Flash!! AHHH!   Savior of the universe!  Every time I hear that first lyric I get chills.  Growing up I watched Flash Gordon the movie a lot, yeah it’s a b movie and it doesn’t hold up at all, but I couldn’t get enough of this classic.   The action, the adventure and different locations that he explored were all so much fun.  Plus, Queen doing all of the soundtrack was so boss in that movie.   I found out late that Dynamite comics was releasing a Flash Gordon book and I am a big sucker for Flash Gordon and I had to give this book a shot, even though I missed the first issue. I know shame on me, but that’s okay. I’ll find issue one soon enough. Issue two of Flash Gordon is great; the book does a real good job of getting you up to speed with the one page synopsis, and through reading the book you get enough information, to catch up as well.   I loved the tone and the pacing of this book as well as the dialogue in the book.  It gives you a tone that you’re in for a wild ride in space. You really get to appreciate the fun and pacing in the Flash Gordon parts.  Jeff Parker makes Flash sound like a big kid that is exploring new environments, and I loved that he is never shy for a challenge.  Flash should be a risk taker. The book shows its charms every time Flash is involved in a panel.  Also the plot of the issue also feels very familiar; to me it felt like I was still reading an extension of the movie only that this comic book greatly improves on the plot.

The art in this book is fantastic; I love the use of colors in this book. The art and coloring feels like you are reading a book from another era, even though the book is really is a modern book that has been given the retro look. Another thing I liked about the artwork is that it looks real clean and consistent very rarely do you find this in comics, a lot of time the art can be rushed in comics and it can leave a comic feeling lackluster.   This book is quite the opposite, it’s just gorgeous on the outside and in the inside of the comic.

Overall, I highly recommend reading Flash Gordon #2 even if you haven’t read the first one, the issue does a great job of getting you up to speed, and it also moves the story along and the book is real fun.  I truly regret not getting issue one when I had the chance. Now I got to hunt down issue one.  This book has quickly jumped up in my pull list.  Get Flash Gordon #2 it’s a fun read.

Score: 5/5

Writer: Jeff Parker Artists: Evan Shaner Colors: Jordie Bellaire Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/21/14