Flash Gordon #6 Review - Mobile Edition

More Comics
Flash Gordon #6 Review
By Hervé St-Louis
October 7, 2014 - 09:49

Dynamite Entertainment
Writer(s): Jeff Parker, Jordie Bellaire
Penciller(s): Evan Shaner, Greg Smallwood
Colourist(s): Jordie Bellaire
Letterer(s): Simon Bowland
Cover Artist(s): Marc Laming, Roberto Castro, Ken Haeser

The Hawkmen have captured Dale. They force her to infiltrate the floating home of the dirt eating lavender Amazons that have captured Flash Gordon and Professor Zarkov. They want the crystal that allows levitation back but cannot resist the siren songs of the flying women. It’s up to Dale, as a woman, to rescue her friends which will soon mate with the Amazons and get the crystal. But the Amazons may not be as dangerous as the Hawkmen. Will Dale succeed?

This is another fun issue of Flash Gordon where Jeff Parker continues to characterize him as a bubble head adventurous jock. Dale instead of being the typical damsel in distress is the brain of the group. Parker’s strength is to create humorous moments from simple straight forward action. His characters have no inner monologues, but what they think and say is clear. The oddity of all their adventures and interactions with one another is what makes the comic book so enjoyable.

Evan Shaner is of course the best artist for this series. The comic book did not feel the same the last issue when a guest artist stepped in for a substantial set of pages. He adds a lot of the levity that Parker tries to imbue in the comic. His composition and storytelling is flawless. He understands the basic cinematographic staging. For example, check out the pages where Dale and the Hawkmen hide in the bush. The space they occupy on the page is rigorously maintained, just like in a movie. Few comic book artists bother to use these cinematographic continuity tricks.

Rating: 8/10