When I went to my local comic shop and saw this book, I bought it without even checking the prize. I first saw Raymond's work on the History Channel series of programs retelling the history of comics, and being a fan of the animated series and a comic book artist myself, I set out to find his work. No success.
Now, it is available in this hardcovers and I can only thank Checker for doing this. The artwork reproduction is fairly good (being strips from 1934), and the panels are printed in a good size, at least for me (regarding the previous reviews). I don't know the original measures and the up to date quality of the strip, but in this collection, I think you'll be able to thoroughly enjoy Alex Raymond's stunning artwork, wich is a reminder of an era and a great source of inspiration to artists, both up and coming and professionals.
Salvador Velázquez.
"Publishers Weekly"
Outstanding art overcomes weak scripts in this sci-fi classic, which started in 1934 as a rival to the extremely popular Buck Rogers. The story begins as three Earthlings—muscular Flash, beautiful Dale and brilliant Dr. Zarkov—are dropped on the alien planet Mongo, ruled by Emperor Ming the Merciless. Much swashbuckling hugger-mugger ensues, as Flash, Dale and Zarkov bounce from one realm to another, from one crisis to the next. Uncredited writer Don Moore relies on melodramatic conventions to keep things moving: handsome but humorless Flash is irresistible to any alien queen he meets; Ming is a standard, creepy Yellow Peril villain; Dale alternates between simpering and pouting. Nevertheless, Raymond's wonderful brushed ink illustrations bring the characters to life. His work recalls the tradition of magazine illustrators such as Joseph Clement Coll and J. Allen St. John, and is superbly composed and executed. The notion of Flash wrestling with a monstrous "constrictosaurus" while chained to the wall of a dungeon is a cliché, but Reynolds's rendering makes the silly beast appear menacing. His Dale is more attractive than irritating. Even Ming looks wily enough to be convincingly dangerous. The terrific art makes ignoring the slapdash writing worthwhile.
