Sea of Myths

NEXT: The Whirlpool

Art: Thomas Yeates (from page 4006, November 17, 2013).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com.

Sir Tristram

Art: Hal Foster (from page 196, November 10, 1940).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 2): 1939-1940 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2010).

"Once Again I Help You to Escape"

Click on any image for a larger view!

NEXT: An Appeal to Merlin

See also the previous posts:
• The Face He is Never More to Forget
• The Note
• So Val Goes Questing Across Wide Seas . . .
• Before His Very Eyes
• Heedless of Discovery


Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #252, December 7, 1941).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

A Jovial Welcome

Traveling north on a mission for King Arthur, Prince Valiant, Sir Gawain and Beric encounter a raging storm. They seek shelter in an old Roman fortress where a jovial welcome greets them.


Art and text: Hal Foster (from page #292, September 13, 1942).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

Parting Words

Accused of stealing Emperor Harsha's sacred ring, Galan and Yuan Chen are brought before the emperor and his daughter, Princess Mayana . . .

NEXT: "The Ring, the Ring!"

See also the previous posts:
• Accusation
• Ujjain
• The Jains
• Yuan Chen




Art: John Cullen Murphy (from installment #2377, August 9, 1982).
Text: Cullen Murphy.
Source: Prince Valiant, Book Two (Kings Features Syndicate, 1986).

Tragedy

"Come! I'll race you to the lookout post," cries Lydia to her sweetheart Arn, eldest son of Prince Valiant and Queen Aleta.

"No! No!" yells Arn, "There is ice under the snow!" And even as he speaks, a crevasse opens and begins to widen . . .

Art: Hal Foster and John Cullen Murphy (from page 2179, November 12, 1978). At this point in Prince Valiant's run, John Cullen Murphy, who had been quietly assisting Hal Foster since 1970, was well into his first decade of drawing the strip over Foster's writing and roughs.
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 49): Road to Sorrow's End, comprising pages 2168 (August 27, 1978) through 2211 (June 24, 1979). Fantagraphics Books, 2003.


See also the previous posts:
• Sweethearts United
• Halcyon Days
• Lydia
• The Makings of a Queen?
• Prelude to Tragedy

No Proper Lady

Writes Mark Shultz in installment #3829 of Prince Valiant:

Horridus, who used terror, hate and kidnapping to further his schemes of power, is dead by Aleta's hand.

Val shakes his head. "Strange – I seem to have fought him for years, but never face to face."

Aleta glares at the corpse. "He did not deserve a warrior's trial by arms. His colossal ego and lack of honor undid him. He knew only contempt – especially for women. To him I was just a means to gain revenge upon you. He looked past me – he was so confident in himself – and so careless."

Art: Gary Gianni (from page 3828, June 20, 2010).
Text: Mark Schultz (from pages 3828 and 3829, June 20 and June 27, 2010).
Source: JimKeefe.com


See also the previous posts:
• The Ever-Resourceful Aleta
• Iron Grace
• His Strong and Gentle Aleta

Bound for the Misty Isles

NEXT: Sea of Myths

Art: Thomas Yeates (from page 3993, August 18, 2013).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com.

A Fool's Luck

Art and text: Hal Foster (from page #359, December 26, 1943).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 4): 1943-1944 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

Marital Woes

Art: Thomas Yeates (from pages 3986 and 3987, June 30 and July 7, 2013).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com.


See also the previous posts:
• The Return of Karen and Valeta
• "We Are the Daughters of the Prince of Thule and the Queen of the Misty Isles"
• Karen the Amazon
• Karen Saves the Day
• "A Broken Heart 'Twixt Twin Maidens, Rampant"
• Horrit's Prophecy

Nathan

. . . the youngest of Prince Valiant and Queen Aleta's five children.

Art: Gary Gianni (from page #3558, April 17, 2005).
Source: Prince Valiant: Far from Camelot – Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008).

Accusation

The adventures of Galan, second son of Prince Valiant and Queen Aleta, continue in India . . .

NEXT: Parting Words

See also the previous posts:
• Ujjain
• The Jains
• Yuan Chen




Art: John Cullen Murphy (from installment #2374, August 8, 1982).
Text: Cullen Murphy.
Source: Prince Valiant, Book Two (Kings Features Syndicate, 1986).

4000

This past Sunday, October 6, 2013, saw the publication of the 4000th installment or page of Prince Valiant. Yes, that's 4000 consecutive Sundays of one of the longest running adventure strips still appearing in newspapers!

Page 4000 of Prince Valiant has great artwork and an inspiring message, thanks to artist Thomas Yeates and writer Mark Schultz. Be sure to click on the image below for a larger view!

See also the previous posts:
• Prince Valiant Celebrates 75th Anniversary
• Something Very Special
• Remembering Episode 3000, 8/7/94
• A Valiant First Effort, Wouldn't You Say?
• "He Wasn't a Superhero But He Was a Hero"
• Mark Schultz on the Art of Hal Foster: "Uniquely Appealing, Innovative and Influential"
• John Cullen Murphy on Prince Valiant: "It's My Duty. I'm Responsible For It"
• Mark Schultz on Prince Valiant as an American Invention
• Looking Good
• Thomas Yeates: The New Illustrator of Prince Valiant

Heedless of Discovery

NEXT: "Once Again I Help You Escape"

See also the previous posts:
• The Face He is Never More to Forget
• The Note
• So Val Goes Questing Across Wide Seas . . .
• Before His Very Eyes


Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #251, November 30, 1941).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

"Climb!"

NEXT: Earthquake!

Art: Gary Gianni (from the November 29, 2009 installment).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: JimKeefe.com

Morgan Le Fey

. . . half sister of King Arthur, beautiful, evil, and mistress of strange magic.

Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #57, March 12, 1938).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 1): 1937-1938 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2009).

Tintagel

NEXT: Bound for the Misty Isles

Art: Thomas Yeates (from installment #3988, July 14, 2013).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com.

Deep in the Forest

Art and text: Hal Foster (from installment #164, March 31, 1940).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 2): 1939-1940 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2010).

"A Timeless Gem"

Over at Collected Comics Library, Wallace Ryan has selected Prince Valiant (Volume 7): 1949-1950 (Fantagraphics Books) as his pick for "must have" comic book collected edition, reprint, and/or graphic novel released this week. Following is Ryan's review.

The new comics arrived today and buried deep in one of the last boxes was the latest volume in Fantagraphic’s collection of Hal Foster’s graphic masterpiece, Prince Valiant! I’d only ever seen pictures over the years of Foster’s magnum opus and had always wanted to get my hands on some kind of collection of these Sunday comics. Thankfully, Fantagraphics Books has obliged with this wonderful set of hardcovers with colour reproduced from original syndicate proof sheets restoring the vibrant and rich colours that previous reprints of the strip seem to have lacked.

Prince Valiant is a classic adventure comic that follows the exploits of the Nordic Prince, who becomes a Knight of Arthur’s court and roams the medieval world with the singing sword Flamberge by his side, fighting evil and injustice in all its forms. The artwork is beautifully detailed and it’s obvious that Foster dedicated a lot of time on research and in the comic’s final execution. The storytelling is paced with expertise and care, giving a feeling like you’re sitting at the knee of the great Prince as he regales you with wild tales of his travels and his many adventures.

I recommend that you give Prince Valiant a try and you will experience legends from the edge of time, still wrapped in the magic of Camelot and a world wide open for exploration, danger, romance and tragedy. In terms of the classic adventure comic strips of old, you’re not going to get anything much better than this timeless gem!

– Wallace Ryan
Collected Comics Library
August 16, 2013

See also the previous posts:
• Prince Valiant (Vol.5): 1945-1946
• Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942
• Prince Valiant Celebrates 75th Anniversary
• Mark Schultz on Prince Valiant as an American Invention
• A Valiant First Effort, Wouldn't You Say?

Oom Fooyat's Creation

See also:
• The Golem
• A Flash of a Cameo

Art: Gary Gianni (from installment #3906, December 18, 2011).
Text: Mark Schultz.
Source: TimesUnion.com.

Horsa, Chieftain of the Sea-Rovers

Art: Hal Foster (from installment #305, December 13, 1942).
Source: Prince Valiant (Vol. 3): 1941-1942 – Hal Foster (Fantagraphics Books, 2011).

Ujjain

After a long and arduous journey eastwards from the Misty Isles, Galan arrives at the great city of Ujjain – 'Pearl of India,' home of Princess Mayana, and a renowned center of learning.

Galan, the second son of Prince Valiant and Queen Aleta, has traveled to Ujjain with the Chinese scholar Yuan Chen.

NEXT: Accusation

See also the previous posts:
• The Jains
• Yuan Chen




Art: John Cullen Murphy (from installment #2373, August 1, 1982).
Text: Cullen Murphy.
Source: Prince Valiant, Book Two (Kings Features Syndicate, 1986).