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==External links==
==External links==
* {{wikia|flashgordon|Flash Gordon Wiki}}
* {{wikia|flashgordon|Flash Gordon}}
* [http://www.flashgordon.de www.flashgordon.de] Flash Gordon Community
* [http://www.flashgordon.de www.flashgordon.de] Flash Gordon Community
* [http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/fgordon/about.htm ''Flash Gordon'' at King Features]
* [http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/fgordon/about.htm ''Flash Gordon'' at King Features]

Revision as of 17:38, 16 July 2007

For other uses, see Flash Gordon (disambiguation).
Flash Gordon
File:Flash gordoncomic.jpg
Flash Gordon pulp magazine
Publication information
PublisherKing Features Syndicate
First appearanceJanuary 7, 1934
Created byAlex Raymond
In-story information
Team affiliationsDale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov

Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1934. It was created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip.

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

Strip bibliography

See also: List of Flash Gordon comic strips and Flash Gordon § Reprints
Flash and Thun rush to stop the wedding of Ming and Dale.
An excerpt from the March 4, 1934 strip, very early in Alex Raymond's original run.

Plot summary

The comic strip followed the adventures of Flash Gordon 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, and the three travel to the planet Mongo, where they discover that the meteors are weapons devised by Ming the Merciless, evil ruler of Mongo.

For many years, the three companions adventure on Mongo, traveling to the forest kingdom of Arora, ruled by Prince Barin, the ice kingdom of Frigia, ruled by Princess 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.

After years of adventures on Mongo, with only a short break during World War II to fight the Red Sword invaders back on Earth, our three heroes begin to travel to other planets. They then make Earth their home base, and Flash joins the World Space Council as a pilot and explorer. At this point, the stories are set ten years in the future, so that a 1960 story from the strip will be set in the future year 1970, when our space program has reached most of the planets of our own Solar System.

The long story of the Skorpii War takes Flash to other star systems, using faster than light starships. 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).

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 serials 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 condensed into a feature-length film.

1980 Film

Main article: Flash Gordon (film)
File:Gordoncast-1980.jpg
A scene from the finale of the 1980 Flash Gordon.

The 1980 film Flash Gordon stars Sam J. Jones in the title role and also features Melody Anderson as Dale Arden, Topol as Dr. Zarkov, Max von Sydow as Ming, Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin, Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan, and Ornella Muti as Aura. Although not a critical success, the film is noted for its musical score, which was composed and performed by Queen.

With extraordinarily ornate production designs and costumes by Danilo Donati, and with Dino De Laurentiis as Producer, the film is noted for over-the-top designs and a reputation for being camp, and as such has acquired a cult status amongst students, sci-fi fans, and others. Many of the film's lines are quotable, and often tongue-in-cheek, and this knowing sense of humour contributes heavily to the collective affection with which the picture is remembered. A good example is the performance of the actor Brian Blessed, who 25 years later is still most often remembered by the British public as the Hawkman character 'Prince Vultan', despite many more serious, dramatic roles in film, theatre and television. The plot of the film is based loosely on the first few years of the comic strip, and includes a film version of the famous Alex Raymond Sunday page, "Flight of the Hawkmen".

Television

File:Flash-Gordon Deadline-At-Noon-DVDSnap.jpg
Steve Holland as Flash Gordon in the 1950s TV series.

Flash Gordon (1954-55)

Main article: Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)

Steve Holland starred in a 1954-1955 live-action TV series which ran for 39 episodes. The series had the distinction of being filmed in West Berlin, less than a decade after the end of World War II. It was recut into a movie in 1957.

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979-80)

Main article: The New Adventures of Flash Gordon

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 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 audicence. Each episode included two stand-alone stories, often featuring a young dragon named Gremlin, introduced for comic relief.

Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All (1982)

Filmation produced this successful animated television movie, written by Star Trek writer Sam 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. [1]

Defenders of the Earth (1986)

Main article: Defenders of the Earth

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.

Whilst Flash vows 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)

Main article: Flash Gordon (TV series)

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

Flash Gordon (2007)

Main article: Flash Gordon (2007 TV series)

The Sci-Fi Channel aired a promotional advertisement during a broadcast of its miniseries The Lost Room featuring the network's 2006 hits and a hint of what was to come in 2007. Along with a new Painkiller Jane series, The Dresden Files, and new episodes of Battlestar Galactica, was something simply titled Flash Gordon.

On 12 January 2007 at the Television Critics Association tour, it was announced that the live-action series would comprise 22 one-hour episodes, due to start production in Canada in early 2007 and scheduled to commence airing on the Sci Fi Channel in August 2007. Under an agreement with King Features Syndicate, the series is being produced by Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. of RHI Entertainment. Ming, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov have all been confirmed as appearing. [2] [3] It has since been announced that Eric Johnson, best known for his earlier work on the WB's Smallville, will play the title character in the new series. [4] Gina Holden (who has appeared in Fantastic Four and Alien vs. Predator 2) has been cast as Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov will be played by Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum), and John Ralston will portray the arch-villain, Ming.

Radio Serials

In 1935, the strip was adapted into The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26 episode radio serial that followed the strip fairly closely, except for the last two episodes when Flash and his friends meet Jungle Jim, another Alex Raymond character. Flash Gordon was played by Gale Gordon, who would later become well-known for his role as Mr. Mooney in The Lucy Show. The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless. [1]

A second serial, The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, ran through 1936.

Comic Books

File:Flash Gordon -3.jpg
Cover for Flash Gordon #3 (September 1966), by Al Williamson.

Over the years, several publishers put out Flash Gordon comics based on the classic strip.

Also, these companies may have run Flash Gordon backup strips in other titles they published.

In 1988, DC Comics produced a modernized version of the comic strip. It featured Flash as washed up basketball player who finds new purpose in life on Mongo, Dale who is 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 becoming one once he coerced Dr. Zarkhov 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 done for King and others.

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine

In 1936 the first, and only, issue of a would-be series of Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine was published. The novel was entitled The Masters of Mars and written by the otherwise unknown James Edison Northford. The pulp was based more or less on the comic strip story lines, and included illustrations reminiscent of Alex Raymond's artwork. On the back pages a second installment, The Sun Men of Saturn, is promised, but, of course, never saw print.

Even though the series did not take off, the one 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 Temp 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.

Stories and characters inspired by Flash Gordon

The DC comic book superhero Hawkman was inspired by the Hawkmen in the Flash Gordon comic strip, and many of the Golden Age drawings of the superhero are traced from the Alex Raymond artwork.

In his youth, George Lucas was a fan of the Flash Gordon serials, and once wanted to adapt them to the screen as part of his modern-day mythos. Dino De Laurentiis, who owned the rights, was not interested in Lucas' interpretation, so Lucas wrote Star Wars instead,[citation needed] which borrowed liberally from the serials. The opening expository roll-up that appeared in episodes of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe became the now-famous opening crawl of each Star Wars episode. Flash Gordon and Dale Arden inspired not only Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, but also their parents, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala.[citation needed]

The famous Tauntaun character from Star Wars was also directly inspired by a similar creature from the snow world of Princess Fria.[citation needed]

In Star Trek: Voyager, the chief pilot, Tom Paris, creates a holodeck program called Captain Proton. This metafiction story is based on several 1930s-1940s serials including Flash Gordon.

Parodies and References

Flesh Gordon

A semi-pornographic parody called Flesh Gordon was released in 1974. It became a cult classic and was followed in 1989 by Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders.

Buck Rogers (1979)

In the third episode of the 1979 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century entitled Planet of the Slave Girls, an old veteran fighter pilot named Brigadier Gordon (portrayed by Flash Gordon film actor Buster Crabbe, who had also played Buck Rogers in the 1939 serial), responds to Rogers after doing some impressive flying, "I've been doing this sort of thing since before you were born, Captain."

Transformers

The official expanded bio for the Transformers character of Anti-Blaze makes a reference to the 1980 Flash Gordon movie when he refers to Earth as an "obscure body in the S-K system", a line used in the opening of that film.

Duck Dodgers

In the Duck Dodgers cartoon, released in 2003, the character of Captain Star Johnson has traits of Flash Gordon.

Sesame Street

Recently on Sesame Street, Oscar the Grouch read to Slimey, his pet worm, a chapter from their favorite bed-time story, "The Adventures of Trash Gordon." Trash Gordon is played by Roscoe Orman's character Gordon.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

The video game Disgaea (2003) features a character named Captain Gordon, a parody of various space opera characters, but Flash Gordon in particular.

The Darkness

The video game The Darkness (2007) allows you to watch an entire episode of the original 1954/1955 TV series.

Musical references

  • In the musical play The Rocky Horror Show, and its movie adpatation, the opening song Science Fiction/Double Feature references many classic films, including the line: "And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear."
  • The band Queen wrote the entire soundtrack for the 1980 movie.
  • Queen's 1980 theme song for the film, simply entitled "Flash Gordon", was featured in the 2007 Will Ferrel film, Blades of Glory, as the music for fictional characters' Chazz Michael Michaels' and Jimmy MacElroy's final figure skating performance at the Wintersport Games in Montreal.
  • The Hip Hop artist Young Jeezy has a line in his 2006 album The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 on a track entitled "Hypnotize": "They move too slow and I think too quick (yeah), that's why I'm flash like Gordon."
  • The a capella group The Exboyfriends sang a remix of the Flash Gordon Theme in 2007 which was featured in The Acapodcast #21.
  • The group Tenacious D sang the Flash Gordon theme song during their concert performance "Live At The Brixton Academy". The song is track one on their The Complete Masterworks DVD.

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 6 massmarket paperbacks reprinting strips from the 1970s in the 1980s. Some of the Austin Briggs dailies were reprinted by Kitchen Sink Press.

  • Flash Gordon on the Planet Mongo (1934-35), Nostalgia
  • Flash Gordon in the Winter 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 Press ISBN 0-87816-114-7
  • Three Against Ming (1935-37), Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-120-1
  • The Tides of Battle (1937-39), Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-162-7
  • The Fall of Ming (1939-41), Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-168-6
  • Between Worlds at War (1941-43), Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-177-5
  • Triumph in Tropia (1943-44), Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-199-6
  • Flash Gordon: The Dailies by Austin Briggs 1940-1942 Volume 1, Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-172-4 (strips from 1940)
  • Flash Gordon: The Dailies by Austin Briggs 1940-1942 Volume 2, Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-187-2 (strips from 1941)
  • Flash Gordon The Complete Daily Strips 1951-1953, Kitchen Sink Press ISBN 0-87816-035-3
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 1 (1934-35), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 0-9741664-3-X
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 2 (1935-36), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 0-9741664-6-4
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 3 (1936-37), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 1-933160-25-X
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 4 (1938-40), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 1-933160-26-8
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 5 (1940-41), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 1-933160-27-6
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 6 (1941-43), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 1-933160-28-4
  • Flash Gordon: Volume 7 (1943-45), Checker Book Publishing Group ISBN 1-933160-20-9
  • Mac Raboy's Flash Gordon, Volume 1, Dark Horse Comics ISBN 1-56971-882-2 (Sundays, 1948-53)
  • Mac Raboy's Flash Gordon, Volume 2, Dark Horse Comics (Sunday, 1953-58)
  • Mac Raboy's Flash Gordon, Volume 3, Dark Horse Comics ISBN 1-56971-978-0 (Sundays, 1958-62)
  • Mac Raboy's Flash Gordon, Volume 4, Dark Horse Comics (Sundays, 1962-67)
  • Amazing Adventures of Flash Gordon, 6 volumes (mix of dailies & Sundays from 1970s), Tempo Books

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 : 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)

  • Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (2-Discs). (299 minutes)
  • Flash Gordon : The Deadly Ray From Mars. Hearst Entertainment, Inc., 2002. (edited to 97 minutes)


Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

  • 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)

  • Flash Gordon (2-Discs). (180 minutes, only 8 episodes)

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)

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)

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 has recently announced the film for release on August 7th, 2007 in North America and region one territories once again. The new disc, entitled the "Saviour of the Universe Edition" will feature a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include an Alex Ross on Flash Gordon featurette in which world-renowned comic artist Alex Ross talks about his favorite movie of all time, Flash Gordon, and about how the film 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

  • 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)

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

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

Accusations of anti-Asian stereotyping

Though technically an extraterrestrial, Ming the Merciless as originally introduced strongly resembles a stereotypical Asian supervillain, and his resemblance to Dr. Fu Manchu is especially strong.

Moreover, "Ming" (明) is a common personal name in China, and was the name of several historical Chinese emperors, and later of an entire dynasty. The name has clear Chinese associations even for people not versed in the details of Chinese history.

In later adaptations of the story, his Oriental nature has been downplayed out of sensitivity to criticisms of racial stereotyping. As mentioned, in DC Comics' nine-issue Flash Gordon mini-series, Ming and most of the human-like denizens of Mongo [with some exceptions] were given grey skin in an effort to avoid such stereotyping.

References

  1. ^ Audio Classics Archive: The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon

Imdb

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