declaring his work on the strip \"a technical virtuosity matched on the comics pages only byHarold FosterinPrince Valiant.\"[14][17]Raymond evolved the layout of the strip from a four-tier strip in 1934 to a two-tier strip in 1936, reducing the number of panels but doubling their size. Combining this with a removal of dialogue fromspeech balloonsto captions at the bottom of the panel afforded Raymond the space to create detailed and atmospheric backgrounds. Against these spacious backgrounds, the placement of characters in heroic pose \"lent the entire enterprise a mythic air.\"[17]

Flash Gordongained a daily strip in 1940, illustrated byAustin Briggs.[14]Raymond left the Sunday strip in 1944 to join the Marines, whereupon the daily strip was cancelled and Briggs assumed Sunday duties, continuing until 1948.[14]Briggs was succeeded on the Sundays byEmanuel \"Mac\" Raboy, while the daily strip was revised in 1951 by Dan Barry. Barry also took over Sunday duties after Raboy\'s death in 1967.

Run aboveFlash Gordon, Raymond\'sJungle Jimis described by Armando Mendez as \"a thing of beauty... always more than just a topper or a shallow response toHal Foster\'s exquisiteTarzan\".[12]The companion strip evolved over time, morphing from an initial \"two tiers and up to six panels [layout], with speech balloons\" into \"a single row, of four very tall panels with declamatory text and static, vertical composition\".[12]Raymond\'s skill and artistic dexterity, however, kept the storytelling constant and the artwork vibrant.Jungle Jimwas \"set in contemporary times and the exoticMalay peninsulaof islands, [but] was intended to hark back to the original tales career[edit]While he was in the Marines, Raymond painted \"Marines at Prayer\" for theMarine Corps\' Headquarters Bulletin(December 1944).

Raymond took the war in Europe seriously enough to incorporate it into his strips, with Flash returning to Earth in the Spring of 1941. Jungle Jim found himself involved in the conflict too, fighting in the U.S. Army. Raymond was becoming \"restive about doing his duty\", a restlessness increased by the knowledge that four of his five brothers were already enlisted.[17]In February 1944, Raymond left King Features and his work on the SundayFlash Gordon/Jungle Jimpages to join theUS Marines, commissioned as a captain and serving in the public-relations arm. Raymond is quoted as stating \"I just had to get into this fight... I\'ve always been the kind of guy who gets a lump in his throat when a band plays the \'Star Spangled Banner\'\".[5][10][17][18]

Shortly thereafter, he \"was sent toQuanticofor training in the curriculum of the Aviation Ground Officer\'s School,\" and was soon producing \"posters and patriotic images from a government office in Philadelphia.\"[18]His most famous image from this time is \"Marines at Prayer,\" which \"was destined to become a well-known and well-circulated image of Marines on a battlefield pausing for worship.\"[18]Raymond also \"designed the official 1944 Marine CorpsChristmas card.\"[6]Desiring \"to get closer to the action,\" he then trained at the Marine Corps Air Station inSanta Barbarabefore serving in thePacific Ocean theater\"on the 1945 cruise of theescort carrierUSSGilbert Islands.\"[18]Treated by his fellow marines (who had been raised onFlash Gordon) as a celebrity, he was nonetheless seen as \"a down-to-earth fellow,\" and well liked.[18]He saw \"a period of intense combat in June 1945,\" and was \"made an honorary member of VMTB-143 in August 1945.\"[18]Raymond had, in May 1945, designed a squadron patch for the men of VMTB-143, after which the \"squadron adopted the new name \'The Rocket Raiders\'.\"[18]

He was demobilized as a Major in 1946.[5][10]Upon his return, Raymond was unable to return toFlash Gordon. King Features were not prepared to usurp Austin Briggs from theSunday stripand pointed out that Raymond had left voluntarily to enlist. Relatives of Raymond recall the artist as resenting this decision, which left him feeling \"cast off with so little regard.\"[17]However, King Features offered Raymond the opportunity to create a new strip.

Rip Kirby[edit]Main article:Rip Kirby

Raymond\'s \"police daily strip,\"[5]named after its central character - J. Remington \"Rip\" Kirby[12]- debuted on March 4, 1946, conceived (and initially scripted) by King Features editorWard Greene.[19]The plotting of the strips is harder to attribute, the scant evidence available supporting the notion that Raymond was more than simply an illustrator.[17]However, as was relatively commonplace on such strips, published credit went to Raymond, whose name was the major selling feature; the artist even managed to gain a part-ownership deal with King and a better split of the profits than was usual.[17][19]Rip Kirbywas Raymond\'s reintroduction to newspaper strips after the war, and he was quick to forge a new \"up-to-date\" style for the strip, while keeping ties to the audience he had built up withFlash Gordon,Jungle Jim, andSecret Agent X-9.[19]

Alex Raymond\'sRip Kirby(July 28, 1956), his final strip with Judith Lynne \"Honey\" Dorian.

Running alongside the post-World War IIreintegration of America\'s military into civilian life, Rip (like Raymond) was \"an ex-Marine,\" who \"set himself up as a private detective\" a vocation tailor-made to provide daily thrills.[19]

Described by Stephen Becker as \"modern and almost too intellectual\",[20]the strip eschewed many of thepulp fictionaldetective tropes (e.g. alcoholism, two-fisted assistants, and an assortment of interchangeablefemmes fatale). Instead, \"[Rip] did more cogitating than fisticuffing, and smoked a leisurely pipe while he did it;\" \"had a frail, balding assistant ... instead of a two-fisted sidekick;\" \"had a steady girlfriend... [and] [i]f that wasn\'t enough, he even wore glasses![19][21]Rip \"lived and worked in a recognizable, glamorous, modern New York City on cases involving very human frailties and vice\", and \"grew older as the strip progressed\", a continuity advancement little seen in the strips of the time (although pioneered in \"Gasoline Alley\" andMary Worth[22]).[12]Raymond noted the change in subject matter, commenting that \"I wanted to do something different and more down to earth.\"[17]

Stylistically, \"Raymond turned to theCooper Studio-Al Parkeradvertising style for inspiration, spurring a new generation of comic artists to follow a fresh direction\", that of \"glorify[ing] contemporary post-War American life\".[12]Although the strip was published entirely in black and white, Raymond worked hard to add tone through artistic technique. \"Raymond nevertheless [colored] through his use of varying linework ... [creating] color through contrast\".[23]His new style was much imitated throughout the industry and became known as \'the Raymond style\'.[24]

Circulation of the strip rose steadily, and it was the artist who was apportioned most of the praise - including being awarded the fourthReuben Awardin 1949.[19]He also served as theNational Cartoonists Society\'s president from 1950 until 1952, putting into place the committee structure responsible for overseeing the organization, and threw himself into championing the medium as an art form.[17]Raymond profited in recognizability as well as financially, and continued on the strip until his untimely death in September 1956.[19]His collaborator from 1952 was writer Fred Dickenson (who wrote the strip for a further 34 years), and he was succeeded artistically by magazine and Prize Publications\'Young Romanceillustrator John Prentice.[19]Commentators have said that Prentice echoed the Rip Kirby artistic style, but lacked \"Raymond\'s excellent design sense,\" although he continued to draw the strip until his retirement in 1999, the strip itself concluding shortly after.[17][19]

Legacy[edit]

In 1967,Woody Gelman, under his Nostalgia Press imprint revived some of his earlier work.[25]Regarded byTimemagazine in 1974—alongsidePrince Valiantauthor-illustratorHal Foster—as \"some sort of genius\",[26]and described inJerry Bailsand Hames Ware\'sWho\'s Who in American Comic Booksas \"[p]ossibly the most influential artist on early comic books\",[27]Raymond\'s legacy as an artistic inspiration is immense. Harvey argues that it is because of Raymond and Foster that the illustrative style became the dominant one used for adventure strips. \"His work and Foster\'s created the visual standard by which all such comic strips would henceforth be measured.\"[17]Biographer Tom Roberts also believes Raymond\'s work on Rip Kirby \"inspired all the soap opera style strips of the fifties and sixties\". Roberts argues that strips such asApartment 3-G\"can trace their origins to the success of Raymond\'s strip\".[23]Although his work was rarely seen outside of the newspaper \"funny pages\", as Raymond preferred to focus his energies on strip work, he also produced a number of \"illustrations forBlue well asEsquire.[12]

The \"heightened realism\" of Raymond\'sphotorealisticstyle has been \"chastised for making his pictures too realistic, too gorgeous for its own sake\", although many commentators believe that this very method \"plunges the reader into the story\".[28]Raymond\'s work has a \"timeless appeal,\" many aspects of which—including the use of feathering (a shading technique in which a soft series of parallel lines helps to suggest the contour of an object)[6]—have inspired generations of cartoonists, his work becoming \"the raw material for the swipe files of future generations\".[6][28]His work onRip Kirbyis especially noted for its use of \"sophisticated black spotting\", a technique Raymond used from c.1949 \"for pacing\" reasons.[28]Fellow-cartoonistStan Drakerecalled that Raymond called his black areas \"pools of quiet\", serving as they did \"as a pause for the viewer, something to slow the eye across the strip\'s panels\".[28]

Specific influences[edit]George Lucas, who has cited Raymond as an influence onStar Wars.

Alex Raymond\'s \"influence on other cartoonists was considerable during his lifetime and did not diminish after his death\".[5]George Lucashas cited Raymond\'sFlash Gordonas a major influence on hisStar Warsfilms (which, cyclically, inspired the 1980Flash Gordonfilm), while Raymond\'s long shadow has fallen across the comics industry ever since his work saw print. Comics artists who have cited Raymond as a particularly significant influence on their work includeMurphy Anderson,Jim Aparo,Frank Brunner,John Buscema,Gene Colan,Dick Dillin,José Luis García-López,Frank Giacoia,Bob Haney,Jack Katz,Everett Raymond Kinstler,Joe Kubert,Mort Meskin,Sheldon Moldoff,Luis Garcia Mozos,Joe Orlando,John Romita Jr.,Kurt Schaffenberger,Joe Sinnott,Dick SprangandAlex Toth, among many others.[29]

In particular, Raymond has been named as a key influence by many of the most influential and important comic book artists of all time.EC Comics-stapleAl Williamsoncites Raymond as a major influence, and is quoted as saying that Raymond was \"the reason I became an artist\".[6]Indeed, Williamson ultimately assisted on theFlash Gordonstrips in the mid-1950s, andRip Kirbyin the mid-1960s (all post-Raymond).[29]KeyGolden Ageartists credit Raymond with influencing their work. The artistic creators ofBatman(Bob Kane) andSuperman(Joe Shuster) credit him (alongsideMilton Caniff,Billy DeBeckandRoy Crane) as having had a strong influence on their artistic development.[29]Decades later, the herald of theSilver Age(and co-creator of most ofMarvel Comics\'s pantheon of heroes),Jack \"King\" Kirbyalso credits Raymond, alongside fellow strip artistHal Foster, as a particular influence and inspiration.[29]

CerebuscreatorDave Simhas published a comic book since 2008 calledglamourpusswhich is an examination of Alex Raymond\'s career (and the techniques of other photorealists likeStan DrakeandAl Williamson) structured around a hypothetical storyline set during the last day of Raymond\'s life.

Death[edit]

On September 6, 1956, Raymond was killed in an automobile accident inWestport, Connecticut. Driving fellow cartoonistStan Drake\'s 1956Corvetteat twice the 25mph (40km/h)speed limit,[6]he hit a tree and was killed. Roberts describes in his biography the circumstances as a result of the weather. Driving in a convertible with the top down, Raymond decided to reach his destination quicker rather than stop to put the top back up when rain started to fall. Drake was thrown clear of the crash, but Raymond, with his seat belt buckled, died instantly. Speculation surrounds the nature of his death, with some, Drake included, believing Raymond was suicidal. Raymond had been involved in four automobile accidents in the month prior to his death, which led Drake to say Raymond \"had been trying to kill himself\". Author Arlen Schumer ascribes the motive for suicide as being related to Raymond\'s personal life. Schumer alleges that Raymond had been having affairs, and that she was refusing to grant him a divorce. R. C. Harvey is dismissive of this motivation: \"Committing suicide strikes me as an odd way for a man of Raymond\'s sophistication to react to his disappointment in romance\".[17]Harvey also notes that no mention of any alleged affairs is made in Tom Robert\'s biography, \"probably out of consideration to Raymond\'s surviving family\".[17]Drake has also been quoted as speculating that Raymond \"hit the accelerator by mistake.\"[6]Raymond is buried in St. John\'s Roman Catholic Cemetery inDarien, Connecticut.[30]

Personal life[edit]

Raymond married Helen Frances Williams on December 31, 1930, with whom he had five children.[9]The names of his three daughters—Judith, Lynne and Helen—were immortalized in that of Rip Kirby\'s girlfriend, Judith Lynne \"Honey\" Dorian.[22]The Raymonds also had two sons: Alan W. and Duncan.[9]He was the great-uncle of actorsMatt DillonandKevin Dillon.[31]His younger brother,Jim Raymond, was also a cartoonist, and also an assistant toChic YoungonBlondie.

Bibliography[edit]

Raymond\'s work includes:

• Tillie the Toiler(assistant, 1930)
• Tim Tyler\'s Luck(assistant, 1930–1933)
• Blondie(assistant, 1930–1933)
• Flash Gordon(with writer Don Moore, 1934–1943)
• Secret Agent X-9(with writerDashiell Hammett, 1934–1935)
• Jungle Jim(with writer Don Moore, 1934–1944)
• Rip Kirby(with writer Ward Greene, 1946–1956; with writer Fred Dickenson, 1956)

Collected editions[edit]

Raymond\'s work has been collected a number of times. Most recently:

• Flash Gordon(hardcover,Checker Book Publishing Group):
  • Volume 1(collects Raymond\'s earliest Sunday Strips starting from the first, printed on January 7, 1934; 98 pages, October 2003,ISBN 0-9741664-3-X)
  • Volume 2(collects strips from 1935 and 1936; 100 pages, December 2004,ISBN 0-9741664-6-4)
  • Volume 3(collects the pages printed between October 25, 1936 and August 1, 1937; 96 pages, May 2005,ISBN 1-933160-25-X)
  • Volume 4(collects strips printed between 1938 and 1940; November 2005,ISBN 1-933160-26-8)
  • Volume 5(collects \"The Ice Kingdom of Mongo\", \"Power Men of Mongo\", and \"The Fall of Ming\"; 1940 to 1941; 80 pages, November 2005,ISBN 1-933160-27-6)
  • Volume 6(collects the pages printed from August 1941 to May 1943; 100 pages, April 2007,ISBN 1-933160-28-4)
  • Volume 7(collects the final strips from mid-1943, until the final Raymond issue from February 1945; 100 pages, December 2006,ISBN 1-933160-20-9)
• Rip Kirby(hardcover, IDW):
  • Volume 1(collects strips printed between 1946 and 1948; 2009,ISBN 978-1-60010-484-8)
  • Volume 2(collects strips printed between 1948 and 1951; March 2010,ISBN 978-1-60010-582-1)
  • Volume 3(collects strips printed between 1951 and 1954; November 2010,ISBN 978-1-60010-785-6)
  • Volume 4(collects strips printed between 1954 and 1956; August 2011,ISBN 978-1600109898)
• Flash Gordon & Jungle Jim(hardcover, IDW):
  • Volume 1(collects strips printed between 1934 and 1936; December 2011,ISBN 978-1-61377-015-3)
  • Volume 2(collects strips printed between 1936 and 1939; August 2012,ISBN 978-1-61377-220-1)
  • Volume 3(collects strips printed between 1939 and 1941; April 2013,ISBN 978-1613775806)
  • Volume 4(collects strips printed between 1941 and 1944; NYP)

Awards[edit]

Alex Raymond received aReuben Awardfrom theNational Cartoonists Societyin 1949 for his work onRip Kirby, and he later served as President of the Society in 1950 and 1951.[5]He was inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famein 1996.[27]He was inducted into theSociety of IllustratorsHall of Fame in 2014.[32]

Maurice Horn calls Raymond \"one of the most celebrated comic artists of all time as the creator of four outstanding comic features (a feat unequaled to this day),\" noting that he \"received many distinctions and awards during his lifetime for his work, both as a cartoonist and as a magazine GordonFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFlash Gordon
The firstFlash Gordoncomic stripPublication informationPublisherKing Features SyndicateFirst appearanceComic Strip (January 7, 1934)Created byAlex RaymondIn-story informationTeam affiliationsDale Arden(love interest),
Dr.Hans Zarkov(scientist)
Defenders of the Earth

Flash Gordonis the hero of ascience fictionadventurecomic striporiginally drawn byAlex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already establishedBuck Rogersadventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such asDash Dixon(1935 to 1939) by H.T. Elmo and Larry Antoinette andDon Dixon and the Hidden Empire(1935 to 1941) byCarl Pfeuferand Bob Moore.[citation needed]

In Australia, the character and strip were retitledSpeed Gordonto avoid a negative connotation of the word \"Flash\".[1]At the time, the predominant meaning of \"flash\" was \"showy\", connoting dishonesty.[2]In France, his adventures were published inLe Journal de Mickey, under the name \"Guy l\'Éclair\". Dale Arden was named Camille in the French translation. In Spain, Mexico and some countries in Latin America, the strip is calledRoldán el Temerario(Roldan the Fearless) and in Turkey the strip is called \"Bay Tekin\" (Mister Canny).

TheFlash Gordoncomic strip has been translated into a wide variety of media, including motion pictures, television and animated series. The latest version,aFlash Gordontelevision series, appeared on the United StatesSyfyin 2007–2008. A printcomic bookseries by Brendan Deneen and Paul Green and published by Ardden Entertainment debuted in 2008, with the first arc entitled \"The Mercy Wars\". These were followed by further storylines.

Contents[hide]

• 1Characters and story
• 2Strip bibliography
  • 2.1Reprints
• 3Films
  • 3.1Film serials
  • 3.21980 film
  • 3.3A Christmas Story
  • 3.4Flash Gordon 3D
  • 3.5Flash Gordon Classic
• 4Television
  • 4.1Flash Gordon(1954-55 live-action)
  • 4.2Flash Gordonanimated (1979-80)
  • 4.3Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All(1982)
  • 4.4Defenders of the Earth(1986)
  • 4.5Flash Gordon(1996)
  • 4.6Flash Gordon(2007-08 live-action)
• 5Radio serials
• 6Comic books
• 7Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine
• 8Novels
• 91939 World\'s Fair
• 10Reprints
• 11DVD releases
  • 11.1Film serials (1936-1940)
    • 11.1.1Flash Gordon (1936)
    • 11.1.2Flash Gordon\'s Trip to Mars (1938)
    • 11.1.3Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
  • 11.2Flash Gordon (1954-55)
  • 11.3The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)
  • 11.4Flash Gordon (1980)
  • 11.5Defenders of the Earth
  • 11.6Flash Gordon (1996)
• 12Parody
• 13Stamps
• 14References
• 15External links

Characters and story[edit]Alex Raymond\'sFlash Gordon(February 25, 1934)

The comic strip follows the adventures of Flash Gordon, a handsome polo player andYale Universitygraduate, and his companionsDale Ardenand Dr.Hans Zarkov. The story begins with Earth bombarded by fiery meteors. Dr. Zarkov invents a rocket ship to locate their place of origin in outer space. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale, whose plane has crashed in the area, and the three travel to the planetMongo, where they discover the meteors are weapons devised byMing the Merciless, evil ruler of Mongo.

For many years, the three companions have adventures on Mongo, traveling to the forest kingdom of Arboria, ruled byPrince Barin; the ice kingdom of Frigia, ruled by Queen Fria; the jungle kingdom of Tropica, ruled by Queen Desira; the undersea kingdom of the Shark Men, ruled by King Kala; and the flying city of the Hawkmen, ruled byPrince Vultan. They are joined in several early adventures byPrince Thunof the Lion Men. Eventually, Ming is overthrown, and Mongo is ruled by a council of leaders led by Barin. Flash and friends return to Earth and have some adventures before returning to Mongo and crashing in the kingdom of Tropica, before reuniting with Barin and others. Flash and his friends would travel to other worlds and frequently return to Mongo, wherePrince Barin, married to Ming\'s daughterPrincess Aura, has established a peaceful rule (except for frequent revolts led by Ming or by one of his many descendants). The long story of the Skorpii War takes Flash to other star systems, using starships that arefaster than light.

Strip bibliography[edit]See also:List of Flash Gordon comic strips

• Sunday,Alex Raymond, 1934–1943
• daily,Austin Briggs, 1940–1944
• Sunday, Austin Briggs, 1944–1948
• Sunday,Mac Raboy, 1948–1967
• daily,Dan Barry, 1951–1990
• daily,Harry Harrison, writer, 1958–1964
• Sunday, Dan Barry, 1967–1990
• Sunday and daily,Ralph Reese&Bruce Jones,Gray Morrow, 1990–1991
• Sunday and daily,Thomas Warkentin, 1991–1992
• Sunday,Richard Bruning,Kevin VanHook, Thomas Warkentin, 1992–1996
• Sunday,Jim Keefe, 01/1996 - 03/2003

Reprints[edit]

Raymond\'s work, particularly hisSunday stripshas been reprinted many times over the years by many publishers, most notablyNostalgia Press,Kitchen Sink PressandChecker Book Publishing Group.[citation needed]

TheMac RaboySundays have been reprinted byDark Horse Comicsin black and white, while Kitchen Sink began to collect both the Dan Barry and Austin Briggs daily strips. Those stories written by noted authorHarry Harrisonwere reprinted inComics Revuemagazine, published byManuscript Press.Tempo Bookspublished sixmass-market paperbacksreprinting strips from the 1970s in the 1980s.

Two stories from the Dan Barry dailies, D2-133 \"Baldur Battles Skorpi\" (February 24 to May 10, 1986) and D2-134 \"The Bear\" (May 12 to August 21, 1986), were reprinted in an oblong format, 6.5 by 10.5 paperback edition with two strips per page by Budget Books PTY of Melbourne, Australia in 1987 under the titleThe New Adventures of Flash Gordon,ISBN 0-86801-795-7.

Films[edit]

Most of the Flash Gordon film and television adaptations retell the early adventures on the planet Mongo.

Film serials[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon (serial)Main article:Flash Gordon\'s Trip to MarsMain article:Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

Flash Gordon was featured in threeserial filmsstarringBuster Crabbe:Flash Gordon(1936),Flash Gordon\'s Trip to Mars(1938), andFlash Gordon Conquers the Universe(1940). The 1936Flash Gordonserial was condensed into a feature-length film titledFlash GordonorRocket ShiporSpace SoldiersorFlash Gordon: Spaceship to the Unknown;[3]the 1938 serial into a feature-length film entitledFlash Gordon: The Deadly Ray from Marsand the 1940 serial into a feature-length film entitledThe Purple Death from Outer Space.

The first Flash Gordon serial remains copyrighted, but the compilation made of the second serial, and the third serial itself are in the public domain.[4]

1980 film[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon (film)

The classic sci-fi adventure filmFlash Gordon(1980) stars formerPlaygirl-centerfold[5]Sam J. Jonesin the title role. Its plot is based loosely on the first few years of the comic strip (in particular the famous Alex Raymond Sunday page, \"Flight of the Hawkmen\",[citation needed]) revising Flash\'sbackstoryby making him thequarterbackof theNew York Jetsinstead of apoloplayer. Raymond\'s drawings feature heavily in the opening credits, as does the signature theme-song \"Flash!\" by rock bandQueen, who composed and performed the entire musical score.[6]

Alex Raymond\'sFlash Gordon(March 4, 1934). Flash and Thun rush to stop the wedding of Ming and Dale.

Riding the coattails ofStar Wars,Superman, andStar Trek: The Motion Picture,Flash Gordonwas not a critical success on release, but the film has been buoyed by its latercult-status, and is particularly lauded for the calibre of both its score and supporting cast, which featured many notable actors.Melody Andersonco-starred with Jones as Dale Arden, alongsideChaim Topolas Dr. Hans Zarkov,Max von Sydowas Ming,Timothy Daltonas Prince Barin,Brian Blessedas Prince Vultan,Peter Wyngardeas Klytus andOrnella Mutias Princess Aura. Produced byDino De Laurentiis, with extraordinarily ornate production designs and costumes byDanilo Donati, the bright colors and retro effects were inspired directly by the comic strip and 1930s serials.[6]

Brian Blessed\'s performance as the HawkmanPrince Vultanlodged the veteran stage and screen actor into the collective consciousness for the utterance of a single line– \"GORDON\'S ALIVE?!\"– which, more than 30 years later, remains the most repeated, reused, and recycled quotation from both the film and Blessed\'s career.[7][8][9]

The film\'s cult-status led it to feature heavily in the 2012 summer blockbusterTed.

A Christmas Story[edit]

The1983filmA Christmas Storyfeatured adeleted scenewith Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun saving Flash (played by Paul Hubbard) from Ming (played byColin Fox).[10]

Flash Gordon 3D[edit]

In 2010, it was announced thatBreck Eisnerhad signed on to direct a 3D film version of Flash Gordon. \"The film\'s story is in place and the screenplay is now being worked on.\"[11]On April 22, 2014 The Hollywood Reporter has report that20th Century Foxare development the Flash Gordon reboot with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay writing the film\'s script.[12]

Flash Gordon Classic[edit]

In April 2013, Robb Pratt, director of the popular fan filmSuperman Classic, announced plans to makeFlash Gordon Classic. The traditionally animated short will feature the characters Flash Gordon, girlfriend Dale Arden, sidekick Dr. Hans Zarkov, antagonist Ming the Merciless, and Princess Aura. Pratt expects production on the short to last approximately one year.[13]

Television[edit]Flash Gordon(1954-55 live-action)[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)

Steve Hollandstarred in a 1954-55 live-actiontelevision serieswhich ran for 39 episodes. The first 26 episodes had the distinction of being filmed inWest Berlin,Germanyless than a decade after the end ofWorld War II. This is notable, given that some episodes show the real-life destruction still evident in Germany several years after the war. The final 13 episodes were filmed in Marseille, France.

In this series, Flash, Dale (Irene Champlin) and Dr. Zarkov (Joseph Nash) worked for the Galactic Bureau of Investigation in the year 3203. The actual timeline was established in one episode, \"Deadline at Noon\", in which Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov went back in time to Berlin in the year 1953. The GBI agents traveled in the Skyflash and Skyflash II spaceships.

The series was syndicated, appearing on stations affiliated with the long-defunctDuMont Network, and many other independent stations in the United States. Stylistic similarities with the Buster Crabbe films are obvious, and may have been desired by the producers. It was recut into a movie in 1957.

Flash Gordonanimated (1979-80)[edit]Main article:The New Adventures of Flash Gordon

In 1979,Filmationproduced ancartoon series, often referred to asThe New Adventures of Flash Gordon, though it is actually titledFlash Gordon. The expanded title was used to distinguish it from previous versions. The project was originally designed as a TV film but NBC decided to change it into an animated series.

NBC was unhappy with the serial nature of the first season, as it clashed with their re-run style (details can be found on a documentary included on the DVD), so the second season was much changed and also aimed at a younger audience. Each episode included two stand-alone stories, often featuring a young dragon named Gremlin, introduced for comic relief. Unfortunately, this decision led to a decline in ratings and the show was canceled thereafter.

Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All(1982)[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All

Filmationproduced this successful animated television movie, written byStar TrekwriterSamuel A. Peeples, before they began their Saturday morning series, but the TV-movie did not actually air until 1982. It was critically well-received, and is considered one of the best film versions of Flash Gordon, though it would never be re-broadcast following its premiere.[14]

This movie has yet to be commercially released in the United States, although some sources indicate that off-air bootlegs are prevalent. The only known commercial releases were by VAP Video in Japan (catalog #67019-128), c. 1983, in both laser disc and NTSC VHS videotape formats and in Bulgaria, where it was released on VHS \"Van Chris\" and \"Drakar\". The movie also aired numerous times on \"Diema\" Channel in the late 90s. In the Japanese release it is presented uncut with the original English voice track, with Japanese subtitles added for its intended audience. At the end of the movie is a trailer for theDe Laurentiislive-action movie, as well as trailers for other titles from the VAP Video library at the time. The covers for both versions feature comic-strip panels, using stills taken from the movie. Its last listing was in VAP Video\'s catalog for 1983.[citation needed]

Defenders of the Earth(1986)[edit]Main article:Defenders of the Earth

In the 1986 cartoonDefenders of the Earth, Flash teamed up with fellowKing FeaturesheroesThe PhantomandMandrake the Magicianin 65 episodes. This series took extreme liberties with all the characters, revealing that Flash and Dale Arden had conceived a son, Rick Gordon, who is in his mid-teens when the series begins. Dale has her mind torn from her body by Ming in the first episode and is preserved in a crystal, which Rick is able to recover and give to his father. Dale is reborn on Earth as Dynak-X, the strategic super-computer based in the Defenders\' Headquarters.

Flash Gordon(1996)[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon (1996 TV series)

In 1996, Hearst Entertainment premiered an animatedFlash Gordontelevision series. This version turned Flash and Dale intohoverboardingteenagers.

Flash Gordon(2007-08 live-action)[edit]Main article:Flash Gordon (2007 TV series)

TheSci-Fi Channelpremiered its newFlash Gordonseries in theUnited Stateson August 10, 2007. On January 12, 2007 at theTelevision Critics Associationtour, it was announced that the live-action series would comprise 22 one-hour episodes, produced in Canada in early 2007. Under an agreement withKing Features Syndicate, the series was produced by Reunion Pictures of Vancouver withRobert Halmi Sr.andRobert Halmi Jr.ofRHI Entertainmentserving as Executive Producers.

The characters of Ming, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov were drastically altered.Eric Johnson, best known for his earlier work on the WB\'sSmallville, played the title character of Steven \"Flash\" Gordon.Gina Holden(who has appeared inFantastic FourandAliens vs. Predator) playedDale Arden,Jody Racicot(Night at the Museum) playedDr. Hans Zarkov, andJohn Ralstonportrayed the arch-villain, Ming.

Advertisements featured a cover version ofQueen\'s \"Flash\'s Theme\" (from the 1980 film) performed by the bandLouis XIV. The song was not present in any episode of the show. The show was officially canceled in early 2008.

Radio serials[edit]

Starting April 22, 1935, the strip was adapted intoThe Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26-episode weekly radio serial. The series followed the strip very closely, amounting to a week-by-week adaptation of the Sunday strip for most of its run.

Flash Gordon was played byGale Gordon, later famous for his television roles inOur Miss Brooks,Dennis the Menace,The Lucy ShowandHere\'s Lucy(the latter two withLucille Ball). The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless.[15]

The radio series broke with the strip continuity in the last two episodes, when Flash, Dale and Zarkov returned to Earth. They make a crash landing in Africa, where they meetJungle Jim, the star of another of Alex Raymond\'s comic strips.

The series ended on October 26, 1935 with Flash and Dale\'s marriage. The next week,The Adventures of Jungle Jimpicked up in that Saturday timeslot.

Two days later, on October 28,The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordondebuted as a daily show, running five days a week. This series strayed further from Raymond\'s strip, involving Flash, Dale and Zarkov in an adventure inAtlantis. The series aired 74 episodes, ending on February 6, 1936.[16]

Comic books[edit]

Over the years, several publishers have producedFlash Gordoncomics, either reprints or original stories.

• David McKay PublicationsKing Comics#1–155 (1936–1949) [strip reprints]
• Dell ComicsFour Color Comics#10, 84, 173, 190, 204, 247, 424, 512;Flash Gordon#2 (1945–1953) [first 2 strip reprints]
• Harvey Comics#1–5 (1950) [strip reprints]
• Gold Key Comics#1 (1965) [reprints FC #173]
• King Comics#1–11 (1966–1967) (also inPhantom#18–20)
• Charlton Comics#12–18 (1969–1970)
• Gold Key Comics#19–27 (1978–1979); under their \"Whitman Comics\" #28–37 (1980–1982)

Several issues of the King Comics series were drawn byAl Williamson, who won the 1966National Cartoonists SocietyAward for Best Comic Book for his work on the series.[17][18]Williamson later said, \"I was paying homage to Alex [Raymond], you know. I tried to treat his creation with respect and dignity and tried to do it to the best of my ability. I find that other artists who have done Flash Gordon just don\'t seem to get the feeling of the strip, you know. Flash is a noble guy and it\'s kind of nice to have that kind of a hero.\"[19]King also released a comic version as a part of their Comics Reading Library in the 1970s.

In1988,Dan Jurgenswrote a modernized version of the comic strip as a nine-issueDC Comicsminiseries. It features Flash as a washed upbasketballplayer who finds new purpose in life on Mongo, Dale as an adventurous reporter who is just as capable as Flash, and a gray-skinned Ming who is less of an Asian stereotype. The series ran for the planned nine issues and was left with an open-ended conclusion. Though Mongo is not a threat to Earth in this series, Ming had every intention of conquering Earth once he coerced Dr. Zarkov into designing the needed ships.

In1995,Marvel Comicsdid a two-issue series with art by Al Williamson in the style of theFlashcomics he had produced for King and others.

A new comic book series was released by Ardden Entertainment in August2008, though with inconsistent release dates for subsequent issues. The initial story arc concluded in mid-2009 with an open door to an announced new story arc to begin fall 2009.[20][21]Ardden also published a Flash Gordon anthology entitledThe Secret History of Mongo. Ardden\'s second Flash Gordon arc is titledInvasion of the Red Sword(2010). Two other arcs were completed.

A reprint of all of Al Williamson\'s Flash Gordon comic books in black and white was printed by Flesk in 2009.

In 2010,Dark Horse Comicsbegan an archive reprint series in hardback, starting with the original comics published by Dell. The second volume covers the comics published by King Comics, the third covers the comics published by Charlton Comics, the fourth covers the comics published by Gold Key, and the fifth covers the comics published by Whitman.

In 2011,Dynamite Entertainmentbegan a new series calledFlash Gordon: Zeitgeist. The series is written by Eric Trautmann (Vampirella, Red Sonja), from a story and designs byAlex Ross(Kingdom Come, Marvels, Project: Superpowers) and illustrated by Daniel Lindro.[22]The company also produced a spinoff miniseries,Merciless: The Rise of Ming, in 2012, with story and art byScott Beattyand Ron Adrian.[23]

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine[edit]

In 1936, one issue ofFlash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazinewas published byHarold Hersey, featuring a novel about Flash Gordon, entitledThe Master of Mars. It was written by little-known author James Edison Northford. The saddle-stitched novel was based (more or less) on the comic strip story lines, and included color illustrations reminiscent of Alex Raymond\'s artwork. On the back pages a second installment,The Sun Men of Saturn, was promised, but it never saw print. Even though the series did not gain in popularity, the lone issue ofFlash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazinehas become a much sought-after item for pulp magazine collectors.

Novels[edit]

The first novel based on the strip,Flash Gordon in the Caverns of Mongo, was published in 1936 byGrosset & Dunlap. The credited author was Alex Raymond. Like the pulp magazine of the same year, it failed to launch a series.

In 1973, Avon books launched a six-book series of adult-oriented Flash Gordon novels:The Lion Men of Mongo,The Plague of Sound,The Space Circus,The Time Trap of Ming XIII,The Witch Queen of MongoandThe War of the Cybernauts. Although the books were credited to Alex Raymond, they were all written by SF writerRon Goulart.

In 1980, Tempo books released a series byDavid Hagberg:Massacre in the 22nd Century,War of the Citadels,Crisis on Citadel II,Forces from the Federation,Citadels under AttackandCitadels on Earth. Except for the names of the hero and his co-stars ofDale Ardenand Dr.Hans Zarkov, this series had little to do with any other version of Flash Gordon.

1939 World\'s Fair[edit]

The name \"Flash Gordon\" was emblazoned on the proscenium of a ride at the 1939 New York World\'s Fair. An article inPopular Science(March 1939) described how 150 people could enter a ride designed to resemble a rocket ship with a motion picture screen and vibrating seats for a simulated trip to another planet. The ride was located \"at the opposite end of the amusement zone from the parachute tower\". Fairgoers walked around a simulation of Venus as a jungle planet, inhabited by mechanical dinosaurs to enter a \"Martian Headquarters\", where \"weirdly costumed Martians and mechanically animated models of giant beasts enact[ed] episodes from the adventures of Flash Gordon\". The ride\'s Martians did not look like those in the 1938 serial, nor did the rocket ship.[24]

Reprints[edit]

The Alex RaymondSunday stripshave been reprinted by several publishers, notablyNostalgia Press,Kitchen Sink Press, andChecker Book Publishing Group. The Kitchen Sink and Checker versions are in color, Nostalgia Press did one in black and white and the others in color. The Mac Raboy Sundays have been reprinted byDark Horsein black and white. The Dan Barry dailies have never been entirely reprinted, but the early years were published byKitchen Sinkand the stories written byHarry Harrisonare reprinted inComics RevuefromManuscript Press. Tempo Books published six mass market paperbacks reprinting strips from the 1970s into the 1980s. Some of the Austin Briggs dailies were reprinted byKitchen Sink Press. A reprint of all of Al Williamson\'sFlash Gordoncomic books was released in 2009.

• Flash Gordon on the Planet Mongo (1934–35), Nostalgia
• Flash Gordon in the Water World (1935–37), Nostalgia
• Flash Gordon Escapes to Arboria (1937–39), Nostalgia
• Flash Gordon vs Frozen Terrors (1939–40), Nostalgia
• Flash Gordon Joins the Power Men (1940–41), Nostalgia
• Mongo, Planet of Doom (1934–35), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-114-7
• Three Against Ming (1935–37), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-120-1
• The Tides of Battle (1937–39), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-162-7
• The Fall of Ming (1939–41), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-168-6
• Between Worlds at War (1941–43), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-177-5
• Triumph in Tropica (1943–44), Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-199-6
• Flash Gordon: The Dailies by Austin Briggs 1940-1942 Volume 1, Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-172-4(strips from 1940)
• Flash Gordon: The Dailies by Austin Briggs 1940-1942 Volume 2, Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-187-2(strips from 1941)
• Flash Gordon The Complete Daily Strips 1951-1953, Kitchen Sink PressISBN 0-87816-035-3
• Flash Gordon - Star Over Atlantis, Dan Barry, Manuscript Press, 2007,ISBN 0-936414-16-2,ISBN 978-0-936414-16-4, dailies 1953 - 1954.
• Flash Gordon: Volume 1 (1934–35),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 0-9741664-3-X
• Flash Gordon: Volume 2 (1935–36),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 0-9741664-6-4
• Flash Gordon: Volume 3 (1936–37),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 1-933160-25-X
• Flash Gordon: Volume 4 (1938–40),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 1-933160-26-8
• Flash Gordon: Volume 5 (1940–41),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 1-933160-27-6
• Flash Gordon: Volume 6 (1941–43),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 1-933160-28-4
• Flash Gordon: Volume 7 (1943–45),Checker Book Publishing GroupISBN 1-933160-20-9
• Mac Raboy\'s Flash Gordon, Volume 1, Dark Horse ComicsISBN 1-56971-882-2(Sundays, 1948-1953 S32-S45)
• Mac Raboy\'s Flash Gordon, Volume 2, Dark Horse Comics (Sunday, 1953–1958)
• Mac Raboy\'s Flash Gordon, Volume 3, Dark Horse ComicsISBN 1-56971-978-0(Sundays, 1958–1962)
• Mac Raboy\'s Flash Gordon, Volume 4, Dark Horse Comics (Sundays, 1962–1967)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 1 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17349-2(S132/D2-097 - S135)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 2 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17348-4(D2-081, D2-082)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 3 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17347-6(S114-S118)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 4 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17155-4(D2-105, D2-107)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 5 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17208-9(D2-098)
• The Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, Volume 6 Tempo BooksISBN 0-448-17245-3(D2-102, D2-109)
• Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic, FleskISBN 1-933865-13-X
• Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo: The Complete Flash Gordon Library 1934-37, Titan BooksISBN 0857681540
• Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo: The Complete Flash Gordon Library 1937-41, Titan BooksISBN 0857683799
• Flash Gordon: The Fall of Ming: The Complete Flash Gordon Library 1941-44, Titan BooksISBN 0857686887

DVD releases[edit]

Flash Gordon has been released to DVD under a variety of titles and in both edited and non-edited versions. The serials and 50s TV show have no shortage of public domain DVD releases.

Film serials (1936-1940)[edit]Flash Gordon (1936)[edit]

• Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers. (245 minutes)
• Flash Gordon: Spaceship to the Unknown. Hearst Entertainment, Inc., 2002. (edited to 98 minutes)

Flash Gordon\'s Trip to Mars (1938)[edit]

• Flash Gordon\'s Trip to Mars(2 discs). (299 minutes)
• Flash Gordon: O raio mortal de Marte. Hearst Entertainment, Inc., 2002. (97 minutes)

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)[edit]

• Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. (234 minutes)
• Flash Gordon: The Peril from Planet Mongo. Hearst Entertainment, Inc., 2002. (edited to 91 minutes)

Flash Gordon (1954-55)[edit]

• Flash Gordon(3 Volumes). Alpha Home Entertainment (only 13 of the episodes have been released thus far).

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)[edit]

US – BCI Eclipse

• The New Adventures of Flash Gordon: The Complete Series(4–Discs). 600 minutes

UK – Hollywood DVD LTD

• The Adventures of Flash Gordon – Castaways in Tropica
• The Adventures of Flash Gordon – Blue Magic

Flash Gordon (1980)[edit]

On May 6, 1998, Image Entertainment released the 1980 film on DVD in North America forDVD Region 1territories through a contract with Universal, but it quickly went out of print.

Momentum Pictures later released it in the UK forDVD Region 2territories on October 10, 2005. This edition of the film, the \"Silver Anniversary Edition\", features an anamorphic widescreen transfer at the film\'s 2.4:1 aspect ratio, both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio, the original Queen theatrical trailer, an audio commentary by director Mike Hodges, a second audio commentary from actor Brian Blessed, an interview with Mike Hodges, a photo slideshow and an original 1940s Serial, episode one of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe.

Universal released the film on August 7, 2007 in North America and Region 1 territories once again. The new disc, entitled the \"Saviour of the Universe Edition\", features a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras include an \"Alex Ross on Flash Gordon\" featurette in which world-renowned comic artistAlex Rosstalks about the film and how it has inspired him in his life and work, a \"Writing a Classic\" featurette with screenwriterLorenzo Semple, Jr.and a Flash Gordon 1936 serial episode (chapter one of Planet of Peril).

Defenders of the Earth[edit]

US – BCI Ecplise

• Defenders of the Earth – Complete Series Volume 1(5 Discs) 33 Episodes
• Defenders of the Earth – Complete Series Volume 2(5 Discs) 32 Episodes(Spring 2007)

UK – Hollywood DVD LTD

• Defenders of The Earth – The Story Begins

UK – Delta Music PLC

• Defenders of the Earth Movie(3 Discs)
• Defenders of the Earth Vol 1
• Defenders of the Earth Vol 2
• Defenders of the Earth Vol 3
• Defenders of the Earth Movie – Prince Of Kro-Tan
• Defenders of the Earth Movie – Necklace Of Oros
• Defenders of the Earth Movie – The Book Of Mysteries

Flash Gordon (1996)[edit]

Lion\'s Gate on September 21, 2004, released three 4-episode DVDs ofFlash Gordon(1996) andPhantom 2040.

• Flash Gordon: Marooned on Mongo – The Animated Movie(97 minutes)

Parody[edit]

Flesh Gordonis a 1974 Americaneroticscience fictionadventurecomedy film. It is an erotic spoof of theUniversal PicturesFlash Gordonserialsfrom the 1930s.[25]The screenplay was written by Michael Benveniste, who also co-directed the film with Howard Ziehm. The cast includes Jason Williams, Suzanne Fields, and William Dennis Hunt.

The film had anMPAArating of X, but was also re-edited for a reduced rating of R. It has an original runtime of 78 minutes, and the unrated \"collector\'s edition\" release runs 90 minutes.

Stamps[edit]

In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in theComic Strip Classicsseries of commemorativeUS Postal Servicepostage stamps.

References[edit]

1. Jump up^p.42 Burrows, Toby & Stone, GrantComics in Australia and New Zealand1994 Routledge
2. Jump up^\"ANDC – The Australian National Dictionary: Additions and Corrections, by James Lambert\". Anu.edu.au. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
3. Jump up^Flash Gordonat theInternet Movie Database
4. Jump id=\"cite_note-5\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.1em; -webkit-column-break-inside: avoid; page-break-inside: avoid; \">Jump up^Flash Gordonreview for UK TV\'sChannel 4. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
5. ^Jump up to:abCool Cinema Trash\'sFlash Gordon: Saviour of the Universe EditionDVD Review & Summary. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
6. Jump up^\"Brian Blessed\" at the BBC\'s H2G2. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
7. Jump up^\"Gordon\'s Alive! Flash returns to cinema screens\", May 21, 2008 report forDreamwatch\'sTotal Sci-Fiwebsite. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
8. Jump up^The singular phrase was much-used to refer to BritishPrime MinisterGordon Brown, includingGlen John Feechan\'s Accounting blog; Blessed himself onHave I Got News For YouSeries 35, episode 3(broadcast onBBC1, May 2, 2008);Steven PoolereviewingGordon Brown: Speeches 1997-2006for theGuardiannewspaper, etc.
9. Jump up^\"Deleted Scenes – A Christmas Story House – Ralphie\'s House Restored to its A Christmas Story Splendor\". A Christmas Story House. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
10. Jump up^\"Director Breck Eisner Exclusive Interview The Crazies – Plus an Update onFlash Gordon\". Collider.com. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
11. Jump up^\"\'Flash Gordon\' Movie in the Works at Fox (Exclusive)\". The Hollywood Reporter. April 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
12. Jump up^\"Superman Classiccreator Robb Pratt unveilsFlash Gordon Classic\". AnimatedViews.com. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
13. Jump up^Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of Allat theInternet Movie Database
14. Jump up^\"Audio Classics Archive: The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon\". Audio-classics.com. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
15. Jump up^\"Radio Science Fiction: Information and Help to the New Collector\", by Terry G.G. Salmonson. Retrieved 09-11-07.
16. Jump up^Ringenberg, Steve. \"Al Williamson Interviewed\",The Comics Journal#90 (May 1984), p. 78
17. Jump up^\"Division Awards Comic Books\".National Cartoonists Society. 2013.Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
18. Jump up^Zimmerman, Dwight Jon (November 1988). \"Al Williamson\".Comics Interview(62) (Fictioneer Books). pp.43–59.
19. Jump up^\"Ardden Entertainment\'s site\". Ardden-entertainment.com. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
20. Jump up^Previewing Ardden\'s Flash Gordon #1,Newsarama, June 12, 2008
21. Jump id=\"cite_note-23\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.1em; -webkit-column-break-inside: avoid; page-break-inside: avoid; \">Jump id=\"cite_note-24\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.1em; -webkit-column-break-inside: avoid; page-break-inside: avoid; \">Jump up^\"World\'s Fair Thrills\",Popular Science. March, 1939.
22. Jump up^Sobchack, Vivian Carol (1997).Screening space: the American science fiction film(2nd ed.). Rutgers University Press. note: collecting and selling comicshas been my hobby for over 30 years. Due to thehours of my job I can usually only mail packages out on Saturdays. I send out Priority Mail which takes 2-3 days to arrive in the USAand Air Mail International which takes 5 -10 days depending on where youlive in the world. I do not \"sell\" postage or packaging and charge less than the actual cost of mailing. I package items securely and wrap well. Most pages come in an Archival Sleeve with Acid Free Backing Board at no extra charge. If you are dissatisfied with an item. Let me know and I wil do my best to make it right.

    Many Thanks to all of my1,000\'s of past customers around the World.

    EnjoyYour Hobby Everyone and Have Fun Collecting!

    ---

    Flash Gordon Sunday by Alex Raymond from 12/20/1942 Large Full Page Size:
    $10.00