What about radio superheroes? Characters like Flash Gordon, The Phantom, The Shadow and many more have had their own adaptations. Most of which have been over looked because they were before their time, not known to people out side the fans or was so close to the source material it made it hard for regular movie goers to like.
On January 30, 1933, George Trendle and Fran Striker created a radio show called The Lone Ranger. This hero found fame through radio but what brought out the Lone Ranger was in 1949 a TV series based on this western hero was created. The series was a huge hit in it's run to 1957. With some compelling episodes and a epic theme song but what made this TV show was Clayton Moore's performance as The Lone Ranger himself. Clayton Moore absorbed himself into that role, making appearances until his death. This has been the most enjoyable representation even more then the Dynamite comic adaptation. He has had a movie that came out in 1981 but I won't see it because I heard it was bad and the way they treated Clayton Moore was horrible. However the next movie seems to be on the right track. The Lone Ranger is being made by Disney and will have Johnny Depp as Tonto. Personally I like most Disney movies and I think they can make it fun and a little dark like the Dynamite series at the same time.
On January 7, 1934, Alex Raymond began drawing a comic strip called Flash Gordon. The strip eventually became a radio show and then went into serials. Flash Gordon inspired George Lucas for Star Wars. In 1980 the camp classic Flash Gordon was released however it was riding on the coat tails of Superman and Star Wars so wasn't very successful. With special effects used to make it look like a FG comic strip, a cool villain, a decent cast and of course a epic soundtrack made by the legendary Queen. I have a fond memory of this film and even though it's not serious (which it really shouldn't be) I like it allot because it's a fun film to watch. The Scifi channel has released the most recent Flash Gordon TV series but has left fans like myself feeling unfulfilled, don't get me wrong I liked Eric Johnson but they changed to many things, like the hawkmen. Personally I think the next best thing for Flash would be a animated series not anything live action.
Walter Gibson's The Shadow debuted on September 26, 1930. After gaining popularity The Shadow came to star in “The Shadow Magazine”. The Shadow Strikes was the Shadows first live action appearance in 1937. The most recent and probably the most popular was The Shadow film released in 1994 staring Alec Baldwin as the lead. First I'll talk about the bad things. The Shadow is littered by bad dialogue (ex “Next time you get to be on top.”). Some of the minor characters are dumb. My biggest bone to pick is I don't think he is costume enough, yes Alec Baldwin has a good face but I feel they could have given Lamont in and out of costume a good balance. I mean it's such a great costume. Good things about the Shadow: Alec Baldwin's voice and acting style fits the Shadow and Cranston perfectly, Khan is a great villain, most of the cast is quite good in their parts (Peter Boyle), the special effects and visual effects are fantastic, it feels like a Shadow comic, and the score is breath taking. I'll admit I listen to the Shadow soundtrack all the time. Not a great movie but defiantly a good one that very underrated. The next Shadow project is suppose to start production in 2012, with Sam Raimi attached to direct.
Last but not least is the legendary hero, The Phantom. Created by Lee Falk in 1936, The Phantom was originally a adventure comic strip, the Phantom grew in popularity at it's peek being read by over a hundred million people ever day. The Phantom made his first live action appearance in a fifteen part serial in 1943. Hands down said to one of the best superhero serials surpassing even Superman and Captain Marvel. The Phantom also had two cartoons: Defenders of the Earth and Phantom 2040. However probably one of the most faithful comic book adaptations was The Phantom movie released in 1996. Personally I like this film allot better then Flash Gordon and The Shadow, the character himself isn't cheesy or dumb he's very likable. This of course is due to Billy Zane's performance as The 21st Phantom. Zane absorbed himself into this role getting into terrific shape and being great with the dialogue and the action. The Phantom is actually in costume for most of the movie which is great because The Phantom is who he is Kit Walker is the disguise. This movie also benefits from amazing shots, a great score, good special and visual effects, the story itself is taken from several Phantom adventures and feels like a Phantom comic, and the supporting cast all have fun with their rolls. Thats what this movie is a great fun action movie, if your expecting something like Dark Knight then you might want to rethink. The Phantom is a Indiana Jones type adventure movie fun and exciting from beginning to end. While there is a current Phantom project going on for Syfy I'm kind of curious about it even though I don't like the costume at all, I think Billy Zanes costume was great even better then the one in the comics. As far as Phantom Legacy I would get Billy Zane to star again, JJ Abrams to direct and set it in the future like Phantom 2040.
What does the future hold for characters like Flash Gordon, The Shadow or The Phantom. For the most part we have media which makes us proud that is faithful to the character we like but however leaves us feeling “That could have been better.” I think these characters need to be brought back into the spot light because their just as good as Batman or Iron man, heck these characters set the bar for all costumed heroes. Thanks for reading!