If Buck Rogers is the high school of space opera, then Flash Gordon is higher university.
Alex Raymond reset the bar for comic strip in the 30's, and subsequently comic books, with his fine illustration and richly realized stories. McCay's "Little Nemo" had first set the example for fine art in the Funnies, and Hal Foster's "Prince Valiant" and Raymond's "Flash Gordon" extended that expertise into fantasy and science fiction, reaching millions of readers worldwide. Like Buck, Flash sparked toys, movies, TV shows, games, and comics; Buster Crabbe even played both Buck and Flash (and Tarzan) onscreen. But he also helped inform the creation of Superman, Batman, and Hawkman, along with inspiring generations of comics creators, SF writers, and filmmakers. Raymond was followed on the strip by stellar lights like Mac Raboy, Frank Frazetta, and Al Williamson, and his style galvanized Alex Ross.
Even as Raymond's work was being collected in large archive volumes in the 70's, the screen was reducing Flash to sleazy kitsch like the softcore Flesh Gordon (1974). When Lucas couldn't get the rights, he made Star Wars (1977). Having been shown spectacularly the proper way to do it, producers instead cranked out this camp trendchaser film, written by a former writer of the 60's Batman TV series. If you were young and impressionable, it all seemed like bright Pop fun. But Alex Raymond, the dean of naturalistic art who lifted the entire comics medium, still deserves a better screen version that honors the high standard of his work.
