Flash Gordon: The Fall of Ming: The Complete Flash Gordon Library 1941-44
Flash Gordon is one of the few comic strips from the first half of the twentieth century to retain any popular-culture currency, remaining synonymous with swashbuckling, space-exploring science fiction. For its first decade, it was arguably the best-looking strip on the comics pages, thanks to the lush brushwork and heroic figures drawn by its creator, Alex Raymond. This lavish full-color volume impeccably presents Raymond’s last three-and-a-half years on the strip; he’d enlist in the U.S. Marines in 1944, and rather than return to Flash after his discharge, he’d switch genres completely and create the detective strip Rip Kirby. Even before Raymond’s departure, the war had its effect on Flash. In late 1941, its hero, along with girlfriend Dale Arden and their scientist friend Dr. Zarkoff, left their base of operations on the planet Mongo after vanquishing their archfoe Ming the Merciless and rocketed to earth to aid the Allies. Flash’s story lines may now seem unsophisticated and its characters wooden, but there’s no denying Raymond’s artistic brilliance, which remains impressive to this day. --Gordon Flagg