Over the course of last three years, Fantagraphics Books has published the first three volumes of Harold R. Foster’s Prince Valiant, documenting the beginnings of an ingeniously epic adventure. The first volume contains work created during 1937-1938 and the beginnings of a style very specific to this story, while the second volume captures the full extent of Hal’s beautifully rendered panels. During the two prolific years captured in this volume, 1939-1940, we see Hal working comfortably with a style combining qualities of both comic-strip form and classic illustration. This expressive style continues through the third volume of Prince Valiant’s adventures, capturing work published between 1941-1942.
The color of panels retelling the story of King Arthur and his knights is vibrant despite relatively limited four-color printing standards (although cheap, four-color has established a certain esthetic associated with pre-modern printing standards). This is largely due to Hal’s carefully thought out use of line and deep, black contrast commonly associated with the comic book style.
Original scans for these volumes were provided by The Special Collections Center of the Syracuse University Library and are here presented in full size and color. This collection is essential not only for fans of Hal Foster’s work, but also for those with passion for comics and King Arthurian adventures. Hal Foster succeeded in capturing the childhood wonder of individuals that would grow old making a difference in fields of science fiction and comics. His tales helped flare passion in many, including Ray Bradbury and of many talented artists staffing Entertaining Comics (EC). Of later, Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood satirized Hal's work in Prince Violent, MAD magazine #13 (July 1954).
Prince Valiant’s saga totals over 3,700 Sunday strips and continues to appear in about 300 newspapers. Volume four of this distinguished story will be out in October.
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