Flash Gordon

[Shadow_Contact]

Hey, So I've been looking for a starting point on Flash Gordon. I realize Flash rivals Transformers for Continuity's but I was wondering, since some of you seem to collect him, what are some good story to start with?
I got Defenders of the Earth Vol. 1 and the 1980 Movie coming but What is his definitive story I should track down or Read? Is the 79 Cartoon a hit or miss (I'm not expecting alot from Defenders but Flash and Phantom seems like it should be a good combo.)?

[Space Commander]

Like many of the greats, Flash Gordon has been reinterpreted over the decades. In terms of comic strips, he began in the 1930s courtesy of the genius Alex Raymond. Luckily for you, over the last few years Checker Book Publishing has reprinted Raymond's original strips in excellent hardback editions... so you won't have to spend thousands of pounds on originals! Back in the 1970s, some huge hardback collected editions were also published in beautifully presented oversized tomes. Although harder to find, you won't regret buying one of these if you ever see one.

For me personally, these stories are the true essence of Flash Gordon, which is why the 1979 animated series (and the "lost" 1978 movie... more on that in a mo') are the perfect starting point for any Flash Gordon fan.

A few years after Flash Gordon's creation, Buck Rogers actor Larry "Buster" Crabbe was asked to climb into Flash's spacesuit for the first of three adventures. Although the effects have aged since their filming, the longlife of these stories has led to them being re-released many times over the years with differing names (such as Space Soldiers, The Rocket Ship etc). Their original names were (if I remember correctly); Flash Gordon, Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars, and Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe. Buster Crabbe also appeared in the 1979 Buck Rogers tv show playing an ageing hero known only as Gordon...

As a bit of a sci-fi buff, I can't over emphasize how influential these early cinematic adventures were. Watch them, then watch the Star Wars films, and you'll be blown away by how much came directly from Flash Gordon. The opening "crawl" of plot exposition? Flash Gordon. City in th Clouds? Flash Gordon. Evil Emperor? Flash Gordon. Strange desert people who blend into the rocks? Flash Gordon. Bopping a guard over the head and nicking his uniform? Flash Gordon. Rescuing princesses, circular communication screens that make a flute sound when used, swinging across chasms, giant lizards etc etc etc? Flash Gordon! I could go on, but you get the point.

The 1950s brought us a new interpretation of Flash Gordon. An American tv company had joined forces with a team in post-war Germany to create a cheap and cheerful show starring Steve Holland as Flash in adventures where he battled against a strange underground dictator. This meant that much of the action could be set on Earth, and could therefore be made cheaper... my goodness, so much cheaper... and what a mixture of accents!

All this time, the comic strips continued, courtesy of such incredible talents as Mac Raboy, Dan Barry, and the dynamic duo of Al Williamson and Archie Goodwin. If you see ANY of these, BUY THEM.

Also, a number of beautifully written novels were made available over the years, often credited to Alex Raymond as they were based on his early comic strips. It is believed that they were adapted to the novel format by Con Staffanson... whose name reappears later on in the Flash Gordon legend. These books have been rereleased many times, often revamped with new cover art. Each one is a truly cracking adventure, highly recommended. At least one of them, Lion Men Of Mongo, was adapted to audio cassette at about the time of the live-action movie's release in 1980.

By the 1970s, it was time for Flash to return again. Filmation, using their fantastic animation technique of rotoscoping, set about creating a new version of Flash based upon the earliest source. Hiring Star Trek alumnus Samuel A. Peeples to write a script based on Alex Raymond's vision, they created Flash Gordon; The Greatest Adventure Of All as an animated movie. This story went right back to the beginning of Flash's story and, quite naturally, was set in the 1930s... which is a stroke of genius in my opinion. It goes from the backdrop of World War II to the fantasyland of a planet which is part-time medieval and part-time fururistic. The overall effect is timeless perfection. Filmation "shopped" it around to various studios, prompting the execs to realise that Flash Gordon had great potential as a live action movie. The licence to use the animated material for a movie was withdrawn, but Filmation were allowed to go ahead and make a series (sometimes utilising elements from the film) which arrived in 1979, and has recently been released on DVD. The animated movie was later shown on U.S. television JUST ONCE in 1984. You cannot legally get it ANYWHERE... but you might try sending a P.M. to someone you suspect may be a Flash Gordon nerd.

The Powers That Be seized the opportunity to create a live-action Flash Gordon movie which would be set in contempory times. (Simultaneously, a struggling American actor whose name escapes me at present was claiming that he'd been hired to star in a classic version of Flash Gordon, but it seems he must've been mistaken or confused or something, because no such project existed). The famous movie, panned at the time but now loved the World over for it's brightly coloured comic strip exuberrance and one of the most famous rock music scores ever recorded (courtesy of Queen) starred Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon. Like many of the big hits of the day, the film owed most of it's production to the British film industry (although it was produced by Italian movie mogul Dino de Laurentiis), and naturally co-starred some of our greats; Timothy Dalton and Brian Blessed to name just a couple. Okay, the film wasn't a hit with everyone..., but I love this movie, and in particular Dino's insistance that the Universe which surrounded Planet Mongo should be "all the colours of the rainbow", a truly unique vision. Sadly, it wasn't enough to bring about the creation of a hoped for tv spin-off.

At about the same time a series of novels concerning The War Of The Citadels was released. No longer in the 1930s, '50s, or '80s, this vision of Flash Gordon was in the far future. Flash was an agent embroiled into a dark and sometimes gritty mystery leading to gigantic and ancient Citadels in space. Although joined by Dale and Zarkov from the earlier Flash stories, these books featured no previously established Flash Gordon continuity, characters, or story at all. That doesn't stop them from being hugely enjoyable though! For reasons of contractual conflict, these books have no credited author... although it is believed by many that Con Steffanson once again swooped in to save the day, much like Flash himself.

The late 1980s brought about a controversial shift in direction for Flash. Having just appeared in the futuristic and family-friendly cartoon Defenders Of The Earth, Flash then went on to star in a 12 issue long maxi-series for that giant of the comics industry, DC Comics. This was a godsend for me as a kid, but a lot of fans didn't like the first few issues; Flash was portrayed as a burnt-out wreck of the 1980s lifestyle, with a successful sporting career and a marriage now firmly consigned to the dustbin. Depressed, he compensated by becoming a cocky show-off, an act which was seen-through almost immediately by Dale Arden. It wasn't until Flash arrived by accident on Planet Mongo that he realised that the capacity for real heroism resided within himself, prompted into action by the actual genuine (and, unlike his own, not self-inflicted) suffering of the people of Mongo. In the end, he became a hero not for cheers or accolades, but because it was the right thing to do.

Flash returned to comics during the 1990s in a classic-styled two-parter courtesy of Archie Goodwin, Al Willaimson, and Marvel Comics.

The 1990s also saw Flash reinvented in a new cartoon... as a clumsy skateboarding teenager who often needed rescuing by his love-interest, Dale Arden. I've got nothing against strong female characters, but when I tune into a show called Flash Gordon, Flash bloody well better be the hero! (Cue Queen track "The Hero", ASAP!)

Things went very quiet for Flash in the years that followed, but recently there's been a flurry of activity. 2007 saw a brief tv series starring Smallville's Eric Johnson, but the show was pretty much killed by the infamous writing strike that hampered many such programs, including Heroes. It's a shame too, when you consider that Smallville only really began to hit it's stride during it's third year. Flash Gordon didn't get much chance.

But the BEST news in ages for Flash Gordon fans is a new comic by brand new publishers Ardden Entertainment; A new vision which draws on the best elements from a history of iconic moments, and all presented with mind-blowing artwork that'll knock your socks off! Beginning with a prequel edition, Issue 0, Flash Gordon is only up to issue 5 so far, so now is a great time to "jump on".

I hope this helps. And track down those 1970s cartoons right away!


SPACE COMMANDER

[Crimson Rage]

I thought the recent FLASH GORDON series was cancelled due to the poor reception it got from both viewers and critics. As I understood things, with the show being made in Canada, the writers' strike didn't affect it (I may be wrong though - Being English, I didn't really follow news of the strike to closely).

Having said that, I didn't share the seemingly universal animosity directed towards the show. It was quirky and fun (and featured some lovely ladies to boot!)

[The Baron]

Yeah, I liked it. Prime chickage, as you say. It also had a real charm to the show, didn't take itself too seriously and I found the guy who played Flash very likeable. I was uncertain about Ming at first but was happily proven wrong as the show progressed. The climactic ending was great, too.

But the Hawkmen were rubbish.

[Sundance]

i thought it was cancelled cuz it was a pile of crap and lost ratings. the highest SFX ever rated an episode was 2/5. several got 0/5!

[Shadow_Contact]

Space commander that story is awesome! I shall purchase the Cartoon Set immediately! I actually grabbed a couple of the Holland TV episodes at the Dollar Tree yesterday. I see the SCi-Fi channels show has some mixed reviews even here but if I see a cheap copy I'll grab it, and I'll start eyeing the collected strip books. Thanks for all the info man!

[Space Commander]

Thanks for all the info man!

Anytime. I think SPACE COMMANDER'S GIRLFRIEND was a little surprised that I was able to type all those nerdy facts from memory ! I hope I was accurate... or at least close to accurate. But yes, the 1978 and '79 cartoon provide the best route into the legend, in my opinion. Flash even wears his classic costume throughout! And the new comic by Brendan Deenan and courtesy of Ardden Entertainment is an absolute knock-out


SPACE COMMANDER