In 1980 the Flash Gordon movie came out, and I was pumped for it from the first teaser ad on TV. I still remember watching that first trailer, on my parents old black and white (10", 12" ?!?) set, and describing it to them in a rush, down to the colors of the bad guys outfits (red, which of course is a shade of gray on the set, so whatever)...
Seeing the movie time and again, it was a childhood favorite, no Star Wars, but certainly up there. Around the same time there was a Flash Gordon cartoon I remember being all excited about too.
Going back and revisiting them, I've only grown to appreciate the movie more, with it's lavish sets and costumes, and it's fun and sexy vibe, it's a visual treat that's only heightened by Queen's epic soundtrack!
While the cartoon is of good quality, it's hard to compete with today's animation, and I've yet to get past the first couple episodes.
The new TV show though, was a big letdown. There was no quality treatment like what was bestowed on Battlestar Galactica, just a pale imitation of the concept. It is however passable sci-fi entertainment, but lacking in any real spark that a new generation would fall in love with.
So, before the show launched, amidst my reborn interest with Flash and it's pulpy science fiction roots, I did a sketch inspired by the movie version... which I just resurfaced and finished up with some colors.
In re-Googling reference material to finish it up, I also came across this Japanese movie poster gem...
I'd love to do a Flash Gordon comic series, but rather than mess with that, I've found a way to incorporate a concept inspired by it into another project I'm working on for this year!
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