Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby

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4 years ago

When Alex Raymond drew the first episode of Flash Gordon in 1934, creating a much more lively and rich character than the rudimentary Buck Rogers, from whom he was apparently derived, he probably had no idea that his work would eventually grow into one of the most popular comics in SF history. . Raymond drew until 1944, and was later taken over by other authors.

It is interesting that some episodes were made by some European authors, including the famous director Federico Fellini, at a time when the import of original boards from the USA was difficult due to the war.

Moving within the confines of classical space opera, Raymond has created a whole series of nuanced protagonists and antagonists: in addition to the daring and ingenious Flash Gordon, there are also the attractive Dale Arden, his informal fiancée who brings into the otherwise chaste context of early SF comics on the front pages of genre periodicals, the wise Dr. Hans Zarkov, originally built on the model of a mad scientist, but later transformed into Flash's intellectual alter ego, as well as Ming the Ruthless, whose cunning conspiracies on the planet Mongo cause Gordon and his team great trouble.

Although Raymond and his successors deal with the usual arsenal of space opera (spacecraft, death rays, etc.), the focus is not, as in Buck Rogers, on the exoticism of this technological milieu, but on human drama: envy, jealousy, power, conspiracy, friendship and there is every chance that it is on this shift that the lasting appeal of this comic rests.

The comic initially came out on a Sunday rhythm, but its quickly gained popularity soon moved it to daily editions, where it lingered the longest. Many episodes have been published as books, and the comic has been published in a translated edition in more than 50 countries.

The amazing, picturesque, miraculous, space, imaginative, gorgeous, fantastic adventures of this space opera hero do not need to be specifically described, because comics about him have been published many times, from his first flight to planet Mongo to his latest adventures as a space police member.

Of course, the archetypes are immediately noticeable: an intelligent, capable American graduate educated in the famous Anglo-Saxon scientific-sports regime; a mad scientist of German-Russian descent; a girl gentle and feminine, faithful and loyal, of French surname; the main enemy is a member of the yellow, squint-eyed race; technological futurism and fantastic landscapes as scenography.

Flash Gordon has undergone many changes during over half a century of publishing. It is still one of the most widely read comics in the world and its popularity is not declining, although its SF-image is strictly classic, unlike many well-known contemporary achievements.

Rip Kirby is a comic strip with the adventures of the eponymous character, a private detective created in 1946 by Alex Raymond.

After World War II, Raymond did not return to work on some of his previous successful comics (Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Secret Agent X-9), but began work on a new hero in which former Marine Rip Kirby returns from World War II. World War II and goes to work as a private detective, sometimes in the company of his girlfriend, fashion model Judith Lynne “Honey” Dorian. Her name and nickname are borrowed from the names of Raymond’s three daughters.

Rip Kirby was based on a suggestion by editor King Ward that Raymond was trying to devise a “detective comic”. The first publication of the comic was on March 4, 1946, the comic received significant promotion by the unions, even including fully colored promotional art, a rarity in comedy promotions. The comic enjoyed success, and Raymond received the Reuben Award in 1949.

During Raymond’s years on comics, the stories were initially written by Ward Greene and later, after Greene’s death, by Fred Dickenson. Some sequences were also written by Raymond.

Rip Kirby is a criminologist who becomes a private detective after the war. He was a real refreshment in his time because, unlike the hard-boiled detectives of the time, he was an intellectual who used not only raw power on cases but, in most cases, had a more sophisticated approach. His appearance; glasses with woodyallen frames (which remind the author of these lines, again, of his glasses ;-)), a pipe in his mouth and a suit more reminiscent of an ordinary professor than a private detective. However, that look can also be deceiving because Rip, as a former Marine, is very physically strong. He is especially good at boxing so we can often see him at the Adventurers Club (of which he is a prominent member) training by hitting the bag. Rip is charming, romantic and a bit pathetic because he is quite gentle towards his enemies so it is very rare to kill any of them. He has a charming sense of humor, which is why he can't escape many fans.

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i have first time heared about that popular comic and look very interesting.

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