Product Description: The third volume of Checker's effort to reprint Flash Gordon in all of it's glory! Alex Raymond's masterful artwork and story telling create a world that has enchanted imaginations for decades. Volume 3 collects strips from October 25, 1936 to June 5, 1938.
Classic space opera It's a wonderful time for fans of old comic strips. The classics from the first half of the 20th Century are showing up again in books: nice reprints of material that were previously inaccessible to the general public. Krazy Kat, Dick Tracy, Gasoline Alley, Popeye (Thimble Theater) are being restored for the enjoyment of new readers. And for those of a science fiction bent, there is Flash Gordon.
Volume 3 of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon continues the ongoing adventures of Flash and fellow Earth people Dale Arden and Hans Zarkov and their battles on the planet of Mongo. Mongo is a planet filled with strange kingdoms and stranger creatures, all ruled loosely by the evil emperor, Ming the Merciless. Most despise Ming's iron-fist rule, but only Flash's defiance offers an opportunity of hope.
The four chapters of this volume were originally published from 1936 to 1938. In "Forest Kingdom of Mongo", Flash, Dale and Hans find themselves in the forests of their friend Prince Barin, but stranded far from safety. Their battles against monsters and the environment continue into "Tusk Men of Mongo" which pits the heroes against a savage tribe. They're pussycats, however, compared to the "Beast Men of Mongo", and brief triumphs lead to greater dangers in "Outlaws of Mongo" in which Flash goes into open rebellion against Ming and faces execution.
With a strip only being issued once a week, characters and plot sometimes suffer, but even if the writing is not top-notch, this is still a fun strip, principally because of the imaginative art work of Raymond, of which little is comparable with in today's comic strips. Perhaps that's the danger of all these re-releases: they make today's strips seem rather pale in comparison. But it's worth the risk. If you enjoy the comics, you'll enjoy Flash Gordon.
Pure Escapism Any fan of science-fiction/fantasy can't go wrong with the Flash Gordon series. If you've got a vivid imagination (like Alex Raymond obviously did)and an hour or so, this book will give you your money's worth. It's just plain fun to follow Flash and his friends' adventures on the planet Mongo and their struggle against the planet's evil ruler, Ming. The artwork is excellent, I think I spent more time viewing it than I did reading the dialogue. The Flash Gordon series is a classic and well-done example of the good vs. evil theme.
As for the book itself, the cover and pages are of good quality. The artwork is in full color, and there is a foreword by the Managing Editor. I highly recommend this volume, as well as the entire series.
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