By Guest Contributor Brian Kane
Prince Valiant creator
Hal Foster was ahead of his time, tackling issues of bullying (the Giant in 1940), women’s rights (
Aleta since the 1940s), bi-racial couples and children (Boltar, Tillicum and Hatha – 1952 and 1953), men showing their emotions (1940
Val, Gawain and Tristram parting – “and the tears run freely down bronzed cheeks . . . for in those days brave men had not learned to be ashamed of their emotions.”), and prejudice against the physically disabled, Jews, Arabs, and Blacks.
Because Foster never drew something without a reason, it makes me wonder if a character in
Prince Valiant, page #757, August 12, 1951, panel 1, striking a traditionally feminine pose, might be gay. The crew’s reaction is to Arf, “the singer of songs who made the lonely hours of the night watch seem short.” I am not suggesting anything happened between the two, but the crew member’s reaction to Arf’s leaving needs some discussion.
The pose was not uncommon; it appeared in silent films, and is similar to that of
Bugs Bunny in drag playing the Valkyrie
Brünnhilde in the
Chuck Jones classic “
What’s Opera, Doc?” (Warner Bros., July 6, 1957 – almost six years after the Foster panel appeared). Any thoughts?
