Book Review: Flash Gordon: On Planet Mongo

Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo: Sundays 1934-37 by Alex Raymond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Flash Gordon was a response to Buck Rogers and a fairly good one. Rather than relying on a Rip Van Winkle like Rogers, Gordon, Professor Zarkoff, and Dale Arden are shot onto the strange planet Mongo, which is dominated by Ming the Merciless but filled with amazing lands dominated by Ming the Merciless, but with many strange and wonderful kingdoms.

The art is really top notch and one area where the book outshines Buck Rogers easily. Flash is a man of action and really the art captures it gloriously and sets a very high standard for the era before the launch of Action Comics. Alex Raymond does a great job realizing all these strange creatures that inhabit Mongo.

The stories are okay and have more of a fantasy feel in many ways with Witch Queens and underseas people. Most of these stories are Base Under Siege tales where someone wants to marry Flash, someone else wants to marry Dale, and they win over their tormentors as allies, often by punching them.

Overall, the book is a solid enough read that holds up well despite a few unfortunate stereotypes. There are some interesting characters such as Ming's Daughter, and a whole lot of great action and fun.



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