4/5 stars.
Let me start off by saying I know next
to nothing about the Flash Gordon storyworld. Flash Gordon, Earth's
dashing hero in a red rocketship, thwarts the invasion attempts of
Emperor Ming the Merciless. That's about it.
I got this comic from the title alone.
I assumed it would be like Gregory Maguire's Wicked,
which I enjoyed immensely. It is only broadly similar in that it is
about the younger days of a famous villain. Unlike misunderstood
Elphaba, young Ming is ruthless and merciless right from the first
pages. Beatty's is not a tale of how Prince Ming became so merciless,
but a tale of how quickly an ambitious man can rise. I would have
liked a little bit more complexity from the characters, but it is
good for what it is.
One by one Ming “renegotiates” the
old treaties between the nations of Mongo, each time coming out
stronger an more secure in his position. I particularly like the way
these shtick nations such as the Hawkmen and the Sharkmen were
portrayed. I assume these subjugated nations are only part of the
Mongo empire so Flash Gordon can have enemies on land, sea and air. In
this comic these different nations are given a little more gravitas
then I assume they had in the old film shorts. Even stock characters
with reverse-SCUBA gear are more interesting when they get to speak
for themselves.
One last thing I will comment on: the
art is great! Adrian's art, with color by Roni Setiawan, is a great
look for this revisiting of a retro vision of the future. The costume and
character design feels like it fits with the 1930s ideals of the
future as well as with modern fantasy aesthetics. The technology is
similarly treated with a mix of camp and cutting edge. This story is
not science fiction so much as science fantasy and the rich color
pallet for Mongo and the flamboyant costumes fit that perfectly.
A great read.
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