Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 21, 2023 | 6 comments

A BIRTHDAY SALUTE: The late artist was born 92 years ago on March 21, 1931…

By PETER BOSCH

There have been many who have drawn Flash Gordon since its inception in 1934 but only one, the late Al Williamson (born 92 years ago on March 21, 1931), who truly deserved to inherit the science-fantasy world of the strip’s creator, Alex Raymond. Raymond’s influence on Williamson’s art has never been in question, especially during the latter’s early career in the 1950s when he was drawing for EC’s Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, as well several issues of Eastern Color’s Buster Crabbe comic book series (Crabbe played Flash Gordon in three movie serials) and various science-fiction stories.

However, it was not until King Features’ comic book, Flash Gordon #1 (Sept. 1966), that Williamson got to show the world he could draw the strip better than anyone since Raymond. Following this, he would also illustrate Flash Gordon #s 4 and #5 in the King series, as well as the cover of #3.

Williamson would again draw Flash in several Union Carbine ads in the early 1970s and, most monumentally, the comic book adaptation of the 1980 Dino De Laurentiis Flash Gordon movie starring Sam Jones.  In addition, he drew the two-issue Flash Gordon Marvel miniseries in 1995.

Here are 13 examples of his fantastic work drawing Flash Gordon:

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Flash Gordon #1 (King Features, Sept. 1966)

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Flash Gordon #1 (King Features, Sept. 1966)

Script and art by Al Williamson

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Flash Gordon #3 (King Features, Jan. 1967)

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Flash Gordon #4 (King Features, Mar. 1967)

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Flash Gordon #4 (King Features, Mar. 1967)

Original art page. Archie Goodwin script.

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Flash Gordon #5 (King Features, May 1967)

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Flash Gordon #5 (King Features, May 1967)

Larry Ivie script

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The Official Adventures of Flash Gordon (Leo the Lion Records, 1966)

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Union Carbine ad (1970 or 1971)

Be sure to check out the last panel for the sheer absurdity of Flash’s response to Queen Fria’s loving request.

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Flash Gordon: The Movie (Golden Books, 1980)

Bruce Jones movie script adaptation

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Flash Gordon #1 (Marvel, June 1995)

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Flash Gordon #1 (Marvel, June 1995)

Mark Schultz script; Al Williamson plot and art.

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Flash Gordon #2 (Marvel, July 1995)

Mark Schultz script; Al Williamson plot and art.

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MORE

— A WILL EISNER SALUTE: 13 Lethal Ladies of THE SPIRIT. Click here.

— KING KONG AT 90: In Film and in Comics. Click here.

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PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, has just been published by TwoMorrows. He has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Peter lives in Hollywood.