From Andreas Streng, QUEEN Fan-Club Germany
Flash Gordon – On The Planet Mongo – The Sunday Pages 1934-1937
(Flash Gordon – Auf Dem Planeten Mongo – 1934-1937)
Published 4 October 2018
https://www.queenfcg.de/sonderseiten/flash-gordon-auf-dem-planeten-mongo-1934-1937.htm
At the link above you can find the German press info, cover, a short info about Alex Raymond and of course some example pages of this restaurated [coloured] and new translated comic, which was the basis for the Flash Gordon movie with the wonderful Queen soundtrack. The example pages look fabulous with all the bright colour and feeling of another world far away.
PRESS INFORMATION:
The content of this book served as a template for the film Flash Gordon with the soundtrack by Queen. Here’s the official press info, kindly provided by the imprint HANNIBAL K U L T.
The cult begins …
Flash Gordon – The Luxury Edition
When director George Lucas wanted to film Flash Gordon in the mid-seventies, he was denied a copyright by the rights holder. Inspired by the cult comic, he did not give up and created a new science fiction opus that went down in film history as Star Wars. However, Lucas could not separate from the first targeted hero character and processed in his new work many elements of the comic classic. Swordsmanship turned into laser sword duels, the terrible Ming the dreaded Darth Vader, and the love story of Flash Gordon continued with Princess Leia.
The draftsman and author Alex Raymond started the comic series in 1934. Except for the simply drawn Buck Rogers he had no templates. The fantastic worlds of the planet Mongo and its inhabitants sprang from its boundless imagination. Although there were elements of the adventure novel and the knightly saga, but just the combination of different genres, spiced with a pinch of science fiction, was new. The story about Flash Gordon, his lover Dale and the scientist Dr. Zarkov euphorized the readers from the first release date of 1934 to Raymond’s farewell to the 1944 series. They waited spellbound for each new issue of the series published in the so-called Sunday pages. The popularity was so great that Flash Gordon was filmed in 1936 with the swimming world champion Buster Crabbe in several parts. In 1980, a remake came to the cinemas, for which the rock band Queen wrote and recorded the soundtrack. Another cinema version is planned for 2019.
The first part of the current and newly translated hardcover edition documents the years 1934 to 1937, corresponds in color to the Sunday pages published in the thirties and was sensitively restored. With the elegant and imaginative drawings she radiates the magic of the early days of comic book history. In contrast to current trends, there is love for detail, embroidered narrative strands and images that blur the line between comics and art. The reading of Flash Gordon is through the high-quality paper and the print quality to a barely surpassing sensual pleasure.
“His Creation Flash Gordon is today regarded as a milestone of adventure and
science fiction comics …”
The little comic lexicon
…………………………………………………………
” Especially Flash Gordon seemed downright electrifying. ”
50 classic comics
Bibliophile hardcover edition on high-quality paper
For all Star Wars fans
Part 1 of a large-scale retrospective
Alex Raymond
FLASH GORDON
ON THE PLANET MONGO THE SUNDAYS 1934-1937
Translation: Alan Tepper
Hardcover, 25 x 28 cm, 208 pages
Color-coded throughout
ISBN 978-3-85445-659-9
€ (D) 35.00 / € (A) 35.00
Inventory group: 1180 to be published 4 October 2018