A Flash Gordon Comic!

Flash Gordon has been published by nearly every comic book publisher who has hit the stands. Charlton, Marvel, DC, Kitchen Sink, Dell, Gold Key, Harvey, and more have published his adventures in one form or another.

But perhaps no publisher produced a finer issue than did King Features itself when it briefly published the adventures itself. Flash Gordon #1 from King features the artwork of Al Williamson. While this series is wildly uneven with lots of talent, this first issue is magnificent in its look and polish.

Here's a link to one fan's epic quest to assemble the original artwork for this fantastic issue.

So wonderful are the stories here, that they were the basis for the Flash Gordon record album released in 60's.



The artwork is lush, and the storytelling mature. Enjoy the stories. Here's the first, untitled in the comic but called "The Decoys of Ming the Merciless" on the record. The script is by Larry Ivie.















And here's the wonderfully titled "Flash Gordon and the Mole Machine", a great adventure of Flash, Dale, and Zarkov on or better yet in the planet Earth. GCD credits Archie Goodwin with the scripting on this one.













Now them's good comics!


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Monsters And Heroes!

I don't own a single copy of Larry Ivie's Monsters and Heroes but I've seen several, priced just above what my interest allows me to spend, but I have read a few stories featuring Altron Boy, the hero from this very handsome run of fan-created magazines.

He's the son of a scientist and is enlisted by a young female peer to investigate the disappearance of her dad. It seems a villain named Voltar is making off with scientists. The boy finds a flying belt and a costume that goes with it and armed he prowls the mystery finding his way onto the island lair of Voltar, place brimming with dinsaurs.

It's good old-fashioned fun. And the covers for this series are simply magnificent.

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