The fourth volume reprinting vintage comic strip " Flash Gordon" includes a year-and-a-half's worth of color Sunday episodes, 1938-40. Considering that Flash's name has become synonymous with science fiction, it's remarkable how little here is genuinely sf. There's no interplanetary travel, for once Flash, his girlfriend Dale Arden, and their scientist friend Dr. Zarkoff rocketed from Earth to Mongo, they tended to stay there. Despite the presence of rocket ships and "spaceo-phones," most plotlines involve exploring Mongo and encountering its strange tribes and fantastic creatures. In these strips, they flee their archfoe, Ming the Merciless, to Mongo's remote northern reaches; meet Fria, queen of the Ice Kingdom; and battle fearsome giants living in caves beneath the frozen wastes. It's as silly as it sounds, a far cry from today's more sophisticated comics. It moves at breakneck pace, though, little heeding polished characterization and dialogue. Which barely matters, for " Flash"(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)
