Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon.jpg
The first Flash Gordon comic strip
Publication information
Publisher King Features Syndicate
First appearance January 8, 1934
Created by Alex Raymond
In-story information
Team affiliations Dale Arden (love interest),
Dr. Hans Zarkov (scientist)
Defenders of the Earth

Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934. The strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash Dixon (1935 to 1939) by H.T. Elmo and Larry Antoinette and Don Dixon and the Hidden Empire (1935 to 1941) by Carl Pfeufer and Bob Moore.

In Australia, the character and strip were retitled Speed Gordon to avoid a negative connotation of the word "Flash".[1] At the time, the predominant meaning of "flash" was "showy", connoting dishonesty.[2]

The Flash Gordon comic strip has been translated into a wide variety of media, including motion pictures, television and animated series. The latest version, a Flash Gordon TV series, appeared on the US Sci Fi Channel in 2007-2008 and then on the United Kingdom Sci Fi channel. A print comic book series by Brendan Deneen and Paul Green and published by Ardden Entertainment debuted in 2008, with the first arc entitled The Mercy Wars, and is also available on iTunes for the iPod and iPhone. Ardden also published a Flash Gordon anthology entitled The Secret History of Mongo. Ardden's second Flash Gordon arc is currently entitled Invasion of the Red Sword and is set to debut in Fall 2010.

Contents

Characters and story

Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon (February 25, 1934)

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

For many years, the three companions have adventures on Mongo, traveling to the forest kingdom of Arboria, ruled by Prince 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 by Prince Vultan. They are joined in several early adventures by Prince Thun of the Lion Men. The long story of the Skorpii War takes Flash to other star systems, using starships that are faster than light. Flash and his friends also frequently return to Mongo, where Ming has been overthrown and Prince Barin, married to Ming's daughter Princess Aura, has established a peaceful rule (except for frequent revolts led by Ming or by one of his many descendants).

Strip bibliography

Flash Gordon and Dale Arden the day Ming was defeated.

Reprints

As Alex Raymond's work continues to inspire all manner of illustrators, his work is much-reprinted in a variety of full-color and black & white editions in both hardback and softback and a variety of shapes and sizes. It is Raymond's work, particularly his Sunday strips, that are the most prized and reprinted. They have seen print from a number of publishers, notably Nostalgia Press, Kitchen Sink Press and Checker Book Publishing Group.

The Mac Raboy Sundays have been reprinted by Dark Horse Comics in black and white, while Kitchen Sink began to collect both the Dan Barry and Austin Briggs daily strips. Those stories written by noted author Harry Harrison were reprinted in Comics Revue magazine, published by Manuscript Press. Tempo Books published 6 mass-market paperbacks reprinting strips from the 1970s in the 1980s, while a reprint of all of Al Williamson's Flash Gordon comic books was printed by Flesk in 2009.

Films

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

Film serials

Flash Gordon was featured in three serial films starring Buster Crabbe: Flash Gordon (1936), Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940). The 1936 Flash Gordon serial was also condensed into a feature-length film titled Flash Gordon or Rocket Ship or Space Soldiers (TV title) .[3]

1980 film

The camp sci-fi adventure film Flash Gordon (1980) stars former Playgirl-centerfold[4] Sam J. Jones in the title role. Its plot is based loosely on the first few years of the comic strip (and in particular the famous Alex Raymond Sunday page, "Flight of the Hawkmen"), revising Flash's backstory by making him the quarterback of the New York Jets instead of a polo player. Raymond's drawings feature heavily in the opening credits, as does the signature theme-song "Flash!" by rock band Queen, who composed and performed the entire musical score.[5]

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

Riding the coat-tails of Star Wars, Superman, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Flash Gordon was not a critical success on release, but the film has been buoyed by its later cult-status, and is particularly lauded for the calibre of both its score and supporting cast, which featured many notable actors. Melody Anderson co-starred with Jones as Dale Arden, alongside Chaim Topol as Dr. Hans Zarkov, Max von Sydow as Ming, Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin, Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan, Peter Wyngarde as Klytus and Ornella Muti as Princess Aura, as well as music played by Queen. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, with extraordinarily ornate production designs and costumes by Danilo Donati, the bright colors and retro effects were inspired directly by the comic strip and 1930s serials.[5]

Although not a box-office smash, the film's mixture of garish, over-the-top antics, strong camp sensibility and the juxtaposed earnest seriousness of its central characters have contributed heavily to the film's longevity and cult status. A highly quotable script - by the 1960s Batman scriptwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and Michael Allin - full of tongue-in-cheek gentle humor, parts of which were sampled by Queen for the title track, have also contributed to the collective affection with which it is remembered. In particular, Brian Blessed's performance as the Hawkman Prince Vultan, lodged the veteran stage- and screen- actor into the collective consciousness for the utterance of a single line - "GORDON'S ALIVE?!" - which, nearly 30 years later remains the most repeated, reused and recycled quotation from both the film and Blessed's career.[6][7][8]

A Christmas Story

The 1983 A Christmas Story featured a deleted scene with Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB Gun saving Flash (played by Paul Hubbard) from Ming (played by Colin Fox).[9]

Flash Gordon 3D

Breck Eisner has 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."[10] It will, he says, go right back to the comic-strip roots of the character and ignore the 1980 film as well as the old Buster Crabbe TV serials.

Television

Flash Gordon (1954-55 live-action)

Steve Holland starred in a 1954-55 live-action TV series which ran for 39 episodes. The first set of episodes had the distinction of being filmed in West Berlin, Germany less than a decade after the end of World War II. This is notable, given that some episodes show the real-life epic destruction then still evident in Germany several years after the war; some actors in the series also had extremely characteristic European accents, primarily German. Later episodes were filmed in Marseille, France. In this series, Flash, Dale (Irene Champlin), and Dr. Zarkov (Joseph Nash) worked for the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation, approximately 1200 years in the future. 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. Flash & co. traveled in the Skyflash and Skyflash II spaceships. The series was syndicated, appearing on stations affiliated with the long-defunct Dumont 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.

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979-80)

In 1979, Filmation produced an animated series, often called The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, but actually titled simply Flash Gordon, which reused many of the animated sequences from the as yet unreleased TV movie (over and over again), but removed the subplot involving Adolf Hitler.

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)

Filmation produced this successful animated television movie, written by Star Trek writer Samuel 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.[11]

This movie has yet to be commercially released in the United States, although off-air bootlegs abound. 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 the De Laurentiis live-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.

Defenders of the Earth (1986)

In the 1986 cartoon Defenders of the Earth, Flash teamed up with fellow King Features heroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician in 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 battle computer of the Defender's base Monitor Earth.

While Flash vows that he will restore Dale to her human form, later episodes of the series see him openly flirting and embracing other women, in one case developing a relationship with the android Kala in the episode "Flesh and Blood". Kala is killed at the conclusion of the episode when she sacrifices her life to save the Defenders.

Flash Gordon (1996)

In 1996, Hearst Entertainment premiered an animated Flash Gordon television series. This version turned Flash and Dale into hoverboarding teenagers.

Flash Gordon (2007-08 live-action)

The Sci Fi Channel premiered its new Flash Gordon series in the United States on August 10, 2007. On 12 January 2007 at the Television Critics Association tour, it was announced that the live-action series comprises 22 one-hour episodes, produced in Canada in early 2007. Under an agreement with King Features Syndicate, the series is being produced by Reunion Pictures of Vancouver. Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. of RHI Entertainment served as Executive Producers.

The characters of Ming, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov are present in the series although drastically altered. Eric Johnson, best known for his earlier work on the WB's Smallville, plays the title character of Steven "Flash" Gordon. Gina Holden (who has appeared in Fantastic Four and Aliens vs. Predator) plays Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov is played by Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum), and John Ralston portrays the arch-villain, Ming.

In this version of the series, Flash's actual name is "Steven Gordon", with "Flash" being a nickname. This is likely an homage to Steve Holland, the actor who portrayed Flash Gordon in the 1950s television series.

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

Radio serials

Starting April 22, 1935, the strip was adapted into The 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 by Gale Gordon, later famous for his television roles in Our Miss Brooks, Dennis the Menace, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy (the latter two with Lucille Ball). The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless.[12]

The radio series broke with the strip continuity in the last two episodes, when Flash, Dale and Zarkov return to Earth. They make a crash landing in Africa, where they meet Jungle 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 Jim picked up in that Saturday timeslot.

Two days later, on October 28, The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon debuted as a daily show, running five days a week. This series strayed farther afield from Raymond's strip, involving Flash, Dale and Zarkov in an adventure in Atlantis. The series aired 74 episodes, ending on February 6, 1936.[13]

Comic books

Over the years, several publishers have produced Flash Gordon comics based on the classic strip.

King also released a comic version as a part of their Comics Reading Library in the 1970s. In 1988, Dan Jurgens wrote a modernized version of the comic strip as a 9-issue DC Comics mini-series. It featured Flash as washed up basketball player 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 a planned nine issues and was left with an open-ended conclusion, probably in hopes that it would have been popular enough to start a regular comic run. Though Mongo was 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.

In 1995, Marvel Comics did a two-issue series with art by Al Williamson, in the style of the Flash comics he had produced for King and others.

A new comic book series was released by Ardden Entertainment in August 2008, though with inconsistent release dates for subsequent issues. The initital story arc concluded in mid-2009 with an open door to an announced new story arc to begin fall 2009.[14][15]

In 2010, Dark Horse Comics will begin an archive reprint series in hardback, starting with the comics published by Dell.

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure (1936)

In 1936, one issue of Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine was published, featuring a "novel" about Flash Gordon, The Masters of Mars, written by the otherwise unknown James Edison Northford. The pulp 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 take off, the lone issue of Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine has become a much sought-after item for pulp magazine collectors.

Novels

The first novel based on the strip, Flash Gordon in the Caverns of Mongo, was published in 1936 by Grosset & 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 Mongo and The War of the Cybernauts.

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

Theme Park Ride

The name "Flash Gordon" was emblazoned on the proscenium of a ride at the 1939 New York World's Fair. An article in Popular Science magazine of March 1939, "World's Fair Thrills", states that 150 people at a time could enter a rocket ship (mockup) with a motion picture screen and vibrating seats for a simulated ride to another planet. The ride was located "at the opposite end of the amusement zone from the parachute tower". The fairgoers then 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, however, nor did the rocket ship.

Reprints

The Alex Raymond Sunday strips have been reprinted by several publishers, notably Nostalgia Press, Kitchen Sink Press, and Checker 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 by Dark Horse in black and white. The Dan Barry dailies have never been entirely reprinted, but the early years were published by Kitchen Sink and the stories written by Harry Harrison are reprinted in Comics Revue from Manuscript Press. Tempo Books published six mass market paperbacks reprinting strips from the 1970s into the 1980s. Some of the Austin Briggs dailies were reprinted by Kitchen Sink Press. A reprint of all of Al Williamson's Flash Gordon comic books is planned from Flesk in 2009.

{mix of dailies & Sundays from 1970s, drawn by Dan Barry with Bob Fujitani}

DVD releases

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)

Flash Gordon (1936)

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

Flash Gordon (1954-55)

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)

US - BCI Eclipse

UK - Hollywood DVD LTD

Flash Gordon (1980)

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

Momentum Pictures later released it in the UK for DVD Region 2 territories on October 10, 2005. This edition of the film, the "Silver Anniversary Edition", features an anamorphic widescreen transfer at the film's 2.35:1 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 artist Alex Ross talks about the film and how it has inspired him in his life and work, a "Writing a Classic" featurette with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and a Flash Gordon 1936 serial episode (chapter one of Planet of Peril).

Defenders of the Earth

US - BCI Ecplise

UK - Hollywood DVD LTD

UK - Delta Music PLC

Flash Gordon (1996)

Lion's Gate on September 21, 2004, released 3-4 episode DVDs of Flash Gordon (1996) and Phantom 2040.

Stamps

In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative US Postal Service postage stamps.

See also

References

  1. ↑ p.42 Burrows, Toby & Stone, Grant Comics in Australia and New Zealand 1994 Routledge
  2. ↑ http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/LambertonAND.php
  3. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027624/
  4. ↑ Flash Gordon review for UK TV's Channel 4. Accessed January 2, 2009
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cool Cinema Trash's Flash Gordon: Saviour of the Universe Edition DVD Review & Summary. Accessed January 2, 2009
  6. ↑ "Brian Blessed" at the BBC's H2G2. Accessed January 2, 2009
  7. ↑ "Gordon's Alive! Flash returns to cinema screens", May 21, 2008 report for Dreamwatch's Total Sci-Fi website. Accessed January 2, 2009
  8. ↑ The singular phrase was much-used to refer to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, including Glen John Feechan's Accounting blog; Blessed himself on Have I Got News For You Series 35, episode 3 (broadcast on BBC1, May 2, 2008); Steven Poole reviewing Gordon Brown: Speeches 1997-2006 for the Guardian newspaper, etc.
  9. ↑ http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/index.php/a-christmas-story-movie-facts/deleted-scenes/
  10. ↑ http://www.collider.com/2010/02/23/director-breck-eisner-exclusive-interview-the-crazies-plus-an-update-on-flash-gordon/
  11. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270950/
  12. ↑ Audio Classics Archive: The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon
  13. ↑ "Radio Science Fiction: Information and Help to the New Collector", by Terry G.G. Salmonson. Accessed 09-11-07.
  14. ↑ Ardden Entertainment's site
  15. ↑ Previewing Ardden's Flash Gordon #1, Newsarama, June 12, 2008

External links

Flash Gordon
TV Series
Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)  • The New Adventures of Flash Gordon  • Defenders of the Earth  • Flash Gordon (1996 TV series) • Flash Gordon (2007 TV series)
Film
Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All • Flash Gordon
Movie serials
Flash Gordon  • Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars  • Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Characters/Actors
Flash Gordon
Gale Gordon (1935) • Buster Crabbe (1936 - 1940) • Steve Holland (1954) • Robert Ridgely (1979, 1982) • Sam J. Jones (1980) • Lou Richards (1986) • Toby Proctor (1996) • Eric Johnson (2007)
Dale Arden
Jean Rogers (1936 - 1938) • Carol Hughes (1940) • Irene Champlin (1954) • Diane Pershing (1979, 1982) • Melody Anderson (1980) • Lexa Doig (1996) • Gina Holden (2007)
Ming the Merciless
Bruno Wick (1935) • Charles Middleton (1936 - 1940) • Alan Oppenheimer (1979) • Max von Sydow (1980) • Vic Perrin (1982) • William Callaway (1986) • John Ralston (2007)
Hans Zarkov
Maurice Franklin (1935) • Frank Shannon (1936 - 1940) • Joseph Nash (1954) • Alan Oppenheimer (1979) • Topol (1980) • Bob Holt (1982) • Paul Shaffer (1996) • Jody Racicot (2007)
Princess Aura
Priscilla Lawson (1936 - 1938) • Shirley Deane (1940) • Melendy Britt (1979, 1982) • Ornella Muti (1980) • Anna Van Hooft (2007)
Prince Barin
Richard Alexander (1936 - 1938) • Roland Drew (1940) • Robert Ridgely (1979) • Timothy Dalton (1980) • Robert Douglas (1982) • Steve Bacic (2007)
Prince Vultan
John Lipson (1936 - 1938) • Allan Melvin (1979) • Brian Blessed (1980) • Ted Cassidy (1982) • Ty Olsson (2007)
Prince Thun
James Pierce (1936) • Ted Cassidy (1979) • George Harris (1980) • David Opatoshu (1982)
Other media
List of Flash Gordon comic strips • Flash Gordon (album) • "Flash" (song) • Flash Gordon (pinball) • Flash Gordon (video game)
Related articles
Alex Raymond • King Features Syndicate • Mongo
Space opera serials 1930-1960
TV series
Atom Squad · Buck Rogers · Captain Video and His Video Rangers · Captain Z-Ro · Flash Gordon · Rocky Jones, Space Ranger · Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers · Space Command · Space Patrol · Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
Movie serials

Buck Rogers: Buck Rogers
Flash Gordon: Flash Gordon · Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars · Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Commando Cody: Radar Men from the Moon · Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe

The Purple Monster Strikes · Brick Bradford · King of the Rocket Men · Flying Disc Man from Mars · Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere · Zombies of the Stratosphere · The Lost Planet
Radio serials
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century · The New Adventures of Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future · The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon · The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon · Space Patrol · Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
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Space opera · Planetary romance
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