Titan Books Grabs Gordon (Flash, that is)

Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo is set for a March 2012 release

Titan Books has announced the publication of The Complete Flash Gordon Library in 2012. Compiling every strip and every story, this series of restored full-colour hardcover volumes will showcase the action and artistry that thrilled audiences for decades.

The first ever Flash Gordon episode, drawn by Alex Raymond

Everyone knows Flash Gordon -- the most iconic science fiction swashbuckler ever to burst forth from the newspaper pages and whose inclusion in a news paper was once considered part of its Unique Selling Point. His adventures wielded so much energy that they inspired everyone who followed, no matter what the medium.

Filmmaker George Lucas famously revealed, "Growing up in California, I was enchanted by two things...race cars and Flash Gordon. The first love I put to use in American Graffiti, the second eventually turned into Star Wars."


Flash Gordon first hit superstardom in 1934 with his comic strip adventures, which continued unabated for seven decades. His influence spread like wildfire into every medium -- films, television, novels, comic books, radio plays, and more. Every generation has had its incarnation of the character, and yet another major motion picture is reported to be in the works.

Launching in early 2012 with On the Planet Mongo, Titan says the mission of The Complete Flash Gordon Library will be to collect every strip and every story, offering them in affordable, full-colour hardcover volumes, carefully restored and revealing the action and the artistry that thrilled audiences for decades. Through the painstaking efforts of renowned comic strip historian Pete Maresca, readers will experience the heroics of Flash Gordon, the beauty of Dale Arden, the evil of Ming the Merciless, and the exotic setting of the distant planet Mongo. Each installment will be meticulously reworked so that the intricate artwork, the vivid colors, and the unparalleled action will explode off of the page.

Beginning with the renowned stories written and illustrations by Alex Raymond -- the genius behind the hero -- The Complete Flash Gordon Library will continue with the other brilliant illustrators who took the helm and ran with his creation: Austin Briggs, Mac Raboy, Dan Barry, and many more. Each page will be 11" x 10" -- specifically designed to spotlight the action-packed artistry of the creators, and each volume will feature 176 or more pages of full-color action.

A Flash Gordon Sunday strip, drawn by Jim O'Keefe

Volume One, On the Planet Mongo, will feature a foreword by renowned illustrator Alex Ross, and future installments will offer other special features revealing the secrets behind the strip and its creators.

The Complete Flash Gordon Library joins Titan's other long-running newspaper strip collections including the critically acclaimed Simon and Kirby Library, and the Modesty Blaise and James Bond series.

• Pre-order The Complete Flash Gordon Library: On the Planet Mongo from amazon.co.uk



• Pre-order The Complete Flash Gordon Library: On the Planet Mongo from amazon.com

New Flash Gordon Collection

(Updated 1 April 2010): downthetubes has a bias towards comics of British origin but one American character of great interest to many British sci-fi/comic fans, Flash Gordon, is appearing in a new archival collection from Dark Horse, to be published in August.

The book will reprint seven complete comics originally published between 1947 and 1953 and is likely to appeal to fans of Dan Dare, Rick Random and those who like their sci-fi heroes retro.

While Dark Horse haven't specified the source, Flash Gordon fans online suggest the 312-page collection comprises comics originally published by Dell between 1947-49, drawn by Paul Norris in Four-Color #173, 190, 204 and 247; and from 1952-53:, three more from Four Color #424, #512 and Flash Gordon #2, featuring art by Jack Lehti and Frank Thorne.

Ardden Entertainment, a company with British connections, has the license to produce new range of Flash Gordon comics, and SciFiPulse.net reports the range has gone very well for them.

Another highly recommended Flash Gordon collection - Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic was published last year, reprinting his Gold Key and Marvel Flash Gordon work.


• Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives Volume 1 is available to pre-order from Forbidden Planet and other onlibne stores.

• Flash Gordon Story Index

SciFiPulse Interviews Flash Gordon Comic Writer

UK cult TV, film and comics web site Sci-Fi Pulse will be presenting a podcast interview with film and television actor Casey Biggs (Broken Arrow, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) today, followed on Sunday 14th June by a chat with Brendan Duneen, writer of the new Flash Gordon comic published by part UK-owned Ardden Entertainment.

Casey Biggs is best known to science fiction fans as the dynamic Cardassian military officer Damar in hit TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the critically acclaimed second spin-off television series from the long running Star Trek franchise. Casey worked with super stars John Travolta and Christian Slater in John Woo's action blockbuster Broken Arrow and has made guest appearances in dozens of popular TV shows such as The X-Files and E.R. He's also well versed in live theatre and the stage.

New York-based Brendan Deneen, who represents Ardden Entertainment for its television and film projects, is currently working hard on writing the company's hit sci-fi comic series Flash Gordon. Deneen is thrilled to be updating this genre classic and SciFiPulse is excited about bringing Brendan's latest news on the
continuing adventures of Flash and the gang, as well his thoughts about the comic book industry in general, along with anything else on Brendan's mind.

Flash, which will soon complete its first arc of stories and has another 18 issues to come over the next two years, still reigns in in the top 160 comics sold each and every month in the US via Diamond Comics and still remains the best loved sci-fi hero from the golden age. "We're extremely proud that our first book has had such an impact on the comic book community," say Ardden.

• SciFiPulse: An Interview with Casey Biggs podcasts on Friday 12th June at 5.00pm EDT
• SciFiPulse: An Interview with writer Brendan Deneen podcasts on Sunday 14th June 14th at 5.00pm EDT.
• Web Link: www.blogtalkradio.com/SciFiPulse

8th Fantastic Film Weekend in Bradford

The National Media Museum in Bradford will be presenting their 8th Fantastic Film Weekend from 12 to 14 June.

The Film Weekend has become a hugely popular event for fans of sci-fi and horror movies and this year there'll be screenings of such gems as The Satanic Rites of Dracula, the 1980s Flash Gordon, Shaun of the Dead and Aliens. They'll also be IMAX screenings of Watchmen and the new Star Trek movie, showings of cult TV programmes and star talks.

For more details and tickets, check out http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/fantastic/2009/

The Flash Gordon story retold

Comics International editor Mike Conroy is one of many contributors to a Flash Gordon documentary being screened on the the UK Sci-Fi Channel tonight (Monday 25 February) at 8.00pm.

Scheduled to air ahead of the series pilot, the programme provides insight from a variety of comedians (Colin Hoult, Emma Kennedy), actors (Brian Blessed, Paul Duncan and Paul Darrow), journalists (Kim Newman, Karen Krizanovich) and comic book aficionados (Paul Gambaccini and Mike), who all talk about the evolution of Flash through the ages.

Further screenings of the documentary are planned.

Since his first appearance in the 1930s and right up until the present day, Flash Gordon has enraptured successive generations of fans through numerous adaptations including films, radio, television and animated series. This hour-long documentary covers Flash Gordon's history in comics and on screen and is a promo for the new TV series which airs from Monday 3 March in the UK - but you can view the first episode online via the scifiuk web site.

Eric Johnson (Smallville) stars as Flash, alongside Gina Holden (Final Destination 3) as Dale Arden in a rip-roaring adventure across Earth and Mongo alike.

Flash Gordon first sprung into life courtesy of award-winning comic strip artist Alex Raymond in 1934 and was created as a response to the Buck Rogers strip - with Flash as a professional polo player of all things. The strip ran until 2003 but continues to be reprinted.

He's Just A Man With A Man's Courage...

Who needs CGI for your spaceships when you can use fishing line and sparklers?

I can't resist another dip into Tony Nourmand and Graham Marsh's Science Fiction Poster Art book, this time with a poster for a film serial based on a newspaper comic strip. Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe was the third and final Flash serial when it was originally released in 1940 and is still available as a three disc DVD set.

• You can view episodes of the serial on The Internet Archive and it is also available on DVD

Flash! (Waa Aah!)

The US SciFi Channel has announced that Eric Johnson will play the lead role of Flash Gordon in SciFi's 22-episode "modern day retelling of the classic comic strip franchise." This unofficial fan site for the actor, whose past genre credits include The Dead Zone and Smallville, reports filming began on 1 May.

Some of the sets built for the Tin Man miniseries, SciFi's revision of The Wizard of Oz, are being used for the Vancouver-based production.

Interviewed by IESB.net, Johnson said "Flash Gordon has a retro-futurisitic feel. It’s the same company making both shows, so whatever you can beg or borrow makes sense. We’re shooting in Vancouver, same place, but this is a very different set. It’s like if someone gave you the frame of a car, and you can easily put a new engine in it.”

Johnson is best known to fans as Whitney Fordman, Lana Lang's boyfriend on the
early seasons of Smallville.

There's no word yet on casting for Ming the Merciless, Dale Arden or Dr. Hans Zarkoff, and not a whisper about whether Brian Blessed has been asked to be a hawkman, which is just tragic if you ask me.

Flash Gordon is set to air on SciFi US on 10th August 2007 and is being produced by Reunion Pictures under an agreement with property owner King Features Syndicate. RHI Entertainment is distributing the series internationally with Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr., who recently worked with Sci Fi on the miniseries Legend of Earthsea, executive producing, and Peter Hume, who has written the opening two episodes, is also expected to exec produce. Matthew O’Connor and Tom Rowe will also serve as producers.

The RHI official site has a template page up for the series, but there's no information there yet.