Brief Description:
Volume one includes a little-seen interview with Hal Foster, as well as rare photos and illustrations, and a biographical essay by Foster expert Brian M. Kane.
Marc Notes:
Includes bibliographical references.;Haunted by Aleta, Prince Valiant seeks Merlin's wise counsel--a brief episode that segues into one of Hal Foster's patented epics, the seven-month The Long Voyage to Thule, which spotlights Val's return to his birthplace and reunion with his father. Then, after a series of shorter adventures (including The Seductress, The Call of the Sea, and The Jealous Cripple) Val finally decides he can stand it no longer and sets off on a quest for his queen-to-be, launching The Winning of Aleta, a storyline that will run an unprecedented year and a half and continue into the following volume. And as always, the pages will be reproduced from Foster's exquisite personal set of printer's proofs.
Review Quotes:
Starred Review. Medieval swordplay and adventure have never been as glorious as in Foster's Sunday-only comic strip. This edition has been reproduced from pristine printer's proofs to give the gorgeous artwork its crispest version ever....
Prince Valiant is one of the best-drawn comics ever, and this new edition does ample justice to its achievement.-- "Publishers Weekly"
Review Quotes:
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Valiant remains a hugely enjoyable action strip, as Valiant battles a variety of ne'er do wells on a quest to find his true love, Aleta.--Chris Mautner "Robot 6"
Review Quotes:
...[T]he mastery Foster brings to bear on his every panel may have been equaled both before and since his prime, but it's never been surpassed.--Matt Seneca "The Comics Journal"
Review Quotes:
Rendered in a simply stunning panorama of glowing visual passion and precision, Prince Valiant is a non-stop rollercoaster of stirring action, exotic adventure and grand romance; blending human-scaled fantasy with dry wit and broad humour with shatteringly dark violence.--Win Wiacek "Now Read This!"
Publisher Marketing:
As this fourth volume begins, Prince Valiant, haunted by Aleta, seeks Merlin's wise counsel. This brief episode segues into one of Hal Foster's patented epics, "The Long Voyage to Thule," which ran for seven straight months and featured Valiant's return to his birthplace and reunion with his father. Of course, Foster's astonishingly detailed and evocative depictions of Val's homeland contribute greatly to this sprawling epic.
After a series of shorter adventures including "The Seductress," "The Call of the Sea," and "The Jealous Cripple," Val finally decides he can stand it no more and sets out to find his long-lost love. Long-time fans know that his quest will eventually be successful, but Foster throws so many obstacles in the way of true love that the saga "The Winning of Aleta" would end up stretching a full year and a half, well into the next volume.
With its stunning art reproduced directly from pristine printer's proofs, Fantagraphics has introduced a new generation to Foster's masterpiece, while providing long-time fans with the ultimate, definitive version of the strip.
Contributor Bio:Foster, Hal
Hal Foster (1892-1982) created
Prince Valiant in 1937. Though remaining involved with the strip until his death in 1982, Foster handed the bulk of the scripting and art chores over to his longtime assistant, John Cullen Murphy, in 1971.
Contributor Bio:Kane, Brian M
Brian M. Kane is the author of
Hal Foster: Prince of Illustrators and
James Bama: American Realist. He teaches in the Illustration Department at the Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio. He has a Masters Degree in History of Art from The Ohio State University where he is currently working on his Ph.D. in Art Education with an emphasis in Visual Culture.
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