I wanted to wish Flash Gordon a happy birthday today—after all, his first strip appeared in newspapers on January 7, 1934—but then I took a look at that first strip, which I don’t recall having seen before …

… and I winced. You might wince, too.

Yep. It all began with “howling blacks.”

Once I saw that, I hesitated. I thought about not posting this birthday wish, because you might get the wrong idea about what I was celebrating, and the worldview I considered just. But then I reconsidered, because … attention must be still be paid.

We—and by we, I mean science fiction—would not be where we are today without creator Alex Raymond and Flash Gordon. Which means that even though that initial strip shows its age, a true artifact of 1934, and that panel in particular gives me pause, yes, I still do want to take a moment to pause and remember.

So—happy birthday, Flash!