Broken Frontier

Checker's reprinting of the classic science fiction newspaper strip Flash Gordon, created by Alex Raymond, has reached its fourth volume!  "Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon: Volume 4" (ISBN 1-933160-26-8, $19.95, 100 pgs full color, 9"X12" landscape) will collect the Sunday strips from June 12, 1938 to January 21, 1940 into an archival-quality hardback book. 

Raymond's style was a seamless blend of his own classic and contemporary influences, which he utilized to create one of the most endearing comic strips in history.  Raymond has influenced artists from Frank Frazetta to George Lucas… the next time you watch Star Wars, look for some very Raymond-esque scenery and aliens!  Bold colors and dramatic, sweeping landscapes are some of the hallmarks of Flash Gordon - when combined with Raymond's calligraphic, precise rendition of the human form, it's easy to see why this comic was at the forefront of the public's perception of comics as an artform.

Checker's series of Flash Gordon books has been featured in publications such as Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and SFX, and was most recently spotlighted in a Bravo Channel special entitled "Ultimate Superheroes".

Checker Book Publishing Group was established in 2000 to bring the absolute best of dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning back to print.  A private concern, Checker compiles complete, durable and affordable cartoon trade books for sale to such comic shops, bookstores and libraries as may require them for resale or public archiving.  These endeavors are pursued with stalwart vigor by certain residents of Dayton, Ohio, in which city the press maintains its offices. 

Look for "Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon: Volume 4" at your local comic shop in August!