Today’s Comic> Flash Gordon #1 (Dynamite)

Too many covers. I didn’t end up caring which one I ended up with.

Flash Gordon #1

Dynamite (2014)

This is the third Flash Gordon comic book in the past few years. Are they doing that bad?

This version of Alex Raymond’s brainchild sees Dale as a reporter, Flash as an extreme stunt enthusiast (to the irritation of his father), and Zarkov drinking a whole room under the table to get a gem. Flash forward (no pun intended) to the trio on Mongo using portals to travel to other worlds Ming has conquered before finally crashing their ship on Arborea. There, Dale bluffs some help from the blue-skinned natives.

What they got right: Please don’t misunderstand me when I get to got wrong. I do like the ideas Parker comes up with. While one of the previous Flash Gordon comics and the SyFy TV series also used portals instead of flying to the planet (and based on what we know now about space travel I don’t necessary have a problem with it) the concept works for the story. I like how Dale takes charge because Flash is kind of an idiot. This is not the problem.

What they got wrong: The problem is that it’s too far off from Raymond’s vision. Mongo is a planet with different regions, cultures, and kingdoms, much like Earth. This is a rarity in science fiction, where every planet has the same culture, the same leader running the whole planet, and so on. Parker is making each kingdom of the original into planets that each follow (or so it appears) it’s own culture rather than Mongo being multiple kingdoms united by force under Ming the Merciless’ rule. It’s kind of disappointing. Also, why is Flash a jerk?

I’m not saying that you can’t update Alex Raymond’s creation. The Filmation series was able to stay true to the comic strip while doing new things with it. However, I haven’t seen anything remotely resembling the comics since of all shows Defenders Of The Earth. I’m not putting down the ideas. I rather liked the SyFy show and watched it until they debuted their version of the Hawkmen, which was so weak it was insulting. Just because it’s good doesn’t mean it’s a good adaptation and considering how much I love the Filmation series and wish I could see more of the comic strip (what I’ve seen I really like) and that’s why both the SyFy show and this comic lost my interest.

On the writing side, it would have been nice to see how Flash, Dale, and Zarkov came to Mongo and got on Ming’s bad side. It’s possible that we’ll learn it next issue when talking with Barin, but otherwise it would have been better to me had they put the origin in the first issue.

Recommendation: If you’re not as tied to the original as I am, you may find a good story here if the backstory comes out next issue. I do like the ideas Parker has for this science fiction story and what I’ve seen of our heroes I kind of like. However, like the SyFy series, I can’t see this as a take on Flash Gordon and I would have been more drawn to it as an original property rather than being sold as Flash Gordon. With my current financial situation I can’t bring myself to pick up a comic that is nothing like what it advertises, but again this is me. I do urge anyone not as connected to the source material to give it a look because you just might like it.

I’m not sold on this version of Flash but that was a funny non-spoiler moment.