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Rating: Summary: Great start for this series Review: Checker has another hit on their hands with their reprint series of Alex Raymond's FLASH GORDON. Presented in oblong 12 x 9" hardcover format, this makes for an attractive, if somewhat awkward, format for collecting these classic strips. I say "awkward" because oblong editions don't store easily on the bookshelf, but the benefit is that you get the strips in their original format. In any case, it's great to see Raymond's original strips back in print. This edition introduces Flash Gordon and his travelling companions Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov, as well as the interplanetary comrades and enemies we all know and love (or love to hate). Reproduction is fair: the linework is a bit light, and the colors are too soft for my tastes. Better reproduction quality, plus a higher page count, would have netted this book five stars.
Rating: Summary: Great start for this series Review: Checker has another hit on their hands with their reprint series of Alex Raymond's FLASH GORDON. Presented in oblong 12 x 9" hardcover format, this makes for an attractive, if somewhat awkward, format for collecting these classic strips. I say "awkward" because oblong editions don't store easily on the bookshelf, but the benefit is that you get the strips in their original format. In any case, it's great to see Raymond's original strips back in print. This edition introduces Flash Gordon and his travelling companions Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov, as well as the interplanetary comrades and enemies we all know and love (or love to hate). Reproduction is fair: the linework is a bit light, and the colors are too soft for my tastes. Better reproduction quality, plus a higher page count, would have netted this book five stars.
Rating: Summary: Back to the 1930's with Flash Gordon on Mongo! Review: Finally, with the publication of this book, I have had the chance to see and read the original color comic strip of the famous Flash Gordon serial that was eventually made into the successful Buster Crabbe series! Looking back at the original illustrations and storyline is a benefit for any fan of Flash Gordon because we get to see the germination of the ideas and EXPERIENCE the thrill that weekly readers must have felt when they bought their newspapers. The colors are interesting, the storyline of course is great, but perhaps the best is that we get to understand the names of various beasts and races that existed on the Planet Mongo better than the Crabbe series on film. The scientific interpretation of technology is fascinating and the order of the planet will make much more sense to you after reading this book. It will also most likely cause a more appreciative view of those old Buster Crabbe serials of Flash when you see them again! A real gem and I am looking forward to the next volume of a projected 3 volume series. The only problem encountered is that some of the text was a little hard to see because of the colors behind them but to those who are familiar with the story it should not be much of a burden.
Rating: Summary: Publisher's Note on the PW review Review: Normally, Checker does not rebut reviews, but in this case I felt the need to clarify some points brought up in the Publishers Weekly review above. First, every criticism within the review is 100% valid FOR THE REVIEW COPY PROVIDED TO PW. As readers may or may not know review copies are provided the media four to five months prior to publication. With full color comic strip collections the quality of the REVIEW COPY is a difficult thing to measure. Subsequent to Checker mailing review copies, we chose to delay the publication of the collection and revamp the book format and design to better reflect its original published format. The end book is something wholly different than what we provided to the editorial staff at Publishers Weekly. We are confident that fans will relish this watershed of comics history in their collections.
Rating: Summary: Great Review: When I went to my local comic shop and saw this book, I bought it without even checking the prize. I first saw Raymond's work on the History Channel series of programs retelling the history of comics, and being a fan of the animated series and a comic book artist myself, I set out to find his work. No success. Now, it is available in this hardcovers and I can only thank Checker for doing this. The artwork reproduction is fairly good (being strips from 1934), and the panels are printed in a good size, at least for me (regarding the previous reviews). I don't know the original measures and the up to date quality of the strip, but in this collection, I think you'll be able to thoroughly enjoy Alex Raymond's stunning artwork, wich is a reminder of an era and a great source of inspiration to artists, both up and coming and professionals.
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