List of Flash Gordon comic strips explained

Flash Gordon is an American space adventure comic strip from King Features Syndicate, created and originally illustrated by Alex Raymond to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Flash Gordon ran as a Sunday comic from January 7, 1934 until March 16, 2003.^{[1] [2]} From 2003 to 2023, the strip went into reprints of the work of Jim Keefe, who had written and illustrated the comic from 1996 to 2003.^[3] A daily strip by Austin Briggs ran from 1941 to 1944,^[4] and another by Dan Barry ran from 1951 to 1990.^[5] Flash Gordon was relaunched as a daily strip by Dan Schkade on October 22, 2023.^[6]

The comic strip follows the adventures of Flash Gordon and his companions Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov, who travel to the planet Mongo and immediately come into conflict with Ming the Merciless, its evil ruler.^[7] Other characters include Prince Thun of the Lion Men, Flash's ally who opposes Ming; Princess Aura, Ming's selfish daughter who has an unrequited love for Flash; Prince Barin of the forest kingdom of Arboria, the rightful ruler of Mongo; and Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen, who inhabit a flying city.

Sunday strips

Reprint era (2003–2023)

Daily strips

Series 1

• • D1-001 - "Princess Lita" (5/27/40 to 2/22/41)
  • D1-002 - "Freeland" (2/24/41 to 8/21/41)
  • D1-003 - "War on Earth" (8/22/41 to 12/13/41)
  • D1-004 - "Disaster in Space" (12/15/41 to 1/17/42)
  • D1-005 - "Shipwrecked" (1/19/42 to 4/25/42)
  • D1-006 - "Radium Mines of Electra" (4/27/42 to 7/11/42)
  • D1-007 - "Queen Tigra of Forestia" (7/13/42 to 11/26/42)
  • D1-008 - "Royal Hunt" (11/27/42 to 4/21/43)
  • D1-009 - "Isle of the Elvins" (4/22/43 to 3/25/44)
  • D1-010 - "The Menace of Mysta" (3/27/44 to 4/25/44)
  • D1-011 - "Home" (4/26/44 to 6/3/44)

Series 2

• • D2-001 - "Space Prison" (11/19/51 to 2/16/52)
  • D2-002 - "The City of Ice" (2/18/52 to 6/14/52)
  • D2-003 - "The Butterfly Men" (6/16/52 to 8/9/52)
  • D2-004 - "Tartarus" (8/11/52 to 10/18/52)
  • D2-005 - "The Awful Forest” (10/20/52 to 12/30/52)
  • D2-006 - "Mr. Murlin” (12/31/52 to 4/20/53)
  • D2-007 - "The Space Kids on Zoran” (4/21/53 to 10/24/53)
  • D2-008 - "The Lost Continent” (10/26/53 to 3/20/54)
  • D2-009 - "Circea” (3/22/54 to 5/29/54)
  • D2-010 - "The Deadly Touch” (5/31/54 to 8/30/54)
  • D2-011 - "Peril Park” (8/31/54 to 11/13/54)
  • D2-012 - "The Martian Baby” (11/15/54 to 2/5/55)
  • D2-013 - "The Trail of the Vulke” (2/7/55 to 4/26/55)
  • D2-014 - "Tympani” (4/27/55 to 7/9/55)
  • D2-015 - "Starling” (7/11/55 to 9/3/55)
  • D2-016 - "Space Circus” (9/5/55 to 10/29/55)
  • D2-017 - "The Swamp-Girl” (10/31/55 to 12/31/55)
  • D2-018 - "Return to Mongo” (1/2/56 to 3/24/56)
  • D2-019 - "Kag the Conqueror” (3/26/56 to 6/9/56)
  • D2-020 - "Kozy and Skurvy's E-Z Island" (6/11/56 to 9/29/56)
  • D2-021 - "Robb and Bey's Wonders of Mongo” (10/1/56 to 12/25/56)
  • D2-022 - "Mezmo” (12/26/56 to 2/23/57)
  • D2-023 - "Dust Devil” (2/25/57 to 4/20/57)
  • D2-024 - "City of Azcar Women” (4/22/57 to 6/29/57)
  • D2-025 - "River Pirates” (7/1/57 to 8/17/57)
  • D2-026 - "Cybernia” (8/19/57 to 10/19/57)
  • D2-027 - "Radioactive Loot” (10/21/57 to 12/7/57)
  • D2-028 - "The Time Pendulum” (12/9/57 to 1/25/58)
  • D2-029 - "The Far Side of the Moon” (1/27/58 to 3/15/58)
  • D2-030 - "Behind the Flying Saucers" (3/17/58 to 5/3/58)
  • D2-031 - "Movie-Making on Pluto" (5/5/58 to 6/21/58)
  • D2-032 - "Solar Mirror" (6/23/58 to 7/26/58)
  • D2-033 - "Colony on Mars” (7/28/58 to 9/13/58)
  • D2-034 - "Disaster at Bigtree” (9/15/58 to 11/8/58)
  • D2-035 - "Derelict of the Skorpi War” (11/10/58 to 12/27/58)
  • D2-036 - "Runaway Weather Satellite" (12/29/58 to 2/14/59)
  • D2-037 - "Lost Legion” (2/16/59 to 5/2/59)
  • D2-038 - "The Matter Transmitter” (5/4/59 to 6/27/59)
  • D2-039 - "Flash Without Dale” (6/29/59 to 9/5/59)
  • D2-040 - "Space Construction Corps” (9/7/59 to 10/24/59)
  • D2-041 - "H-Bomb Under the Mongo Sea” (10/26/59 to 1/5/60)
  • D2-042 - "The Metallic Raiders” (1/6/60 to 3/5/60)
  • D2-043 - "The Airborne Ark” (3/7/60 to 4/23/60)
  • D2-044 - "The First Man on Mars” (4/25/60 to 6/25/60)
  • D2-045 - "Quarantine Station” (6/27/60 to 9/3/60)
  • D2-046 - "The Psi People” (9/5/60 to 12/9/60)
  • D2-047 - "Deathfighters” (12/10/60 to 3/11/61)
  • D2-048 - "Waldo Without Spacesuit” (3/13/61 to 5/27/61)
  • D2-049 - "The Ambassadors” (5/29/61 to 7/8/61)
  • D2-050 - "Titanic II” (7/10/61 to 10/7/61)
  • D2-051 - "Horseparlor in the Sky” (10/9/61 to 12/23/61)
  • D2-052 - "Robot Worker” (12/25/61 to 3/17/62)
  • D2-053 - "Back in Time” (3/19/62 to 5/5/62)
  • D2-054 - "Dolphins of Venus” (5/7/62 to 7/28/62)
  • D2-055 - "Dimension X” (7/30/62 to 9/15/62)
  • D2-056 - "Space Scouts and Skorpi” (9/17/62 to 3/2/63)
  • D2-057 - "Death-Stone” (3/4/63 to 5/25/63)
  • D2-058 - "The Hapless Alien” (5/27/63 to 11/9/63)
  • D2-059 - "Martian Treasure” (11/11/63 to 2/22/64)
  • D2-060 - "Solid-Gold Bomb” (2/24/64 to 6/13/64)
  • D2-061 - "Space Race” (6/15/64 to 10/10/64)
  • D2-062 - "Shipbuilding on Mars” (10/12/64 to 1/16/65)
  • D2-063 - "The Robot War” (1/18/65 to 4/28/65)
  • D2-064 - "The Maybe Machine” (4/29/65 to 8/21/65)
  • D2-065 - "Space-Sweep” (8/23/65 to 12/18/65)
  • D2-066 - "The Asteroid Miners” (12/20/65 to 4/7/66)
  • D2-067 - "Ming IV” (4/8/66 to 9/27/66)
  • D2-068 - "Food Ship” (9/28/66 to 2/11/67)
  • D2-069 - "Radioactive Seas” (2/13/67 to 7/12/67)
  • D2-070 - "Survival Test” (7/13/67 to 1/13/68)
  • D2-071 - "Egon Blant Escapes” (1/15/68 to 5/18/68)
  • D2-072 - "Living Statues” (5/20/68 to 10/5/68)
  • D2-073 - "Flash Gordon and the Vikings” (10/7/68 to 2/21/69)
  • D2-074 - "McFry's Vendetta” (2/22/69 to 8/9/69)
  • D2-075 - "Manhunt” (8/11/69 to 11/8/69)
  • D2-076 - "Flash Gordon vs. the Puppet Master" (11/10/69 to 2/28/70)
  • D2-077 - "Tournaments of Free Mongo” (3/2/70 to 6/17/70)
  • D2-078 - "Desert Tribes of Mongo” (6/18/70 to 9/5/70)
  • D2-079 - "Pirates of Mongo” (9/7/70 to 1/16/71)
  • D2-080 - "Dinosaur Valley of Mongo” (1/18/71 to 4/24/71)
  • D2-081 - "Neptunia and Frigia" (4/26/71 to 9/4/71)
  • D2-082 - "An Alien Stowaway” (9/6/71 to 11/20/71)
  • D2-083 - "Convict Squad on Rog” (11/22/71 to 2/5/72)
  • D2-084 - "Convict Squad and the Skraggs” (2/7/72 to 4/1/72)
  • D2-085 - "Convict Squad and the Drug Trade” (4/3/72 to 5/20/72)
  • D2-086 - "Operation Medusa” (5/22/72 to 7/29/72)
  • D2-087 - "Kenoma and the Space-Jacker” (7/31/72 to 10/28/72)
  • D2-088 - "Willy and the Martians” (10/30/72 to 1/13/73)
  • D2-089 - "Jack Hammer” (1/15/73 to 4/7/73)
  • D2-090 - "Dale's Mission" (4/9/73 to 7/14/73)
  • D2-091 - "Twice in Time” (7/16/73 to 11/24/73)
  • D2-092 - "Gudrun and the Gambling Satellite” (11/26/73 to 2/8/74) - Same storyline run in Sunday S127
  • D2-093 - "Holograms” (2/10/74 to 4/30/74) - Same storyline run in Sunday S128
  • D2-094 - "Solar Energy Station” (5/1/74 to 7/13/74) - Same storyline run in Sunday S129
  • D2-095 - "Hideout in the 25th Century” (7/15/74 to 9/18/74) - Same storyline run in Sunday S130
  • D2-096 - "Rome” (9/19/74 to 11/16/74) - Same storyline run in Sunday S131
  • D2-097 - "Troy” (11/18/74 to 2/19/75) - Same storyline run in Sunday S132
  • D2-098 - "The Making of a Legend” (2/20/75 to 9/6/75)
  • D2-099 - "Nomads of Mongo" (9/8/75 to 11/29/75)
  • D2-100 - "Amazons of Mongo” (12/1/75 to 2/21/76)
  • D2-101 - "Kozy & Skurvey and the Desert Raiders” (2/23/76 to 5/15/76)
  • D2-102 - "War Robots” (5/17/76 to 8/7/76)
  • D2-103 - "Rebels on Venus” (8/9/76 to 10/30/76)
  • D2-104 - "North Star Invaders” (11/1/76 to 1/22/77)
  • D2-105 - "Planet of the Klet” (1/24/77 to 5/7/77)
  • D2-106 - "Atlantis” (5/9/77 to 9/1/77)
  • D2-107 - "Space School” (9/2/77 to 12/17/77)
  • D2-108 - "Skorpi on Mongo” (12/19/77 to 2/18/78)
  • D2-109 - "Ming Supreme” (2/20/78 to 6/10/78)
  • D2-110 - "Death” (6/12/78 to 8/12/78)
  • D2-111 - "Slaves” (8/14/78 to 11/18/78)
  • D2-112 - "Odyssey” (11/20/78 to 2/24/79)
  • D2-113 - "Ming's Women” (2/26/79 to 6/16/79)
  • D2-114 - "Black Out" (6/18/79 to 8/18/79)
  • D2-115 - "Ming's Children” (8/20/79 to 12/22/79)
  • D2-116 - "Shark Boy” (12/24/79 to 4/14/80)
  • D2-117 - "The Biggest Living Thing in the Universe” (4/15/80 to 8/9/80)
  • D2-118 - "Mind Trip” (8/11/80 to 10/18/80)
  • D2-119 - "Skorpi in Atlantis” (10/20/80 to 1/21/81)
  • D2-120 - "Prince Alan” (1/22/81 to 11/14/81)
  • D2-121 - "Captain Jodeen” (11/16/81 to 2/20/82)
  • D2-122 - "Knight of Mongo” (2/22/82 to 6/26/82)
  • D2-123 - "The Lure of the Xerees” (6/28/82 to 9/18/82)
  • D2-124 - "The Living Death of Ming the Merciless” (9/20/82 to 1/22/83)
  • D2-125 - "The Witch Queen's Magic” (1/24/83 to 5/7/83)
  • D2-126 - "The Treasure Hunt" (5/9/83 to 12/6/83)
  • D2-127 - "Rebellion in Frigia" (12/7/83 to 5/26/84)
  • D2-128 - "EMP” (5/28/84 to 9/29/84)
  • D2-129 - "Return to Atlantis” (10/1/84 to 1/26/85)
  • D2-130 - "The Mystic Isles of Mongo” (1/28/85 to 8/17/85)
  • D2-131 - "Gorilla Men of Mongo" (8/19/85 to 10/12/85)
  • D2-132 - "The Dark Seed” (10/14/85 to 2/22/86)
  • D2-133 - "Baldur Battles Skorpi" (2/24/86 to 5/10/86)
  • D2-134 - "The Bear” (5/12/86 to 8/21/86)
  • D2-135 - "The Origin of Flash Gordon” (8/22/86 to 6/6/87)
  • D2-136 - "The Cave World of Mongo” (Origin Part 2) (6/8/87 to 8/15/87)
  • D2-137 - "The Ice Kingdom of Mongo” (Origin Part 3) (8/17/87 to 12/26/87)
  • D2-138 - "The Water World of Mongo” (Origin Part 4) (12/28/87 to 5/14/88)
  • D2-139 - "Forest Primeval” (Origin Part 5) (5/16/88 to 10/1/88)
  • D2-140 - "Egon on Mongo" (10/3/88 to 3/11/89)
  • D2-141 - "Dinosaurs!” (3/13/89 to 5/26/89)
  • D2-142 - "Hari Hari” (5/27/89 to 8/22/89)
  • D2-143 - "The High Ground” (8/23/89 to 12/14/89)
  • D2-144 - "Mission to Mongo” (12/15/89 to 2/10/90)
  • D2-145 - "In Search of Ming” (2/12/90 to 7/14/90)
  • D2-146R - "Skorpi in Atlantis”(7/16/90 to 10/6/90) - partial reprint of D2-119
  • D2-147 - "Tournament of Frigia" (10/8/90 to 1/5/91)
  • D2-148 - "Roughing It" (1/7/91 to 8/10/91)
  • D2-149 - "Bring Me the Head of Flash Gordon" (8/12/91 to 11/23/91)
  • D2-150 - "The Big Jump" (11/25/91 to 4/4/92)
  • D2-151 - "Return to Fear” (4/6/92 to 10/3/92)
  • D2-152 - "The Bean Men of Mumbo" (10/5/92 to 7/3/93)

Daily and Sunday strips by Dan Schkade

Flash Gordon was relaunched on October 22, 2023, with a new continuity adapted for a modern audience. The story arcs by Dan Schkade have in general been published over a period of ten weeks. Each Sunday strip has been a summary of the previous six days from the perspective of a specific character.

Notes and References

1. Book: Guy. Haley. Flash Gordon. Sci-Fi Chronicles : A Visual History of the Galaxy's Greatest Science Fiction. Firefly Books. Richmond Hill, Ontario. 2014. 9781770852648. 69–73.
2. Book: Peter. Nicholls. Peter Nicholls (writer). John. Brosnan. John Brosnan. David. Langford. Gary. Westfahl. Gary Westfahl. John. Clute. Flash Gordon. http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/flash_gordon. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Orbit Books. London, England. 2015. 19 April 2015. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 14 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514053403/http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/flash_gordon. live.
3. Web site: Flash Gordon: Writers and Artists . JimKeefe.com . June 10, 2024 . September 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927010535/https://www.jimkeefe.com/flashfile/flashfacts.html . live.
4. Book: Reed, Walt. Great American Illustrators. Abbeville Publishing Group. New York City. 1979. 0896590755. 24.
5. Book: Goulart, Ron. Ron Goulart. The Funnies: 100 Years of American Comic Strips. Adams Publishing. Holbrook, Massachusetts. 1995. 1-55850-539-3. 174, 196.
6. News: Cavna . Michael . October 20, 2023 . Flash Gordon, American Icon, Returns to Comics after a 20-year Break . . October 21, 2023 . 0190-8286 . October 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231020150501/https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/10/20/flash-gordon-comic-reboot/ . live.
7. Book: Rovin, Jeff. Jeff Rovin. The Encyclopedia of Super Villains. Facts on File Publications. New York City. 1987. 081601356X. 220.