Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #6


Despite the fact that I’ve been reviewing the sister series Merciless: The Rise of Ming for several months, this is the first time I’ve read  Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist. Here’s the official description from Dynamite: 

As Earth burns beneath the might of a Mongo-allied Third Reich, Ming the Merciless’s domination plans are on the cusp of success. With two universes at stake, the only hope lies with Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov. Allegiances are forged and battle lines are drawn as Dynamite adds to the legend of the greatest space fantasy hero of all.

The plot by Eric Trautman and Alex Ross is decent. It’s complex enough to be interesting without tripping itself up (which could easily have been the case). The only problem is that the plot and it’s mechanics take up almost all the space, leaving little room for character development. Perhaps it’s because I’m new, but I just can’t connect to Flash, Aura, Ming, and the others.

Daniel Indro‘s art on this issue is mesmerizing. Figures and faces are spot-on. Princess Aura’s expressions in particular are beautiful, with perfect shading that makes her attractive and imposing at the same time. The level of detail is also great, although a few backgrounds are only splotches and patterns of color. Even this, however, is more interesting that the gradations many artists sub into their backgrounds. On people and objects, those colors are awesome and contribute a lot to the book. Colorist Slamet Mujiono makes bold choices that are consistent with the Flash Gordon universe, but which blend nice and subtly. That universal consistency is true of all the art. Indro and Mujiono’s work here is very reminiscent of Ron Adrian and Roni Setiawan‘s work on Merciless. Not having read this book before, I was unaware of the similarity, although I assume that the work in Zeitgeist predate’s Ming’s title, as it’s been running longer. The editors at Dynamite should be commended for making sure related books have similar styles.

The universe of Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist and Merciless: The Rise of Ming is easily my favorite of all the world’s Dynamite has in it’s corral. Now if I could only get them to do more of this, and fewer stories about a certain warlord of mars…

3.5/5

 

 

S#!T Talking Central

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