Line #26 Franchise/FlashGordon


1	[[quoteright:720:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0559_0.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:720:]]
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4	''Flash Gordon'' is a [[SpaceOpera space adventure]] franchise that began as a Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate comic strip in 1934 before being adapted to other media.
5
6	Flash is a hero who protects the Earth from alien menaces, most often the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless of Mongo.
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8	Although originally a comic strip, there have been several adaptations of the story: first was the [[Film/FlashGordonSerial 1936 serial starring Buster Crabbe as Flash]], which was widely acclaimed and one of the more popular serials of its time. There were several animated series ([[WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1979 one in the 1970s]] and [[WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1996 another in the 1990s]]), a [[Series/FlashGordon1954 1950s live-action series]], and a [[Series/FlashGordon2007 2007 live-action series]] by the Sci-Fi Channel.
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10	None of these are nearly as well known or as fun as the 1980 live-action movie adaptation, aptly titled ''Film/{{Flash Gordon\|1980}}''. Starring Sam J Jones as Flash, Creator/MaxVonSydow as Ming the Merciless, Topol as Dr Zarkov, Creator/TimothyDalton as Prince Barin, Creator/BrianBlessed as Prince Vultan, and, if you look carefully, you'll spot Creator/RichardOBrien as one of Barin's men. Widely considered a {{cult classic}} and enormously [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Great Britain]], the movie is pretty much ''exactly'' what would have happened if King Features had ten times the budget, big-name actors and better special effects, and the ''exact same script''.
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12	Flash had comic adaptations as well, including DC Comics' ''ComicBook/FlashGordon1988'' miniseries, and a 2011 comic book adaptation called ''ComicBook/FlashGordonZeitgeist''. The most recent ''Flash Gordon'' series was written by Jeff Parker with Doc Shaner on art, spinning out of Parker's ''King's Watch'' miniseries, a crossover with ComicStrip/ThePhantom and ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician. It ran eight issues and was popular enough to kick off an expanded "King-Dynamite" [[SharedUniverse universe]], with follow-up miniseries for Flash, The Phantom, ComicStrip/JungleJim, ComicStrip/PrinceValiant and Mandrake the Magician.
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14	An enormous influence on ''Franchise/StarWars'': indeed, Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted to make a Flash Gordon movie until Dino De Laurentiis, who held the rights, said no. Considering the massive flop the movie was, Dino might have done better if he'd taken George up on the offer.
15	----
16	!!Entries in the franchise include:
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18	[[index]]
19	* ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'', the comic strip
20	* ''Film/FlashGordonSerial'', the 1930s film serials
21	* ''The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon'', a 1935 radio serial
22	* ''Series/FlashGordon1954'', the 1950s live-action television series
23	* ''WesternAnimation/TheManWhoHatedLaughter'', a 1972 animated special featuring all King Features' characters, including Flash
24	* ''WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1979'', the 1979 animated series
25	* ''Film/FlashGordon1980'', the 1980 movie
26	* Pinball/FlashGordon pinball table
27	* ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'', a 1986 animated series teaming Flash with King Features' other action heroes, ComicStrip/ThePhantom and ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician
28	* ''ComicBook/FlashGordon1988'', Dan Jurgens' 1988 comic book miniseries
29	* ''WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1996'', the 1996 animated series
30	* ''Series/FlashGordon2007'', the 2007 live-action television series
31	* ''ComicBook/FlashGordonZeitgeist'', the 2011 comic book series
32	* ''Flash Forward'', a second comic strip with revolving creators, starting in 2020
33	* [[ComicStrip/FlashGordon2023 Flash Gordon (2023)]], Dan Schkade's reimagining of the classic strip.
34	[[/index]]

Context Franchise / FlashGordon