This shorty — four pages — was filler for The Phantom #18 (1966). After 17 issues from Gold Key, it was the first issue of King Features’ attempt at publishing its own syndicate properties. I recently showed a story from Mandrake the Magician #1, which was also published by King. It probably sounded like a better idea than it turned out to be. The line only lasted a couple of years before King dropped out, and licensed their characters (again) to other publishers.
Wallace Wood is credited with drawing the story. I believe he was helped by his assistant and collaborator, Dan Adkins. I recognized at least one panel (page 2, panel 7) as having its origin in Wood’s classic Flash Gordon parody (“Flesh Garden,” the panel from that story for that story’s appearance in The Mad Reader). Wood and Adkins were not averse to a swipe when they needed it.
9 comments:
Brief, but visually very beautiful.
I notice that there's a fast one pulled in going from 2:5 to 2:6. Patch has a gun trained on Flash, who is a few feet away, and then suddenly he's grappling with her. A less dramatic but more natural sequence (given what followed) would have been for him to disarm, and then for her to begin explaining and to lower her weapon before he closed the distance.
I s'pose that it's just part of the genre to throw new, beautiful women into the story, but what are the poor things to do when there aren't an equal number of desirable men? Flash belongs to Dale … even if she did blab about Zarkov's fuel cell and Flash's route to the girls in her bridge club.
Great stuff, love that Wood work!
Always wonderful to see a well-drawn Flash Gordon tale. The EC guys like Wood, Al Williamson and Reed Crandall definitely had a reverence for this classic character; they always channeled Alex Raymond when they drew Flash. I'd love to see some more classic Flash Gordon tales in here. :)
Great title for this post!
A while back, I wrote a little fanfic to end this never-ended story. It was fun.
Daniel, maybe Flash just thought Patch was coming on to him and let her get too close, just realizing she had a gun and meant business at the last second. That was the way it was with Flash Gordon: gals just couldn't leave him alone.
Neil, I am considering showing some of the Mac Raboy Flash Gordon Sundays, so keep in touch.
A whole generation or more of comic book artists were inspired by Alex Raymond. If it hadn't been for him and Hal Foster comic book artists wouldn't have had a ready treasure trove of panels to swipe!
Gene, thanks. I actually put some thought into the titles, and as the old saying goes, "I knowed you wuz thinking cuz I could smell rubber burning." I usually have to air the house when I engage in heavy thought for the sake of a snappy title.
Saying Adkins wasn't adverse to swipes is like saying Dillinger employed a casual withdrawal policy at banks
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