Jun 06, 2014 Flash Gordon blasts off to the planet Mongo with girlfriend Dale Arden and scientist Hans Zarkov to prevent evil dictator Ming the Merciless from dominating the universe. In attempting to put an.
3rd Flash Gordon Serial 1st Flash Gordon Serial
Jean Rogers as Dale Arden
2nd Flash Gordon Serial
Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Priscilla Lawson and Frank Shannon played the central roles.
Thisfirst Flash Gordon serial has been called 'the American Siegfried', referring directly to Fritz Lang's 1924 silent movie from the personality of its title character, its costumery, intensity, and special effects, as well as many plot similarities; and indirectly to Richard Wagner's Ring cycle because of its (sensational but admittedly lesser and imperfectly cued) music — a collection of the science fiction and mystery theme music from the feature films of the Universal Studios. The archetypal plot points common to both legends include the personality differences of the two main female characters, the monarch's desire for one of them and her magical seduction, and the hero's invisibility and his fight with a giant lizard.
The Flash Gordon serial was the most expensive of them all, the only serial advertised in some theaters above the name of the feature presentations, and probably the serial with the greatest attendance. It was the only sound serial with sexual tension, and it has become the best-remembered serial of them all.
Years later, in a television appearance in his native Oakland, Crabbe told an inteviewer that he was unhappy when Universal insisted on coloring his hair blonde to match the comic strip character.
Flash Gordon (See Below for Link) was followed by two more serials, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars(1938) (See Below for Link) and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940) (See Below for Link). During the 1950s, the three serials were shown on American television. To avoid confusion with a made-for-TV Flash Gordon series airing around the same time, they were retitled, becoming respectively Space Soldiers, Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars, and Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe. In the mid-1970s, all three serials were shown by PBS stations across the US, bringing Flash Gordon to a new generation, a full two years before Star Warsand Close Encounters of the Third Kind re-ignited interest in the science fiction genre. All three serials were later heavily edited and released on home video.
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Artwork for the cover of King: Flash Gordon #1 (January 2015 Dynamite Entertainment). Art by Ron Salas.Publication informationJanuary 7, 1934 (comic strip)In-story informationTeam affiliations(love interest),Dr.
(scientist)Flash Gordon is the hero of a adventure created by and originally drawn. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established adventure strip.The Flash Gordon comic strip has been translated into a wide variety of media, including motion pictures, television, and animated series. The latest version, appeared on the channel in the United States in 2007–2008. The first Flash Gordon comic strip (1934).The Buck Rogers comic strip had been commercially very successful, spawning novelizations and children's toys, and decided to create their own science fiction comic strip to compete with it. At first King Features tried to purchase the rights to the stories. The syndicate was unable, however, to reach an agreement with Burroughs. King Features then turned to Alex Raymond, one of their staff artists, to create the story.One source for Flash Gordon was the novel (1933).
The themes of an approaching planet threatening the Earth, and an athletic hero, his girlfriend, and a scientist traveling to the new planet by rocket, were adapted by Raymond for the initial storyline. Raymond's first samples were dismissed for not containing enough action sequences. Raymond reworked the story and sent it back to the syndicate, who accepted it. Raymond was partnered with Don Moore, an experienced editor and writer. Raymond's first Flash Gordon story appeared in January 1934, alongside. The Flash Gordon strip was well received by newspaper readers, becoming one of the most popular American comic strips of the 1930s.As with Buck Rogers, the success of Flash Gordon resulted in numerous licensed products being sold, including, and toy spaceships and rayguns.
Comic strip characters and story The Flash Gordon comic strip ran as a daily from 1934 to 1992, with the Sunday strip continuing until 2003. Reprints are still being syndicated. Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon (February 25, 1934)The comic strip follows the adventures of Flash Gordon, a handsome polo player and graduate, and his companions and Dr. The story begins with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet.
Zarkov invents a rocket ship to fly into space in an attempt to stop the disaster. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale and they travel to the planet. Landing on the planet, and halting the collision, they come into conflict with, Mongo's evil ruler.For many years, the three companions have adventures on Mongo, traveling to the forest kingdom of Arboria, ruled by; 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. They are joined in several early adventures by of 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, then reuniting with Barin and others. Flash and his friends travel to other worlds and return to Mongo, where, married to Ming's daughter, has established a peaceful rule (except for frequent revolts led by Ming or by one of his many descendants).In the 1950s, Flash became an astronaut who travelled to other planets besides Mongo.
The long story of the Skorpi War takes Flash to other star systems, using starships that are.In addition to Ming and his allies, Flash and his friends also fought several other villains, including Azura, the Witch Queen; Brukka, chieftain of the giants of Frigia; the Red Sword organisation on Earth; and Brazor, the tyrannical usurper of Tropica. After Raymond's tenure, later writers created new enemies for Flash to combat. Austin Briggs created Kang the Cruel, Ming's callous son. Prince Polon, who had the power to shrink or enlarge living creatures, the unscrupulous Queen Rubia, and Pyron the Comet Master were among the antagonists introduced during Mac Raboy's run. The Skorpi, a race of alien shape shifters who desired to conquer the galaxy, were recurring villains in both the Mac Raboy and Dan Barry stories. The Skorpi space-fighter Baron Dak-Tula became a periodic nemesis of Flash in the late 1970s stories. International versions of the comic strip.
Main articles:, andFlash Gordon was featured in three starring: (1936), (1938), and (1940). The 1936 Flash Gordon serial was condensed into a feature-length film titled Flash Gordon or Rocket Ship or Space Soldiers or Flash Gordon: Spaceship to the Unknown; the 1938 serial into a feature-length film entitled Flash Gordon: The Deadly Ray from Mars; and the 1940 serial into a feature-length film entitled The 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. Flash Gordon 1980 film. Main article:In the 1970s, several noted directors attempted to make a film of the story. Optioned the Flash Gordon rights from, but never made the film. Also attempted to make a Flash Gordon film in the 1970s. However, Lucas was unable to acquire the rights from De Laurentiis, so he decided to create instead.
De Laurentiis then hired to make a Flash Gordon film. However, De Laurentiis was unhappy with Roeg's ideas, and Roeg left the project. De Laurentiis also discussed hiring to helm the Flash Gordon film; Leone declined because he believed the script was not faithful to the original Raymond comic strips. Finally, De Laurentiis hired to direct the Flash Gordon film.Hodges' 1980 film stars former - in the title role.
Its plot is based loosely on the first few years of the comic strip, revising Flash's by making him the of the instead of a player. Raymond's drawings feature heavily in the opening credits, as does the signature theme-song ' by rock band, who composed and performed the bulk of the score, with additional material. Main article:starred in a 1954–55 live-action which ran for 39 episodes. The first 26 episodes had the distinction of being filmed in, less than a decade after the end of. 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,.In this series, Flash, Dale 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-defunct, and many other independent stations in the United States.
It was recut into a movie in 1957.Flash Gordon animated (1979–80). Main article:produced this successful animated television movie, written by writer, 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.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), in 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 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.Defenders of the Earth (1986). Main article:In the 1986 cartoon, Flash teamed up with fellow heroes and 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 super-computer based in the Defenders' Headquarters.Flash Gordon (1996).
This section needs additional citations for. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: – ( July 2018) On January 12, 2007, at the tour, it was announced that the live-action series would comprise 22 one-hour episodes, produced in Canada in early 2007. Under an agreement with, the series was produced by of Vancouver with and of serving as Executive Producers.
On August 10, 2007, the premiered its new series in the. The traditional primary supporting characters of Ming, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov were drastically altered., best known for his earlier work on the WB's, played the title character of Steven 'Flash' Gordon. (who has appeared in (2005) and (2007)) played, ( (2006)) played, and portrayed the arch-villain, Ming. Advertisements featured a cover version of 's ' (from the 1980 film) performed by the band.
The song was not present in any episode of the show. 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, later famous for his television roles in, and (the latter two with ). The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless.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, where they meet, 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 four days a week. This series strayed further from Raymond's strip, involving Flash, Dale and Zarkov in an adventure in. The series aired 60 episodes, ending on February 6, 1936. Stage In 1989, Lee Ahlin and Gary Gordon wrote a musical for children, Flash Gordon, based on the comic.
The musical premiered in 1989 in in. Flash Gordon starred as Flash, as Dale Arden, as Ming, and as Princess Aura. Comic books Over the years, several publishers have produced Flash Gordon comics, either reprints or original stories. King Comics #1–155 (–) strip reprints. #10, 84, 173, 190, 204, 247, 424, 512; Flash Gordon #2 (–) first 2 strip reprints. #1–5 strip reprints. #1 reprints FC #173.
#1–11 (–) (also in Phantom #18–20). #12–18 (–). #19–27 (–); under their 'Whitman Comics' #28–37 (–1982)Several issues of the King Comics series were drawn by, who won the 1966 Award for Best Comic Book for his work on the series. 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.' King also released a comic version as a part of their Comics Reading Library in the 1970s.Williamson provided artwork for a Western Publishing adaptation of Dino De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon film, written by Bruce Jones.
It was released by Western Publishing in both hardcover and softcover formats to coincide with the film's release, and was also serialized in three issues of Whitman's Flash Gordon comic book, #31-33, March–May 1981.In, wrote a modernized version of the comic strip as a nine-issue miniseries. It features Flash as a washed up 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 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.In, published a new two-issue series, written by with art by Al Williamson, in the style of the Flash comics Williamson had produced for King and others.A new comic book series was released by Ardden Entertainment in August, though with inconsistent release dates for subsequent issues. The series was written by Brendan Deneen and Paul Green and debuted in 2008, with the first arc entitled 'The Mercy Wars'. The initial story arc concluded in mid-2009 with an open door to an announced new story arc to begin fall 2009. These were followed by further storylines.
Ardden also published a Flash Gordon anthology entitled The Secret History of Mongo. Ardden's second Flash Gordon arc is titled Invasion 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, began 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, began a new series called Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist. The series is written by Eric Trautmann (Vampirella, Red Sonja), from a story and designs by (Kingdom Come, Marvels, Project: Superpowers) and illustrated by Daniel Lindro.
The company also produced a spinoff miniseries, Merciless: The Rise of Ming, in 2012, with story and art by and Ron Adrian. Following a crossover miniseries called King's Watch (where, much like Defenders of the Earth, Flash Gordon teamed up with Mandrake and the Phantom; albeit, set in the 21st century), Dynamite launched a new Flash Gordon ongoing series in 2014, with story and art by and Evan 'Doc' Shaner. In 2015, Dynamite followed this run with another Flash Gordon miniseries as part of their 'King:Dynamite' series. This series was written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker and illustrated by Lee Ferguson. Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine. Cover of the December 1936 issue of Flash Gordon Strange AdventuresIn 1936, one issue of Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine was published by, featuring a novel about Flash Gordon, entitled The 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 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. The credited author was Alex Raymond, but Doug Murray claims the novel 'was almost certainly ghost-written'.
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. Although the books were credited to Alex Raymond, the first three were written by SF writer (under the 'Con Steffanson') and the other three novels were by (the first under the 'Steffanson' name, and the latter two under the pseudonym 'Carson Bingham').In 1980, Tempo books released a series by: 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 and Dr., this series had little to do with any other version of Flash Gordon.1939 World's Fair The name 'Flash Gordon' was emblazoned on the proscenium of a ride at the. An article in (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 enacted 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. Reprints Raymond's work, particularly his, has been reprinted many times over the years by many publishers, most notably, and.Some of the Austin Briggs dailies were reprinted. The run of Flash Gordon reprinted one Alex Raymond story and two Mac Raboy ones in 1967. The Sundays have been reprinted by in black and white, while Kitchen Sink began to collect both the Dan Barry and Austin Briggs daily strips. The Dan Barry dailies have never been entirely reprinted, but the Barry stories written by noted author were reprinted in magazine, published by Manuscript Press. Published six reprinting Dan Barry 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 title The New Adventures of Flash Gordon,.
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