The Return of Flash Gordon

"Gordon's alive?!" 

That's right, the Flash Gordon comic strip started by Alex Raymond in 1934 has returned in a new incarnation to the (digital) comics page on the website Comics Kingdom. Cartoonist Dan Schkade relaunched the series on October 22, 2023, and has been doing daily and Sunday installments since.

Schkade's continuity starts right after the defeat of Ming (in Raymond's 1941 strip) and tells the story of what happens as the uneasy alliances of the revolution fall apart and the different kingdoms jockey for power. I think it's a novel approach: something fresher than either a complete reboot we've seen so many times or bland "further adventures" in a world without a strong central conflict. 

His design sensibility is strong too. It is broadly "classic," but draws a lot on the 80s film (and I think the New Adventures of Flash Gordon animated series) that many readers will be more familiar with and lightly updates it.

The weekday installments tend to carry the story forward, but the Sunday strips offer a summary of the previous six days from the perspective of a specific character, which serves to both catch you up and give insight into the characters.

Check out the strip here.