D23 debuted some new footage of Star Wars Episode IX: Rise Of Skywalker. You can see the footage above and see the key scenes below to follow along with our analysis.
Rey locked in combat with Kylo Ren’s cross-saber. She looks to be dampened with water, so is this part of the fight on the Death Star wreckage seen elsewhere?
The Sequel-Trilogy Heroes finally together for the first time. Note Rey reassembled the Skywalker Saber. Is this Tatooine? Jakku?
Our heroes appear to have stumbled upon a major festival being thrown by the indigenous locals. Perhaps they are celebrating Life Day?
The late great Carrie Fisher from what we know now as unused Force Awakens footage. This may still be Takodana, or could it be Yavin?
A whole bunch of Resistance spacecraft coming out of hyperspace while in orbit. Something that we know is VERY risky to do. But look at all the classic ships! X-Wings, B-Wings, A-Wings, even some Y-Wings. Is that the Tsundered Heart?
A whole bunch of Star Destroyers in a big galactic cloud. I’m not sure why Disney likes showing Star Destroyers in big storm clouds. But these do not look like they are in an attack formation.
On top of that, these are old-school Star Destroyers too. Could they be ships left over from the old Imperial fleet? Perhaps The Resistance is stealing them for their cause? Could these be REPUBLIC Destroyers?
Finn, along with Jannah in what could be The Falcon. Perhaps they are looking at that huge fleet?
Threepio with new red eyes. Of all things in this trailer, that’s what intrigues me the most. What would be needed to add to Threepio’s eyes that would change their color to red? Is this for scanning? Or is he merely possessed by evil?
A big beam shooting out from the sky onto a planet. A possible turbolaser bombardment? Is this Takodana? The snow makes it look like it’s a new planet.
Rey vigorously working with a training droid and throwing her lightsaber boomerang style. Anybody who played The Force Unleashed known how much fun that can be.
When she catches the saber, again we can see it’s the Skywalker Saber. Is it rebuilt? A copy?
Kylo walking on what looks to be a snow or salt-covered planet. It seems likely this is the same planet we saw getting fired upon a few scenes earlier.
Here’s the already famous fight on the Death Star II wreckage that floats on the water of Endor.
We hear Palpatine say “Your Journey nears its end”, and a brief sample of Darth Vader breathing. And then we see the final shot of Rey with the double-bladed saber.
Many fans have already made the prediction that this is not actually Rey. It very well could be some Force Vision or Projection a la Darth Vader in the cave on Dagobah.
What did you think of the trailer? Were there any scenes that piqued your interest? Sound of below!
That said, like with so many other remakes and rebrandings, the original lore is still there. It won’t get erased from existence if a retelling of Snake-Eyes happens.
Airdates will be Supergirl 12/8, Batwoman 12/9, Flash 12/10. Then Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow on 1/14. So that’s five episodes in two parts, meaning it will also double as the mid-season cliffhanger.
Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Two franchises that have been around for decades and seen countless variations reach amazing levels of mainstream success. A meeting of the two seems like a natural step doesn’t it?
That’s just what happened in late 2015 when IDW joined forces with DC Comics to present the first official pairing. Two more crossovers followed, as well as an animated movie adaption.
I’ll still give a mild spoiler warning. I won’t give away massive plot points, but if you want to be completely spoiler-free read the comic and watch the video first.
Limited Series/Hardcover Adaption
Hardcover collection of the first series
Originally published as a six-issue crossover, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saw the Turtles brought into the DC Comics world. Ever since DC vs. Marvel, it seems every crossover has to be done with the premise of one side coming from a different world.
Veteran Batman writer James Tyrion IV handles the story, with Freddie Williams II doing the artwork. The pairing absolutely works. Batman looks just as he always has, while the Turtles still manage to have the classic Mirage Studios look without feeling out of place next to The Dark Knight.
The premise is simple. Krang sent The Turtles, along with Shredder and his Foot Clan minions, to another world so he could be evil without their interference. See, in this incarnation, Shredder and Krang aren’t besties so they’re prone to sabotaging each other’s plans.
The rest of the story, for the most part, can easily be figured out. The two groups of heroes do not initially trust each other but learn to respect one another when push comes to shove. The interaction between Batman and Raphael is particularly good, given Raph is the hothead of his family and Bats has a history of dealing with hotheaded teenagers.
The Blu-ray adapts the first mini-series. However, the subplot of alternate worlds is left out, probably for simplicity’s sake. There are also characters in the comic that do not appear in the comic and vice versa. Plus the ending is completely different as it takes place at an Ace Chemical factory instead of Arkham Asylum like the comic.
The animation almost seems like a hybrid of Cartoon Network’s The Brave And The Bold crossed with the TMNT style of the early 2000s syndicated series. If you were hoping for a return to the 90s DCAU look, you might be a little disappointed*.
As far as the voice acting, none of the past TMNT voice actors reprise any roles. Fortunately, the actors who do appear perform the roles admirably and the voicing is top-notch as always.
That said, it really would have been that extra topping on the pizza to have the known voices like Rob Paulsen, Cam Clarke, or Kevin Michael Richardson in the mix. It’s very possible there are production reasons why it didn’t happen, but it still would have been cool.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Troy Baker taking a shot as Batman. I have said before that I literally hear Kevin Conroy’s voice in my head when I read Batman comics. Baker has previously filled in for Mark Hamill as The Joker and pulled it off so well even Hamill himself was impressed. He manages the same feat here with uncanny accuracy to Conroy’s Batman.
While there is nothing shown explicitly, there is a good deal of violence in the movie. An example of this is when Shredder and Ra’s Al-Ghul infiltrate Arkham Asylum. A security guard is shown trying to stop them and you see a flash of a blade. Moments later, the guard’s severed hand is used to open the security door that leads to The Joker’s cell. Another is when Shredder kills by throwing a shuriken into the back of a head.
There is no word yet, as of this writing, whether there will be additional movies. Based on this first outing we certainly hope there will be. Each franchise still has villains that haven’t been used yet, and with two more comics stories, there are easily two more movies worth of material.
Now, how about that long overdue TMNT/Daredevil crossover?
It is worth noting that only films slated for 2020 and 2021 were announced. There were no definite indications of theatrical releases for 2022. The possibilities of Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Avengers 5 are still very strong.
For each of the announced movies or series, we’ll give our main speculation points and pair them up with what was confirmed during the Hall H presentation.
Speculation: Florence Pugh will play Yelena Belova/Crimson Widow. David Harbour will be Taskmaster. This may introduce a cloned Natasha like in the comics
Confirmed: Pugh will be Yelena Belova, David Harbour will be Alexi Shostakov aka Red Guardian, the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
New Speculation: Yelena Belova may be Taskmaster instead of Crimson Widow
Speculation: Millie Bobby Brown and Angelina Jolie would be the same character. Thanos and Adam Warlock would be involved in some capacity.
Confirmed: Several roles were announced, none of which were Thanos or Warlock. It will take place on Earth, and Kevin Feige described it as “full-on Jack Kirby“.
Speculation:Shang-Chi will fill the void Danny Rand/Iron Fist fills in the comics as the martial-arts expert. If this is an attempt to get a Bruce Lee vibe, it will fail to do so
Speculation: Will take place before Vision’s death in Infinity War.
Confirmed: Takes place in current time, so maybe Captain America was able to revive Vision in his post-Endgame quest. Monica Rambeau is in the show, perhaps to become a new Captain Marvel or Miss Marvel.
Speculation: Possible origin story or another story from the past. Loki’s escape during Endgame could play a factor.
Confirmed: Takes place after Loki’s escape in Avengers: Endgame. This will be the classic evil Loki and not the sympathetic character he became in Phase Three.
Speculation: Could be directly related to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 given the styles of directors James Gunn and Taiki Watiti. Plus Thor left with the Guardians to close out Endgame.
Confirmed:Natalie Portman will be reprising Jane Foster and will become Thor.
Current Speculation: Thor himself will be a supporting role, and it could still tie into Guardians 3
1:01:05 – Hawkeye (Fall 2021)
Speculation: Clint is back to adventuring now that his family is safe. We may see Kate Bishop.
Confirmed: Kate Bishop will be major part of the show
Maharshala Ali was a surprise announcement as the MCU Blade. It was not stated whether this will be a feature film or a Disney+ mini-series.
1:13:00 – X-Men and Deadpool (Phase Five?)
Marvel did not outright say any immediate future of the X-Men franchise, including Deadpool. But it seems like X-Men may wait a few years and get rebranded for Phase Five.
One of the many fun things with San Diego Comic-Con is the plethora of trailers released. While the days of exclusive trailers are mostly gone, it’s still a big marketing day for the entertainment industry.
Here are several of the trailers that premiered over the weekend.
Netflix’s The Witcher starring Henry Cavill
HBO’s Watchmen, inspired by the classic comic book miniseries
A sizzle reel for Arrow gives a glimpse of Season Eight
The Flash Season 6
Flash Season 6 introduces the new villain Bloodwork
Top Gun: Maverick, the long-rumored sequel to the 1986 classic
Terminator: Dark Fate
Terminator: Dark Fate welcomes back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
Dark Crystal
Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance still uses puppetry like its predecessor
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot is a sequel to 2003’s Jay & Silen Bob Strike Back
Star Trek: Picard looks to be an absolute treasure to TNG fans
What were your favorite trailers from Sand Diego Comic-Con? Sound off below!
Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return for another episode of Geekville Radio.
2:00 – A NEW 007?
Every so often, characters get recast or revamped with different features. Most of the time, the changes are irrelevant. other times, they can be essential. This is a subject that has been discussed in past episodes of Geekville Radio.
The latest case is the rumored recasting of Ian Fleming’s Agent 007. James Bond has been a fixture in pop culture for over 50 years. Now, James Bond is allegedly being replaced with a new character to be played by Lashana Lynch. We look at this news and compare it to other times perennial favorites have been revamped.
Contrary to the fan theory, James Bond was not an alias. It was always the same man in all of the classic Fleming novels. What is allegedly happening is similar to what Marvel Comics does when they revamp a character (James Rhodes becoming Iron Man is an example). It is not the same character reimagined, but a new character taking Bond’s place as Agent 007.
15:50 – THE STATE OF THE MCU AFTER PHASE THREE
Marvel’s Phase Three for its Cinematic Universe (MCU) wrapped this year with Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, andSpider-Man: Far From Home. All three films wrapped up the last ten years of stories, while still bringing new characters into the fold.
Still, much of the highly anticipated Phase Four is left in mystery. Disney and Marvel are staying tight-lipped about what major threats could be in store for the heroes come 2020. So we’ll do whatever any sensible fan would do when faced with this dilemma: Make our own conclusions, and yell and scream when they aren’t met to the letter.
Let’s take a look at each of the characters and where they currently stand as of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Then we can see where they may fit in future films.
Iron Man/Tony Stark – In the climactic finale to Avengers: Endgame, Tony sacrificed himself to save the universe. As anybody who reads comics can tell you, nobody stays dead in comics (well, except for Thunderbird, he’s still dead). It wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see Tony back in some capacity, even if it’s in a flashback or cameo from another universe. That said, the chances of him back full time are pretty slim at best though.
Captain America/Steve Rogers – The last scene in Avengers: Endgame was Steve returning back to a post World War II America to reunite with Peggy Carter. Some fans objected, saying that Cap would never do this in the comics. While that is technically true, the unfortunate truth is actors age in the real world, whereas superheroes never need to.
Could we see a cameo in a period piece or a time travel story? Or even once more as a 100-year-old mentor? Chances are fans wouldn’t complain.
Thor – The final scene of Endgame saw Thor joining Guardians Of The Galaxy, even making an Asgardians Of The Galaxy joke. Since Thor doesn’t have to worry about leading his people for a while, it seems likely he will continue his big-screen adventures, whether in a solo film or in Guardians 3.
Hulk/Bruce Banner – Bruce has learned to control himself to the point where he has the best of both worlds. The Hulk’s strength and endurance paired with Banner’s intelligence. Allegedly, only Universal can make a Hulk standalone movie, which is why he is always second fiddle to other heroes in their movies. Still, with Hulk likely staying Hulk full-time, the character can continue to have onscreen adventures even if Mark Ruffalo should bow out.
Plus there’s always the possibility of introducing Amadeus Cho as The Totally Awesome Hulk. And it’s probably only a matter of time before we get She-Hulk.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff – She’s dead. Yet she’s getting a movie. More on that later.
Hawkeye/Clint Barton – All Clint wanted was his family back. He got that, so presumably, he’ll be suiting up again as an Avenger sooner rather than later. Could we be getting Kate Bishop?
Ant-Man/Scott Lang – Reunited with his daughter after five years, Scott looks to be good to go for another round of adventuring. He and Hope Van Dyne are probably a duo from here on out.
Dr. Stephen Strange – Strange was pivotal in helping the heroes turn the tide and defeat Thanos. There is plenty more mysticism and magic in store for The Sorcerer Supreme.
Black Panther/T’Challa – Another breakout hero for Phase Three who scored a billion-dollar jackpot with his own movie. Panther will be around for the long haul.
Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers – The chances are high that Carol will take flight again in her own film, as well as back up the other heroes if needed.
Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes – Disney’s upcoming streaming service ensures we’ll see a lot of Bucky in the forseeable future.
Loki – Seemingly killed off in Avengers: Infinity War, but escaped from captivity during Endgame. What effect did his escape during the past have on future films?
29:30 – PHASE FOUR MOVIES
It’s no secret that Disney and Marvel have several years of MCU films on the docket. Some, such as Black Widow and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, fans have been clamoring for years to get. While others, The Eternals and Shang-Chi, seem more experimental.
Seven films are confirmed for Marvel’s Phase Four at the time of recording, thought there could be more in the works. There are also mini-series spotlighting MCU characters set to air on Disney’s streaming service Disney+. However, many of those appear to be standalone stories and not related to the immediate future of the MCU.
We will likely hear a lot about what is in store for Phase Four in the coming weeks with San Diego Comic-Con and D23 around the corner.
Release Dates
These are the current release dates given by Disney/Marvel, but are not officially connected to any titles at the moment.
May 1, 2020
November 6, 2020
February 12, 2021
May 5, 2021
November 5, 2021
February 18, 2022
May 6, 2022
July 29, 2022
So without further ado, let’s take a look at what Marvel has in store for The MCU in Phase Four
Confirmed Phase Four Films
Black Widow – At long last, Scarlett Johansson is starring in her own Black Widow movie. Fans have been asking for this since her debut in Iron Man 2. The problem is her clear self-sacrifice during Endgame.
Images from the filming set show a 2017 model BMW SUV which would imply at least some of the story taking place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Other on-set photos point to Taskmaster as the villain.
The supporting cast is made up of David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and Florence Pugh. Rumors point to Harbour as Taskmaster, and Pugh as Yelena Belova, aka Crimson Widow.
As for how this could fit into Phase Four, the current Black Widow in the comics is a clone of Natasha. That could be an inspiration for a big-screen return. Which, depending on when the clone was created, could pose an interesting question: Which one died, the real Natasha or the clone?
Black Panther 2 – It’s no surprise that T’Challa will be returning to the big screen after such a runaway hit in 2018. Ryan Coogler will also return to write and direct. There is a rumor that Michael B Jordan will appear in some capacity. Of course, that doesn’t mean Killmongor is alive. It could be a flashback or fantasy segment.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 – After much controversy, James Gunn is returning to write and direct the third installment in the space comedy franchise. Most of the cast will be returning, but no confirmation whether Thor will be involved.
Joining the cast in an alleged voice role is Mark Hamill, who has been rumored to be anything from Rocket’s creator to The High Evolutionary..
The Eternals – Angelina Jolie headlines the cast, and Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame is also allegedly in negotiations to star in what will be a cosmic level story. Eternals, Celestials, Inhumans, Titans, and Deviants are all characters who fit in these classifications. But they may be simplified for a big-screen take. In the comics, Thanos and Adam Warlock have links to them. So it is possible we may get a Thanos origin story.
Captain Marvel 2 – Given Carol’s big screen debut topped the billion dollar mark, it’s a safe bet she will grace the screen in her own sequel.
Avengers 5 – While not officially announced, another movie with the Avengers name is almost certain. As with previous films, it will probably wrap up Phase Four and set the stage for Phase Five. There are a ton of suitable stories from the comics that could be adapted to the big screen.
Secret Invasion – Now that Skrulls are regulars, it opens the possibilities of major players getting replaced with imposters
Secret Wars – A legendary universe-wide event where Dr. Doom gets the powers of a god.
Kang The Conquerer – With time travel is a part of the MCU, it’s a pretty safe bet the heroes will meet, and anger, Kang.
Evolutionary War – The High Evolutionary (mentioned earlier as a possible Mark Hamill role) comes to Earth and wreaks havoc
Up In The Air
Thunderbolts – A Thunderbolts film has been rumored for some time. They are an undercover villain team from the 1990s that turned into a team of anti-heroes. Sometimes called Marvel’s Suicide Squad.
The final film in Marvel Phase Three was not Avengers: Endgame, but Spider-Man: Far From Home. It firmly established, in case there were any doubts, that people affected by The Snap did get a five year age difference. Plus, it featured the big screen debut of Mysterio, one of Spider-Man’s longest-tenured villains.
SPOILERS BELOW!
One thing I noticed when reading preview pages was the number of sites that didn’t seem to know the background on Mysterio. I’m not going to say names because I don’t want to hurt any feelings, but I would see websites speculate “Could this Mysterio be a hero?”. Anybody familiar with Mysterio in the comics knows that masquerading as a hero is what he does. Jake Gyllenhaal takes on a rare villain role but does play the “man out of place” facade very well.
As for the rest of the cast, all the major characters return. A few are recast due to the age differences caused by Thanos’s Snap, now called “The Blip” for the masses. The setting is eight months later, with Peter adjusting to life without Tony Stark.
A major plot point involved Peter being given special glasses worn by Tony in Endgame which had the latest JARVIS/FRIDAY type AI, EDITH (Even In Death I’m The Hero). This leads to a comedy segment where Peter accidentally sends death drones after a classmate.
Naturally, Peter, still unsure of his abilities, is hesitant to step up as a go-to guy for the Avengers. He willingly hands over EDITH, and thus all of Stark Technologies, to Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, who uses them to wreak havoc in Italy. Why Tony Stark of all people wouldn’t have a failsafe on such a dangerous piece of technology is not explained. But that’s low on the list of questions in a world where half the population has to deal with losing five years of their lives.
Perhaps the biggest news coming out of the latest MCU offering wasn’t even in the movie itself but in the now signature post-credits scene. In it, we find that Nick Fury and Maria Hill are actually being impersonated by Jonas, the skrulls from Captain Marvel. Meanwhile, the real Fury is on board a skrull spaceship somewhere else in the cosmos.
TRAILER COMPARISONS
We speculated in our analysis of the final trailer that Mysterio not only was up to his usual trick of passing off as a hero but that he may be lying about coming from another world. Both turned out to be the case, as Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck harbored a deep hatred of Tony Stark for taking his tech, as depicted in Captain America: Civil War. Another one of his henchmen was the guy yelled at by Obadiah Stane for not being as good as Stark in the original Iron Man. Like Vulture in Homecoming, Beck’s team resented Stark and SHIELD for kicking them to the curb.
That brings us to one of the more puzzling elements of the last trailer. In it, Fury states that “The Snap” opened portals to other worlds. This line was not spoken during the film. The only mention of another Earth was during Beck’s introduction in the first act.
So why was this line cut? Was it simply for plot simplicity? Or was it a red herring to throw the audience off? After all, even if Beck was a fraud, a link to another universe would be a heckuva plot point to leave open. Especially since the epilogue showed that neither Fury nor Hill trusted Beck in the first place, even if it was their skrull doppelgangers.
Another piece of news concerning cut footage is the lack of Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture. While he did not appear in the trailers, he was credited on the film’s IMDB page. Ditto for Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan/Scorpion. The presence of these villains wasn’t crucial, but it would have been nice to catch a glimpse of them. After all, the natural progression would be to have some form of The Sinister Six in an upcoming movie. The villainous group would be half accounted for, assuming Beck’s death was a ruse. They even have a common cause: Hatred of Stark Industries, SHIELD, and Spider-Man.
THE FINAL VERDICT
Overall, Far From Home delivered on every major expectation. We got a faithful depiction of Mysterio as a villain who masquerades as a hero. We got further development in Peter’s relationship with MJ. We even got J Jonah Jameson, the biggest thorn in Spider-Man’s side, reprised by JK Simmons to boot!
The only thing that could be seen as a disappointment was in the soundtrack. Not the music by Michael Giacchino, that was top notch as usual. But we’ve now had our second Spider-Man movie with a Ramones song in it, and not the Ramones cover of the Spider-Man theme from the 90s.
2020 will see the dawn on Marvel’s Phase Four, and there are plenty of possibilities where things will go. Our next episode of Geekville Radio will dive into what we know and don’t know about Phase Four.
Flash Gordon: The Fifth Inductee into The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame
A lot of people have heard of Flash Gordon, but how much do they actually know? This is why we induct characters such as The Lone Ranger or The Phantom. Sure, the name is well known, but their influence over the genre is bigger and deeper than a lot of people realize.
You can’t tell the story of Flash Gordon without a name we discussed in our second episode about The Phantom. That name is King Features Syndicate. In short, King Features Syndicate were distributors of newspapers and comic strips throughout the world. They were responsible for publishing characters such as The Phantom, Beetle Bailey, and Popeye.
Not only does Flash Gordon have a great hero and great stories, it also has a great villain in Ming The Merciless. Given that Flash Gordon set the template for science fiction, and especially for Space Opera, we induct him into our Hall Of Fame.
Creating a Science Fiction Hero
One popular title that King did not publish was Buck Rogers. In fact, Buck actually predates Flash by a few years. King Features wanted a sci-fi hero to compete against the established Buck Rogers.
First, King tried to buy the rights to publish John Carter stories. When that deal couldn’t be made, King turned to one of their own artists, Alex Raymond. Taking a cue from the novel When Worlds Collide, Raymond created a strip that would have three main characters: The athletic hero (Flash), the girlfriend (Dale), and the scientist (Dr. Zarkov). In fact, that is a common trope to this day when it comes to sci-fi.
The Characters
Alex “Flash” Gordon – Flash is the handsome athletic hero in the series. He is a professional polo player and graduate of Yale University. Flash is usually depicted as a swashbuckling action star who is never afraid to confront evil. Later adaptions have changed Flash’s athletic background to football rather than polo.
Dale Arden – The heroine of the series, Dale is always the one true love in Flash’s life. Her role can vary greatly depending on the adaption and writing. In the original comic, she had no given profession. Over the years, she has been a news reporter, a travel agent, a spy, and a highly trained scientist in her own right. One constant in all the adaptions is Ming’s desire to marry her.
Dr. Zarkov – Depending on the adaption, Dr. Zarkov’s first name is either Hans or Alexis. Either way, Zarkov is the scientist who discovers a rogue planet heading on a collision course with Earth. He enlists the help of Flash and Dale to save the world. Whether Flash and Dale go willingly or are kidnapped at gunpoint can also vary by adaption. Either way, Zarkov becomes a friend and heroic character over the course of the adventures.
Ming The Merciless – The constant adversary in all Flash Gordon adaptions, Ming is one of the more infamous villains in sci-fi history. He is the ruthless emperor of Planet Mongo who wishes to marry Dale Arden against her wishes. Ming is apparently killed several times over the years, only to return due to a pre-planned escape.
Vultan – Prince of his people, The Hawkmen, Vultan is a fierce warrior who sees the heroes as adversaries. However, his respect is earned when they save his people from destruction at Ming’s hands. In almost any iteration, he is a large barrel chested man who has honor and a heart of gold.
Barin – Another prince of his people, Barin is actually the rightful ruler of Mongo. He usually is romantically linked to Ming’s daughter Aura, but their relationship can vary given the different adaptions over the years.
Aura – Ming’s daughter and the princess of Mongo. Her character can also vary based on the adaption and the writer. Most versions depict her being smitten with Flash. Earlier material shows her to be as nefarious as her father, while more recent takes have her in a more sympathetic role.
Thun – Like Barin and Vultan, Thun is the prince of his people. Originally depicted as a Lion-like species, he has been altered for other adaptions to be fully human. In any regard, he is one of Flash’s closest allies.
Comic Strip Run
The first Flash Gordon strip was published in January 1934. Raymond was the only person credited for the strip, but he did have ghostwriters helping with the writing while he supplied the artwork. The initial story, which became known as “Flash Gordon On The Planet Mongo”, is what many of the subsequent adaptions have been based on.
Raymond was the main creative force in the weekly comic strips for approximately 10 years, from January 1934 – April 1944. A daily strip by Austin Briggs began in 1940. Briggs took over both strips when Raymond left King Features to enlist in the US Military for World War II. The comic strip would continue to run in some capacity for the next several decades. The daily strip ended in 1993. The Sunday strip ran until 2003 and featured comic book talents such as John Romita Sr., Al Williamson, and Joe Kubert over the years.
Radio Serials
A radio serial was produced in 1935. For the most part, it directly followed the comic strip for its first year. After that, it strayed from the comics to tell original stories. It ended the following year after 60 episodes.
Movie Serials
Three Flash Gordon serials were released in theaters. Former Olympic swimmer turned actor Buster Crabbe portrayed Flash in all three serials, opposite James Middleton’s Emperor Ming.
Flash Gordon was released in 1936 and mainly followed the story of the initial comic strip series “Flash Gordon On Planet Mongo”. The serial was a huge hit and launched Crabb’s career as an action hero. In 1996, the original serial was selected for preservation in Teh National Film Registry by The Library Of Congress.
In 1938, a sequel Flash Gordon’s Trip To Mars was released. It was adapted from the comic story “Flash Gordon and the Witch Queen of Mongo”. Most of the original cast returned, including Jean Rogers as Dale and Frank Shannon as Zarkov. As the title implied, the story took place on Mars. This was a significant change from the comic, which of course was still set on Mongo. However, Ming was still the principle villain of the story, though he had a more devilish demeanor.
The third and final serial, Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, premiered in 1940. Carol Hughes replaced Jean Rogers as Dale, while Middleton once again played Ming. This time around, Ming was portrayed as a brutal dictator, probably due to the world getting swept up in war.
All the serials were adapted for TV in the 1950s. To avoid confusion with the unrelated original Flash Gordon TV show airing at the time, the serial was renamed Space Soldiers.
TV Series
In 1954, a TV series aired starring fashion model Steve Holland as Flash. Relatively unknown actors Irene Champlin and Joseph Nash portrayed Dale and Dr, Zarkov respectively.
Unlike all the other adaptions, this Flash Gordon had an entirely different premise. Instead of adapting stories from the comics, the series took place in the year 3203 where Flash and company travel through space on a rocket ship.
The show aired on the now defunct DuMont Network, and was a modest hit. Many fans dismiss the series due to its deviation from source material. However, there still are fans and critics who praise the show due to its depiction of Dale as an intelligent scientist as opposed to the stereotypical girlfriend in peril.
1979 Animated Series
In 1979, Filmation produced an animated movie that retold Flash’s origin by blending elements of several comic stories together. This adaption was a period piece set in the early days of World War II, where Flash was an Olympic Gold Medalist, and Ming The Merciless worked with Hitler. It also had more adult themes such as alcohol use, scantily clad females, and sexual innuendos between characters. Thun famously said, “You have never loved until you’ve loved a lion woman with fur so soft”. When NBC execs were shown the movie, they liked it, but wanted it turned into a Saturday Morning series.
With the change to a Saturday Morning series came a different setting. Instead of taking place in World War II, it was set in the present day. The more adult-oriented elements were removed, and characters like Aura were toned down. The series went on to be regarded as one of Filmation’s best series. Each episode was a chapter in an ongoing story, complete with a summary of events in the opening moments, much like the original serials. It ran for two seasons and ended its run in 1981.
The cast was largely the same between the movie and the series. The two most notable changes were Alan Oppenheimer taking over Ming and Dr. Zarkov, while Alan Melvin replaced the late great Ted Cassidy as Thun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pPk1JBGGRo
Introduction to the Flash Gordon animated series from 1979
In 1982, over a year after the series ended, the original movie was shown on NBC. It only aired once, and has never been formally released in the US. There have been releases in other countries, and various recordings of it are readily available online.
You have never loved until you have loved a Lion Woman with fur so soft…
Thun in Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All
1980 Feature Film
This is the adaption modern generations are familiar with. It’s probably just as famous, if not more so, for the music soundtrack by Queen.
Former Playgirl model Sam J Jones played Flash. While Jones was a relatively unknown actor, the supporting cast of the film was full of talent. Brian Blessed was Vultan, Max Von Sydow played Ming, and Timothy Dalton played Prince Barin.
The film is a very loose adaption of the origin story. One change made was switching Flash from being a polo player to an NFL Quarterback. Thun, perhaps due to costume limitations at the time, was presented as human and not the half lion species depicted in the comics.
While the movie gained a bit of a cult following, it was not a box office hit. It grossed $27 million on a budget of $20 million.
Defenders Of The Earth
Marvel produced the animated series Defenders Of The Earth in 1986. It teamed Flash with fellow King Features heroes The Phantom, Mandrake The Magician, and Lothar. In this series, the setting was in 2015 and all the heroes had children who joined them in the adventures. The series ran for 65 episodes.
Flash is one of the most influential characters in science-fiction. It is no secret that George Lucas entertained the idea of making a Flash Gordon film in the 1970s. When that couldn’t be done, he created something called Star Wars.
One of the things most famously adopted by Star Wars was the scrolling text to introduce the story. The serial episodes began with just that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu3NunNyP6c
For more on Flash Gordon, check out the links below.
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Geekville Radio Presents Examining The Doctor: Shada
Examining the Doctor is back after two years, and we wanted to come back with a doozy of a show. This episode is devoted to the infamously incomplete story Shada from 1979. This was meant to be the final story for Season 17, but due to strikes and politics, production halted after a few days.
The BBC finally released a complete reconstructed version using animated sequences to fill the missing scenes. The result is a mashup of live action and animation that would only seem to fit in Doctor Who.
Join Mark and Seth as they bring their signature blend of knowledge and humor to arguably the most popular story to never get broadcast. Written by Douglas Adams, Shada stars Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana, and Christopher Meade as the villainous Skagra
Last year, Vince DiCola played a special concert at Los Angeles’ famous Whisky-A-Go-Go. Naturally he performed a lot of music from his soundtracks for Rocky IV and Transformers: The Movie.
However, for one particular song, he mashed up the popular “Death Of Optimus Prime” music with the classic Simon & Garfunkel song “Sound Of Silence”. The result is a bit chilling… In a good way.
Vince Dicola and his band performing at Whiskey-A-Go-Go
