Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives Vol. 2

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Wow, what a great year for Flash Gordon comics! First there was Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon, an over-sized hardcover which reprinted all of that artist’s work on the character over the decades. After that, was the Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives Vol. 2, which presented all of the Flash Gordon comic book stories from 1947-1953. The cover of the first issue reprinted in that volume (Four Color Comics #173) proudly proclaimed, “Introducing for the first time… Flash Gordon Comics especially written and drawn for this book” (in other words, “Not Alex Raymond!”). The Al Williamson book presented all of the Flash Gordon work he did for King Comics in the 1960s, but Williamson didn’t do all the Flash Gordon work. Something was missing. The new Dark Horse volume presents all of King’s Flash Gordon stories, whether by Williamson or not, including the back-up stories from The Phantom. Other artists include Dan Barry, Frank Bolle, Reed Crandall, Ric Estrada, Gil Kane, Wally Wood and, in stories adapted from the newspapers, Mac Raboy as well as Alex Raymond himself. The reproduced dailies and Sundays aren’t of the best quality, but think about a collection where the worst thing about it is reproduced Mac Raboy and Alex Raymond. Volume two is every bit as thick as volume one (both are 312 pages), and I recommend it over the first to the casual fan.