Haunted

Drugged and imprisoned by the sorceress Morgan Le Fey, Prince Valiant's nights are haunted by terrible visions.


Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #58, March 19, 1938).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 1): 1937-1938 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2009).

The Banishment of Mordred

After it is discovered that King Arthur's deathly illness is the result of being poisoned by his half-brother Mordred, who seeks the crown for himself, the king secretly recovers and then takes action.

Following is the text that accompanies the above illustration:

Before the assembled throng, Gawain strips Mordred of his sword and cuts the emblem from his tunic. Now Arthur draws Excalibur and plunges the blade into his own arm. The heavens tremble at his words: "Mordred, false knight and false brother, I spit you out. From this realm I banish you. Your estates and your wealth I give to the poor. May your children scorn you and your grandchildren call you Judas. Behold, from my arm spills the blood we once shared. I am cleansed. Begone, viper, I know you not."

Left: Watching from a nearby balcony are (from left) Sir Launcelot, Queen Guinevere, Aleta, and Galan.

And why, you may ask, is Prince Valiant absent from this momentous event? To find out, click here.

NEXT: The Return of Mordred

Art: John Cullen Murphy (July 1980).
Text: Cullen Murphy.
Source: The Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia); from the collection of Michael J. Bayly (1983).

In All Ways Different

Sold into slavery to a rich Syrian merchant, the young Prince Valiant vows to secure freedom. With guile and patience he works his way up from field slave to member of the household staff. In time he tricks the merchant's pampered daughter into helping him escape.


Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #234, August 3, 1941).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

Draco's Demise

With his plans thwarted and his wife's sorcery defeated, Draco, the would-be ruler of Camelot, is confronted by Prince Valiant.

Ironically, his wife Maldubh's "spell" on the scaffolding around the walls of Camelot (mischief that involved an infestation of wood burrowing beetles!) ensures Draco's demise.









Art: Gary Gianni (September 18, 2011).
Text: Mark Shultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com

A King's Son

Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #212, March 2, 1941).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

The Guardian

Art and text: Hal Foster (February 18, 1962).

Mordred

Mordred, King Arthur's traitorous half-brother, as drawn by

John Cullen Murphy in installment #2511 (March 24, 1985).

Lake Dragons

Art: Gary Gianni (from installment #3567, June 19, 2005).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: Prince Valiant: Far from Camelot – Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008).