Did you know there hasn’t been a Flash Gordon strip in 20 years? While the classic strip that Alex Raymond started in 1934, with various contributors throughout the decades, new stories concluded in 2003. Since then, it’s been syndicated in reruns. Now it’s back, with Dan Schkade taking the reigns a few weeks ago. As of writing this, I’ve read the first three weeks, and it’s really cool.
This new era kicked off on 22nd October with a Sunday strip that helped get new readers and those who haven’t read Flash Gordon before to get up to speed. Over the space of 8 panels, stacked on three rows in the standard Sunday trip fashion, it reintroduces many concepts that are staples of the franchise, from Flash Gordon himself, his supporting cast, Ming the Merciless, the planet of Mongo, and heaps more.
At the end, this introductory strip asks the reader, “Are you ready?”. An appropriate question to ask because the next day’s strip jumps into the action and adventure. It’s a fun ride with twists and turns that will have you returning each day for more. (Don’t stress if you’re really behind on this. Each Sunday strip is a summary of the previous six days.)
Dan Schkade’s style is a departure from the Golden Age style of previous contributors. It’s a clean and modern style, implementing geometric form through smooth lines and spot blacks. It’s then topped off with warm and vibrant colours, evoking the 1980 film and the sheen of this alien world. Visual elements, such as costumes and architecture, draw from the classic strip. However, Schkade has put his own interpretation, which seems to see, at least in my eye, a lot of Jack Kirby’s influence. When you think about it, it’s not a bad pairing, with Kirby creating a lot of wild science fiction visuals that were a natural evolution of the Golden Age of Science Fiction science fantasy aesthetic.
The strip should be in good hands under the pen of Dan Schkade. The cartoonist appears to have a soft spot for pulp heroes, with a back catalogue that includes The Spirit Returns and the pulp-inspired original creation Lavender Jack. These are a bunch of fun, with great visuals that capture the spirit of the characters well. He’s also got a great sense of humour, with his strip Twitter Cops going viral on the platform.
Flash Gordon was created for King Features Syndicate to compete with the earlier Buck Rogers. It was a success, outlasting its competitor, thanks to its science fantasy adventures, inventive visuals, and Alex Raymond’s technical virtuosity. The strip would outlast its competitor (the Buck Rogers strip ended in 1967) and would go on to influence early superhero and science fiction comics and Star Wars prequel trilogy. It would also be adapted into dozens of comic book series, a radio serial, multiple film serials, and a 1980 film.
The new Flash Gordon can be read in selected newspapers that have chosen to syndicate it. If you don’t have a newspaper that runs it, you can also read it on King Features Syndicate’s Comics Kingdom website daily. You can start from the beginning here and find the latest strip here.
This Flash Gordon is a lot of fun. Here’s hoping that Dan Schkade has a long tenure of great stories to tell!
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Correction re: \”New stories ended in 2023.\”
New material previously ended in 1993 (daily) & 2003 (Sunday).