Not to be confused with the DC Comics character who runs fast and wears a red costume, (that’s The Flash), Flash Gordon is the creation of comic strip artist, Alex Raymond. Conceived by Raymond in 1934, the character went on to star in three film serials in the 1930s and 40s, a TV series in the 50s, (and a recent, unpopular version) with a few cartoons along the way too. For many pop culture lovers (including painter Alex Ross), and Gen-Xers however, Flash’s most well loved incarnation would have to be the 1980 film. Who could forget Queen’s awesome theme song, the garish costumes, winged warriors, evil Timothy Dalton and a bald Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless? High camp has never been so much fun! CBR has a great round table discussion with the original creators and cast, involving the Star Wars inspiration, the film’s limited American success, and chasing dwarves around on set. Let the nostalgia wash over you. And while you’re reminiscing about awesome 80s films that flew under the radar, check out Krull from your local high quality DVD purveyor. Like Flash Gordon, it’s a film with fantasy and sci-fi elements, swash buckling and derring do, but Krull is much darker, with surprising deaths throughout. Check out the trailer below to either refresh your memory, or be introduced to another classic.
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