Flash Gordon

Information about Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon

The first Flash Gordon comic strip
King Features Syndicate
First appearanceJanuary 7, 1934
Alex Raymond
Characteristics
Team
affiliations
Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov, Defenders of the Earth
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934. The strip, created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip, has since surpassed Buck Rogers for longevity.

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, is currently airing on the US Sci Fi Channel.

Strip bibliography

See also:  and
Enlarge picture
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 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, 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 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.

After years of adventures on Mongo, with only a short break during World War II to fight the Red Sword invaders back on Earth, the three heroes 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

Enlarge picture
A scene from the finale of the 1980 Flash Gordon.
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 also condensed into a feature-length film.

1980 film

Main article: Flash Gordon (film)
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

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Steve Holland as Flash Gordon in the 1950s TV series.

Flash Gordon (1954-55)

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)

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 audience. 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 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. [1]

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 teen-agers.

Flash Gordon (2007)

The Sci Fi Channel premiered its new Flash Gordon series in the United States on August 10th, 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 serve as Executive Producers.

The characters of Ming, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov are present in the series. 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) has been cast as Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov is played by Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum), and John Ralston portrays the arch-villain, Ming.

Advertisements currently feature a cover version of Queen's "Flash's Theme" (from the 1980 film) performed by the band Louis XIV.

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. [1]

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 28th, 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. [2]

Comic books

Enlarge picture
Cover for Flash Gordon #3 (September 1966), by Al Williamson.
Over the years, several publishers have produced Flash Gordon comics based on the classic strip. 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 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.

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine

Enlarge picture
Flash Gordon magazine cover


In 1936, one issue of a would-be series, Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine was published, featuring a "novel" about Flash Gordon entitled 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 illustrations reminiscent of Alex Raymond's artwork. On the back pages a second installment, The Sun Men of Saturn, was promised, but 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. Except for the name of the hero, this series had little to do with any other version of Flash Gordon.

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. Dino De Laurentiis, who owned the rights, was not interested in Lucas' interpretation, so Lucas wrote Star Wars instead, 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.

The famous Tauntaun character from was also directly inspired by a similar creature from the snow world of Queen Fria.

In , 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 original 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.

Captain Proton

An homage to Flash Gordon as well as other adventure serials that was shown in several episodes as well as being used as a setting throughout the popular series.

Futurama

Since 2000, a recurring Futurama character has been Zapp Brannigan, a boisterous, pompous, offensive annoyance to mutant cyclops captain Leela. Though a specific parody of Captain Kirk and William Shatner, Brannigan also functions as a parody of square-jawed space-heroes in general. Also presented briefly were the characters "Flash Rogers" and "Buck Gordon", competing action adventure stars. In 2002, RocketUSA Toys even issued a sparking Futurama space gun very similar to Flash's.

Sesame Street

Since 2004,[3] every episode of Sesame Street has ended with Oscar the Grouch reading 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 2003 video game, features a character named Captain Gordon, a parody of various space opera characters, but Flash Gordon in particular.

The Darkness

The 2007 video game, The Darkness allows the player to watch an entire episode of the 1954/1955 TV series.

The Labour Party

In September 2007, the British Labour Party appointed ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi to handle its advertising for the next general election. The slogan which won the agency the account was "not flash, just Gordon", as a reference to Prime Minister (and Labour leader) Gordon Brown's dour reputation and serious approach to politics.

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 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 Seminal British techno artists The Orb Peel sessions album contains quote from the Flash Gordon (1980) movie. Ming's discussion with his science advisor.
  • The Hip Hop artist Young Jeezy has a line in his 2006 album 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)

Stamps

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

Accusations of anti-Asian stereotyping

Though technically an extraterrestrial, Ming the Merciless as originally introduced strongly resembles a stereotypical Asian supervillain. His resemblance to Dr. Fu Manchu is especially strong, particularly in his relationship with Aura, which echoes Dr. Fu's relationship with his ambitious, evil daughter, Fah lo Suee.

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, Ming's 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 gray skin in an effort to avoid such stereotyping. In the 1996 animated series, Ming was reptilian in order to avoid this issue. In the 2007 series, Ming is a blonde Caucasian.

References

1. ^ Audio Classics Archive: The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon
2. ^ "Radio Science Fiction: Information and Help to the New Collector", by Terry G.G. Salmonson. Accessed 09-11-07.
3. ^ . Muppet Wiki (2007-08-04, 03:37). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.

External links

Imdb

See also

King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers around the world. King Features Syndicate is a unit of Hearst Holdings, Inc.
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In comic books, first appearance refers to the first comic book to feature a fictional character.

Monetary value of first appearance issues

First appearances of popular characters are among the most valuable comic books in existence.
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January 7 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1900s  1910s  1920s  - 1930s -  1940s  1950s  1960s
1931 1932 1933 - 1934 - 1935 1936 1937

Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV
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Alexander Gillespie Raymond (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American comic strip artist, best known for creating the comic Flash Gordon in 1934. The serial hit the silver screen three years later with Buster Crabbe and Jean Rogers as the leading players.
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Dale Arden is a female fictional character, the fellow-adventurer and love-interest of Flash Gordon. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fight together against Ming the Merciless.
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Dr. Hans Zarkov is a fictional character appearing in the Flash Gordon comic strip. Zarkov is a brilliant scientist who creates a rocket and accompanies Flash and Dale Arden in their adventures on the planet Mongo, and fight against Ming the Merciless.
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Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate — Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician — battling the Flash Gordon villain Ming the Merciless in the year
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worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.


Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi
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comic strip is a drawing or sequence of drawings that tells a story. Written and drawn by a cartoonist, such strips are published on a recurring basis (usually daily or weekly) in newspapers and on the Internet.
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Alexander Gillespie Raymond (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American comic strip artist, best known for creating the comic Flash Gordon in 1934. The serial hit the silver screen three years later with Buster Crabbe and Jean Rogers as the leading players.
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January 7 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1900s  1910s  1920s  - 1930s -  1940s  1950s  1960s
1931 1932 1933 - 1934 - 1935 1936 1937

Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV
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Buck Rogers is a fictional pulp character who first appeared in 1928 as Anthony Rogers, the hero of two novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in the magazine Amazing Stories. Rogers is best known from the long-running syndicated newspaper comic strip.
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Flash Gordon is an American science fiction television series that debuted on SCI FI in the United States on August 10, 2007. It will premiere on the UK SCI FI channel in 2008. The show's pilot episode was written by executive producer Peter Hume.
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I Fi)
Headquarters New York City
Website www.scifi.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV Channel 244
Dish Network Channel 122
C-Band Galaxy 14-Channel 18
Cable
Available on most cable systems Check Local Listings for channels

SCI FI
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Alexander Gillespie Raymond (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American comic strip artist, best known for creating the comic Flash Gordon in 1934. The serial hit the silver screen three years later with Buster Crabbe and Jean Rogers as the leading players.
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Austin Briggs (August 9, 1908–October 10, 1973) was a cartoonist and illustrator. Born in Humboldt, Minnesota he grew up in Detroit, Michigan before moving to New York City as a teenager.
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Mac Raboy

Birth name Emmanuel Raboy
Born March 19 1914(1914--)

Died December 1967

Nationality American
Area(s) Penciller

Emmanuel "Mac" Raboy
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Daniel Barry (November 7 1923-January 1997) was an American cartoonist. Beginning in comic books during the 1940s with Leonard Starr, Stan Drake and his brother Sy Barry, he helped define and exemplify a particular kind of "New York Slick" style which dominated comics until the
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Harry Harrison

At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005
Born: March 12 1925 (1925--) (age 82)
Stamford, Connecticut, USA
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Daniel Barry (November 7 1923-January 1997) was an American cartoonist. Beginning in comic books during the 1940s with Leonard Starr, Stan Drake and his brother Sy Barry, he helped define and exemplify a particular kind of "New York Slick" style which dominated comics until the
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Ralph Reese is an American artist who illustrated for books, magazines and comic books from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was recognized for his work in comics with a Shazam Award for Best Inker (Humor Division) in 1973 and 1974.
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Bruce Jones, whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001-2003.
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Gray Morrow (March 7, 1934 - November 6, 2001) was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan,
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Kevin VanHook (born 24 June, 1965) is a film-maker who began his career in storytelling as a comic book artist and writer. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. In comics, he is best known for his work on Bloodshot from Valiant Comics.
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Jim Keefe is the most recent artist to contribute original art and stories to the Flash Gordon comic strip. Born January 20 1965 he attended Joe Kubert's School of Cartoon and Graphic Art after a very brief career at a more academic institution.
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Dale Arden is a female fictional character, the fellow-adventurer and love-interest of Flash Gordon. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fight together against Ming the Merciless.
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Dr. Hans Zarkov is a fictional character appearing in the Flash Gordon comic strip. Zarkov is a brilliant scientist who creates a rocket and accompanies Flash and Dale Arden in their adventures on the planet Mongo, and fight against Ming the Merciless.
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Mongo

Statistics

Notable locations Mingo City (Capital city)
Arboria
Frigia
Coralia
Land of the Lion Men
Magnetic Mountains
Tropica
The Fire Lands
Sky City
Syk, the Blue Magic Kingdom
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