What do you think?
Rate this book
Prince Valiant (Hardcover) #2
Prince Valiant, Vol. 2: 1939-1940
For 35 years, Hal Foster created epic adventure and romantic fantasy in his legendary Sunday strip, Prince Valiant . Realistic in its visual execution and noble in its subject, depicting a time in which the fabled warriors of history and legends fought together for the greater good, it remains one of the great masterpieces of the medium. In this second volume, Prince Valiant helps his father reclaim his throne in kingdom of Thule; fights alongside King Arthur; is made a knight of the Round Table; battles the Huns; sets off with Sir Gawain and Tristam of Arthurian legend fame; and is thrown off-course from Sicily; adventure follows him everywhere. Fantagraphics is proud to present these strips, which, thanks to the use of original proof sheets and advances in printing technology, are even brighter and crisper than when they were originally published 70 years ago. Foster's work, painterly and sweeping, is finally treated to the grand depiction it deserves. These illustrative, time-honored comic strips will enthrall old readers and just as easily awe new ones. Readers will be able to read it in tandem with their Definitive Prince Valiant Companion s (coming from Fantagraphics in Dec. 2009).
Illustrations note 1 Illustrations, unspecified
Illustrations note 1 Illustrations, unspecified
112 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2006
About the author
Hal Foster
194 books53 followersHarold Foster, also credited as Hal Foster, was a comic book artist best know for Prince Valiant.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 2, 2020
Ich schaue mir die Panels mit den tollen Zeichnungen und der unheimlich schönen Kolorierung an und versuche zu vergessen, dass ich den Kinderschuhen schon lange entwachsen bin. Siehe da, es geht; wenn ich es zulasse, kann ich mich in die Bilder & Abenteuer versenken und wie ein Kind staunen (obwohl Rittergeschichten nie wirklich meins waren). Eine tolle Auszeit, prima Unterhaltung fernab von Hektik und Zeitdruck.
Was geschieht? Zu Beginn kann König Artus dank eines Schlachtplans von Prinz Eisenherz die Sachsen von der englischen Küste zurückschlagen, woraufhin Prinz Eisenherz offiziell zum Ritter der Tafelrunde ernannt wird.
Er kehrt danach mit seinem Vater zurück nach Thule, dessen Exil nun beendet ist. In Thule verhilft er seinem Vater zurück auf den Thorn. Doch nur Frieden und gutes Leben sind nichts für Prinz Eisenherz, darum wird er zum Fahrenden Ritter und macht sich auf nach Südeuropa, wo die Hunnen nach Herzenslust plündern und morden. Es gelingt Eisenherz, über einen längere Zeitraum ein großes Heer aufzustellen, mit dem er mit viel taktischem Geschick die Hunnen in ihre Schranken weisen kann.
Hal Foster hat sich sehr bemüht, möglichst historisch genau zu sein. Rüstungen, Waffen, Kleidung, das alles wirkt sehr authentisch (sieht man einmal davon ab, dass er die Artus-Sage anstatt um 500 ungefähr im Jahr 1000 spielen lässt. Aber seiner Begründung, dass man mit einem Mythos auch ein wenig freier umgeben kann, kann man sich anschließen. Immerhin kommt so das klassische Ritter=Feeling auf.
November 15, 2025
Hal Foster continues to impress with this volume. Stunning artwork throughout. He also weaves some pretty interesting storylines of Prince Valiant helping small Roman cities fight back the raiding Huns.
October 25, 2018
Absolutely stunning work from Hal Foster, the second in a series of handsome oversized editions from Fantagraphics.
March 29, 2025
For most of my life Prince Valiant was nothing more than that inscrutable comic with cool art on the funny pages or some weird movie I half-remember watching part of at my grandmother’s house (maybe on the SyFy channel in the 90s?).
Reading it now, I understand it as a stone cold classic of sword and sorcery storytelling with more than amazing artwork—and yeah, some poorly aged orientalism/exoticism. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed cruising through this. Prince Valiant roving across Asia encountering nearly every ethnic stereotype on the way was great fun. Yes, the narrative style is sort of dated. But, this was the fucking 1930s. Pretty amazing stuff.
NOTE: There were a few misprints in this edition (the doubling of pages), all of which I listed in previous posts.
Read in a mostly beautifully curated collection from Fantagraphics, borrowed from MA Commonwealth Collection.
Reading it now, I understand it as a stone cold classic of sword and sorcery storytelling with more than amazing artwork—and yeah, some poorly aged orientalism/exoticism. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed cruising through this. Prince Valiant roving across Asia encountering nearly every ethnic stereotype on the way was great fun. Yes, the narrative style is sort of dated. But, this was the fucking 1930s. Pretty amazing stuff.
NOTE: There were a few misprints in this edition (the doubling of pages), all of which I listed in previous posts.
Read in a mostly beautifully curated collection from Fantagraphics, borrowed from MA Commonwealth Collection.
February 26, 2011
Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939–1940 has all the virtues of its predecessor: lively adventure, painterly colors and fine-scale detail in action and rest. But where the first volume revolved around Camelot, this installment sees the titular prince roam Europe in search of adventure
Val seems to grow through these pages, replacing a bit of his carefree mayhem with the responsibilities of leadership and loss. He’s still surprising savage to modern eyes and cavalier about his safety as well. He’ll kill for sport and sheath his sword for laughter. Crusades catch him, but none as forcefully as his need for amusement.
These adventures in these pages take him to the doomed castle of Anderkrag and Rome at the height of its decline. The bulk of the story, though, is taken up with a full war against the Huns (of Atilla fame). The full-page vistas give Val sufficient space to display actual strategy and reversals. Graded on the curve of the times, Hal Foster doesn’t dehumanize the Huns too badly, even if they are full villains.
The art seems more assured here. Some of the compositions break the grid to showcase a single stop-and-stare drawing. The action is fun, leavened with heartbreak. And the story ends with an excellent cliffhanger, making me look forward to my third round with the Prince.
Val seems to grow through these pages, replacing a bit of his carefree mayhem with the responsibilities of leadership and loss. He’s still surprising savage to modern eyes and cavalier about his safety as well. He’ll kill for sport and sheath his sword for laughter. Crusades catch him, but none as forcefully as his need for amusement.
These adventures in these pages take him to the doomed castle of Anderkrag and Rome at the height of its decline. The bulk of the story, though, is taken up with a full war against the Huns (of Atilla fame). The full-page vistas give Val sufficient space to display actual strategy and reversals. Graded on the curve of the times, Hal Foster doesn’t dehumanize the Huns too badly, even if they are full villains.
The art seems more assured here. Some of the compositions break the grid to showcase a single stop-and-stare drawing. The action is fun, leavened with heartbreak. And the story ends with an excellent cliffhanger, making me look forward to my third round with the Prince.
July 12, 2019
The second volume in the series presents Hal Foster's work strengthening in power of rendering and story telling.
The illustration work seems to be impossible. How is this being done every Sunday with the intricate details illustrated? How could someone do this weekly? The research. The attention to detail. The attention to lack of detail to better illustrate the story. The stories of Valiant, friends, enemies, monsters, horses and damsels in distress that seem to leap from history.
Here,again,the weak part is the introduction.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of 10 points
The illustration work seems to be impossible. How is this being done every Sunday with the intricate details illustrated? How could someone do this weekly? The research. The attention to detail. The attention to lack of detail to better illustrate the story. The stories of Valiant, friends, enemies, monsters, horses and damsels in distress that seem to leap from history.
Here,again,the weak part is the introduction.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of 10 points
August 4, 2024
Superb artwork and story! I'm really enjoying reading these!
August 11, 2020
Our family continues to enjoy the Prince Valiant series. This book picks up where we left off. Valiant and his father are set to reconquer the land from which they were deposed. Valiant sets a cunning plan, only to find that the usurper has found being a king stinks and he'd rather go off on his own. It's a bit of a letdown for the cliffhanger we got, but we needn't worry as there's plenty more action and excitement.
There's a little court intrigue to start, but then Val gets bored at home and travels off. He soon loses himself in an supernatural encounter where he wrestles with Time himself, and Val comes out worse for wear - becoming an aged man. However he recovers from this and lured by stirring words of a stranger, he journeys off to the last holdout castle against the Huns. This story seems to reference Valiant's encounter with time, for the knights battle Huns in the day and carouse at night as if they had no care in the world. Of course supplies run dry at last, and Time has his victory. Those in the palace either battle the Huns to the death or take their own lives. Valiant is the only survivor.
Then comes a long sequence where Val organizes the peoples nearby to push back the Huns and reclaim lands from the raiders. If there's a moral to this volume, it's that Huns are Bad News.
The story ends with Val, Gawain, and Tristram deciding to check out Rome just before it falls - and getting blamed for that fall. Oh those wacky knights.
It's a fun series, and Foster seems less inclined to hammer the idea that Val will never know contentment.
There's a little court intrigue to start, but then Val gets bored at home and travels off. He soon loses himself in an supernatural encounter where he wrestles with Time himself, and Val comes out worse for wear - becoming an aged man. However he recovers from this and lured by stirring words of a stranger, he journeys off to the last holdout castle against the Huns. This story seems to reference Valiant's encounter with time, for the knights battle Huns in the day and carouse at night as if they had no care in the world. Of course supplies run dry at last, and Time has his victory. Those in the palace either battle the Huns to the death or take their own lives. Valiant is the only survivor.
Then comes a long sequence where Val organizes the peoples nearby to push back the Huns and reclaim lands from the raiders. If there's a moral to this volume, it's that Huns are Bad News.
The story ends with Val, Gawain, and Tristram deciding to check out Rome just before it falls - and getting blamed for that fall. Oh those wacky knights.
It's a fun series, and Foster seems less inclined to hammer the idea that Val will never know contentment.
January 15, 2012
Just finished this the other night and totally loved it! This book is a part of a long-running set where each Volume reprints 2 full years worth of Newspaper Comic Strips. Of course this one is PRINCE VALIANT.
It's funny, as a little kid I always thought, "Prince Valiant is Lame!" But, as an Adult who loves comic strip history AND art, the artwork is so beautiful to look at that it drew me in. Then, you start to realize that the story lines are really good too. Also, there's a very strange way that "time" moves along so quickly, sort of like short-hand, that you get the gist of the story in rapid bursts.
But more than anything, it's the incredible artwork you will love. The great thing about how these were published is that they made the books VERY LARGE. So, then, you can enjoy the artwork without using an electron microscope. This sort of art need this BIG scale. Just check out some of the recent TINTIN Reprint Books where they cram 3 volumes into 1 small book. They're impossible to read!
It's funny, as a little kid I always thought, "Prince Valiant is Lame!" But, as an Adult who loves comic strip history AND art, the artwork is so beautiful to look at that it drew me in. Then, you start to realize that the story lines are really good too. Also, there's a very strange way that "time" moves along so quickly, sort of like short-hand, that you get the gist of the story in rapid bursts.
But more than anything, it's the incredible artwork you will love. The great thing about how these were published is that they made the books VERY LARGE. So, then, you can enjoy the artwork without using an electron microscope. This sort of art need this BIG scale. Just check out some of the recent TINTIN Reprint Books where they cram 3 volumes into 1 small book. They're impossible to read!
June 3, 2019
While doing a little research on Charles Vess before writing my review of the Bone prequel
Rose
(which Vess illustrated), I ran across his Wikipedia entry which counted Hal Foster as one of Vess' influences (yes, I understand that Wikipedia is often a dubious source, but Vess, as someone who paints his comic works, obviously has more in common with Foster than most comic artists). While there are several comics artists who paint, rather than draw (Alex Ross being the one that immediately comes to mind), Foster's work, like that of Will Eisner, was groundbreaking for its times.
In the introduction to this volume, "Yes, He Was a Cartoonist" by Mark Schultz (the current writer of the Prince Valiant strip) makes the argument that despite his wish to be considered a "serious" artist (the histories of Foster seem to indicate that he would have been happier illustrating advertisements rather than being on "the funny pages", ultimately Foster was as much a "cartoonist" as Eisner or Charles Schulz--he became so in demand because of his work on the Tarzan strip that he was able to dictate the terms by which Prince Valiant would be published (as discussed in my review of the previous volume, producing a Sunday only strip in 1937 was unheard of--it's likely that the success of Prince Valiant probably worked in Will Eisner's favor when he began producing The Spirit for a Sunday comics insert in 1940.) However, Schultz has to admit that Foster is a different kind of cartoonist--yes, the art is not the same as reality, but Foster added a level of detail readers just weren't going to find in something like Peanuts. In addition, unlike his peers, Foster's work had an almost literary feel--he refused to use word bubbles, instead of opting to use quoted text in the empty spaces. One feels that like Eisner, this is because Foster did not want to be limited by comic conventions--by eliminating the word bubbles Foster renders something that looks like it should be hanging in a museum (see the June 30th 1940 strip for an idea of how beautifully rendered Prince Valiant could be.) As I have stated previously, no one was doing what Foster was doing in 1940. One might wonder if Superman and Batman had been legitimized because of the aesthetic of Prince Valiant. As I've noted, I'm sure The Spirit was more accepted because of it.
While the strength of Prince Valiant is in its rendering, I think there are still weaknesses with Foster's story-telling and characterization. I believe this is likely because Foster put the look of Prince Valiant ahead of the storytelling. In this we can compare him to Eisner, who always seemed to put the premium on storytelling, but unlike Foster, Eisner could get his ideas on 7 pages a week. Foster had one page to advance his story on a weekly basis and in this he is fairly successful. However, I feel that Prince Valiant is too perfect a character--reading the adventures of some kid who seems to know better than all of the more seasoned adults around him comes off as hollow, kind of like Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The best episodes were always the ones where Wesley fucks up because it shattered this notion of him being some sort of precocious prodigy. This is how the character of Val reads to me. Perhaps in Foster's era, the idea of a fallible hero may not have been as acceptable, especially in a world where the United States was about to enter into a global war.
That said, for those who love the history of the comic form, Prince Valiant is can't miss reading, if for nothing else but the stunning visuals. It is almost certain that Foster's work encouraged syndicates to produce daily Superman and Batman strips. It was the appearance in the dailies that likely legitimized Superman and Batman to the point that they became iconic heroes. For that, I think the world owes Foster more of debt than we comics fans realize.
In the introduction to this volume, "Yes, He Was a Cartoonist" by Mark Schultz (the current writer of the Prince Valiant strip) makes the argument that despite his wish to be considered a "serious" artist (the histories of Foster seem to indicate that he would have been happier illustrating advertisements rather than being on "the funny pages", ultimately Foster was as much a "cartoonist" as Eisner or Charles Schulz--he became so in demand because of his work on the Tarzan strip that he was able to dictate the terms by which Prince Valiant would be published (as discussed in my review of the previous volume, producing a Sunday only strip in 1937 was unheard of--it's likely that the success of Prince Valiant probably worked in Will Eisner's favor when he began producing The Spirit for a Sunday comics insert in 1940.) However, Schultz has to admit that Foster is a different kind of cartoonist--yes, the art is not the same as reality, but Foster added a level of detail readers just weren't going to find in something like Peanuts. In addition, unlike his peers, Foster's work had an almost literary feel--he refused to use word bubbles, instead of opting to use quoted text in the empty spaces. One feels that like Eisner, this is because Foster did not want to be limited by comic conventions--by eliminating the word bubbles Foster renders something that looks like it should be hanging in a museum (see the June 30th 1940 strip for an idea of how beautifully rendered Prince Valiant could be.) As I have stated previously, no one was doing what Foster was doing in 1940. One might wonder if Superman and Batman had been legitimized because of the aesthetic of Prince Valiant. As I've noted, I'm sure The Spirit was more accepted because of it.
While the strength of Prince Valiant is in its rendering, I think there are still weaknesses with Foster's story-telling and characterization. I believe this is likely because Foster put the look of Prince Valiant ahead of the storytelling. In this we can compare him to Eisner, who always seemed to put the premium on storytelling, but unlike Foster, Eisner could get his ideas on 7 pages a week. Foster had one page to advance his story on a weekly basis and in this he is fairly successful. However, I feel that Prince Valiant is too perfect a character--reading the adventures of some kid who seems to know better than all of the more seasoned adults around him comes off as hollow, kind of like Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The best episodes were always the ones where Wesley fucks up because it shattered this notion of him being some sort of precocious prodigy. This is how the character of Val reads to me. Perhaps in Foster's era, the idea of a fallible hero may not have been as acceptable, especially in a world where the United States was about to enter into a global war.
That said, for those who love the history of the comic form, Prince Valiant is can't miss reading, if for nothing else but the stunning visuals. It is almost certain that Foster's work encouraged syndicates to produce daily Superman and Batman strips. It was the appearance in the dailies that likely legitimized Superman and Batman to the point that they became iconic heroes. For that, I think the world owes Foster more of debt than we comics fans realize.
June 23, 2022
Library book. Second in this series of the original strips written by Hal Foster, these covering the years 1939 and 1940. These are big oversized books, the only way to truly do justice to the magnificence of Foster’s artwork. One can easily gloss over the storylines in the panels and just exult in the wonderful illustrations. However, story there is! The book opens with Valiant joined by fellow Knights of the Round Table Gawain and Tristram as they do battle again the Huns, and in the end are victorious.
They travel to Pannonia and the fortress of the fearsome Kalla Khan. Although captured and put in dungeon, Valiant’s wit and bravery serve him well and he thwarts the evildoers; only to then face the evil Karnak. A fierce battle is won and Karnak defeated. However, Valiant’s messenger Hulta is wounded, and in treating of the wounds, he discovers that Hulta is really a woman in disguise - the daughter of a shepherd warrior bent on revenge. Through many perils they are victorious and he leaves behind Hulta now placed back on the throne.
The three knights plan to see Rome and set off, arriving after many adventures only to see the assassination of General Aetius by the evil Emporor Valentinian, who himself is murdered after; the three are convenient scapegoats and realize they’ll fare better if they part and leave in different directions. Tristram goes north to return to King Arthur’s table, Gawain east to the sea and a passage to Massilia (current day Marseilles), and Valiant south past Naples and Vesuvius where he takes ship for Syracuse in Sicily, whence across the Mediterranean to new adventures in north Africa and Jerusalem. These will be detailed in volume 3, and is where I head next!
They travel to Pannonia and the fortress of the fearsome Kalla Khan. Although captured and put in dungeon, Valiant’s wit and bravery serve him well and he thwarts the evildoers; only to then face the evil Karnak. A fierce battle is won and Karnak defeated. However, Valiant’s messenger Hulta is wounded, and in treating of the wounds, he discovers that Hulta is really a woman in disguise - the daughter of a shepherd warrior bent on revenge. Through many perils they are victorious and he leaves behind Hulta now placed back on the throne.
The three knights plan to see Rome and set off, arriving after many adventures only to see the assassination of General Aetius by the evil Emporor Valentinian, who himself is murdered after; the three are convenient scapegoats and realize they’ll fare better if they part and leave in different directions. Tristram goes north to return to King Arthur’s table, Gawain east to the sea and a passage to Massilia (current day Marseilles), and Valiant south past Naples and Vesuvius where he takes ship for Syracuse in Sicily, whence across the Mediterranean to new adventures in north Africa and Jerusalem. These will be detailed in volume 3, and is where I head next!
November 7, 2021
I'm sure I like these now, more than I would have liked these then, had I been around. I find Val's alarming Louise Brooks hairstyle disconcerting, and most of his gentlemen and lady friends look like they've come straight out of the 1910s—pop any of them into Ozma of Oz, illustrated in 1907, and they wouldn't look amiss.
And yet these comics were written and drawn in the late 1930s, so these looks were highly unfashionable (and of course, not remotely how people dressed in the fifth century).
Anyway, setting that aside, this are extraordinarily well-depicted—he's a better artist than he is writer, IMO—and the reproductions are faultless (so much so that in the third volume, when the publishers had some difficulty obtaining perfection, they apologized in the preface. I can't see any problems with the pages they're embarrassed about!)
The writing can get a little repetitive (and the author knows it, e.g. "and so, for the third time, Val escaped by wearing the uniform of his pursuer" (or words to that effect)). Val's a bit too violent for my taste (I'm a modern man, so solving your problems by killing everyone strikes me as reductive, although perhaps occasionally necessary in 5th century Europe).
But it's all worth it for the most glorious images. To think he was cranking out several of those each week, when one such illustration would occupy several days for me, and turn out not nearly as nicely!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s.)
And yet these comics were written and drawn in the late 1930s, so these looks were highly unfashionable (and of course, not remotely how people dressed in the fifth century).
Anyway, setting that aside, this are extraordinarily well-depicted—he's a better artist than he is writer, IMO—and the reproductions are faultless (so much so that in the third volume, when the publishers had some difficulty obtaining perfection, they apologized in the preface. I can't see any problems with the pages they're embarrassed about!)
The writing can get a little repetitive (and the author knows it, e.g. "and so, for the third time, Val escaped by wearing the uniform of his pursuer" (or words to that effect)). Val's a bit too violent for my taste (I'm a modern man, so solving your problems by killing everyone strikes me as reductive, although perhaps occasionally necessary in 5th century Europe).
But it's all worth it for the most glorious images. To think he was cranking out several of those each week, when one such illustration would occupy several days for me, and turn out not nearly as nicely!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s.)
January 6, 2018
I enjoyed the first two years of Prince Valiant in Volume 1 so much that I eventually decided to purchase a copy of Volume 2. Once again we get glorious artwork, superb draftsmanship, excellent colors, and the terrific, masterly narrative of Prince Valiant's continuing adventures. The hardbound editions by Fantagraphics Books are outstanding. Great stuff.
April 4, 2018
Excellent high adventure. The fights against the huns go on a little long for my tastes, but Foster generally does a great job of keeping the story moving relentlessly forward, while not shirking the characterization. Beautiful art and coloring, and truly fun, surprising and uplifting adventures. Highly recommended.
August 15, 2018
Pure nostalgia. What more can I say? I loved reading Prince Valiant in the Sunday funnies as a kid. I love these books just as much. Great stories told with jaw-dropping art. Today's graphic novels can't hold a candle to Hal Foster.
June 16, 2020
The section where Valiant is fighting the Huns drags on a bit but things really pick up when he gets to Rome.
February 28, 2022
The stories are pretty good but the real star of this book is the incredible lush and detailed art, and it's presented in an oversized deluxe hardcover format which allows one to really appreciate Hal Foster's illustrations.
February 9, 2018
How can you not love Hal Foster’s work? Stunning apart, swashbuckling adventure, knights and battles... this has it all!
November 27, 2019
What one would expect of a young knight of the Round Table, slayer of Huns.
January 29, 2021
Exquisitely illustrated, highly entertaining. Elevated the Sunday comics to an art form.
January 5, 2022
Loving Foster’s art and adventure. And these editions are beautiful.
February 4, 2022
Fun adventures, and beautiful artwork. Historically inaccurate but that's too be somewhat expected when dealing with tales inspired by King Arthur.
May 30, 2025
The adventure continues to be strong.
November 2, 2023
Things kick into high gear for Prince Valiant, or Val as he is often referred to in this strip. The Saxon army is set to invade Camelot, and things barrel along from one battle to the next. Against his father's wishes, he goes out as a knight in search of adventure. Val helps the exiled king of Thule retake his throne. After a brief encounter with a witch, Val helps the kingdom of Andelkrag repel an invasion of the Huns.
The Huns then become a recurring antagonist, as Val forms a band of “Hun-Hunters”, which grow with each passing battle as the promise of riches thickens their ranks. Val gains 500 more after liberating Duke Cesario. Mighty Tristam and Sir Gawain from King Arthur's Court find Val and join him on a series of battles and adventures. Using their famed battle techniques they are able to make quick work of the Huns, in spite of their superior numbers.
Val's on again, off again sidekick Slith finds true love with Hulta. Once they decide to get married, Hal Foster's razor sharp dry wit comes into play. His opinion of marriage is hysterical. I quote the following caption from strip 169: “And he writes very bad poems to her beauty and she sings to him little idle songs and all those who are annoyed by this imbecility reflect that marriage will soon put an end to their nonsense!” Wow! There are several other examples of Foster's tongue in cheek humor, but his dry delivery really hits the sweet spot for me. Such subtlety is a lost art.
While the bulk of this strip is rooted in a sort of reality, or at least a mostly realistic portrayal of Europe in the Middle Ages/Renaissance, there are occasional flairs of fantasy. Val encounters a giant, who in truth is merely a person who suffers from some kind of glandular disorder. Myths are rooted in some kind of reality, and Foster paints giants in a realistic light while keeping the initial premise of fantasy. This strip is mostly sort of set in the mid-5th century.
Prince Valiant, Mighty Tristam and Sir Gawain arrive in the latter days of Rome. Here they fall prey to the evil machinations of Emperor Valentinian. Valentinian is jealous of General Aetius and decides to kill two birds with one stone by framing Val for his assassination when in truth it is Valentinian's men who do the deed. When friends of Aetius disrupt the trial, the three knights make their break. With the entire army of Rome hot on their heels they decide to split up and go their separate ways to better elude their pursuers. Val books passage to Sicily, and when the greedy captain decides he likes the look of Val's purse, he decides to drug him and steal his money. Val switches goblets and it is the captain who gets drugged! Val switches cloaks with the captain and, under darkness of night, the crew mistakenly throws their captain overboard. Val then assumes control of the ship as a storm blows in. Talk about a cliffhanger.
Hal Foster's artwork is truly superb, easily among the best artists to ever grace the medium. While I don't outright discount Photoshop as I believe that it is a valuable tool in any modern comic book artist's belt, Foster did not have the benefit of it and his work outshines them all. His panel composition, detail, and coloring are all pen and brush and blow my mind. This stuff belongs on walls in fine art museums, it is that good. Imagine if Renaissance era artists drew comic strips. Foster would have been royalty in another age.
The Huns then become a recurring antagonist, as Val forms a band of “Hun-Hunters”, which grow with each passing battle as the promise of riches thickens their ranks. Val gains 500 more after liberating Duke Cesario. Mighty Tristam and Sir Gawain from King Arthur's Court find Val and join him on a series of battles and adventures. Using their famed battle techniques they are able to make quick work of the Huns, in spite of their superior numbers.
Val's on again, off again sidekick Slith finds true love with Hulta. Once they decide to get married, Hal Foster's razor sharp dry wit comes into play. His opinion of marriage is hysterical. I quote the following caption from strip 169: “And he writes very bad poems to her beauty and she sings to him little idle songs and all those who are annoyed by this imbecility reflect that marriage will soon put an end to their nonsense!” Wow! There are several other examples of Foster's tongue in cheek humor, but his dry delivery really hits the sweet spot for me. Such subtlety is a lost art.
While the bulk of this strip is rooted in a sort of reality, or at least a mostly realistic portrayal of Europe in the Middle Ages/Renaissance, there are occasional flairs of fantasy. Val encounters a giant, who in truth is merely a person who suffers from some kind of glandular disorder. Myths are rooted in some kind of reality, and Foster paints giants in a realistic light while keeping the initial premise of fantasy. This strip is mostly sort of set in the mid-5th century.
Prince Valiant, Mighty Tristam and Sir Gawain arrive in the latter days of Rome. Here they fall prey to the evil machinations of Emperor Valentinian. Valentinian is jealous of General Aetius and decides to kill two birds with one stone by framing Val for his assassination when in truth it is Valentinian's men who do the deed. When friends of Aetius disrupt the trial, the three knights make their break. With the entire army of Rome hot on their heels they decide to split up and go their separate ways to better elude their pursuers. Val books passage to Sicily, and when the greedy captain decides he likes the look of Val's purse, he decides to drug him and steal his money. Val switches goblets and it is the captain who gets drugged! Val switches cloaks with the captain and, under darkness of night, the crew mistakenly throws their captain overboard. Val then assumes control of the ship as a storm blows in. Talk about a cliffhanger.
Hal Foster's artwork is truly superb, easily among the best artists to ever grace the medium. While I don't outright discount Photoshop as I believe that it is a valuable tool in any modern comic book artist's belt, Foster did not have the benefit of it and his work outshines them all. His panel composition, detail, and coloring are all pen and brush and blow my mind. This stuff belongs on walls in fine art museums, it is that good. Imagine if Renaissance era artists drew comic strips. Foster would have been royalty in another age.
June 1, 2026
This volume opens with Val homeward bound in an effort to help his father recapture the homeland they fled when the prince was a child. After the campaign concludes, Val yet again turns his sights back to adventuring when he hears news of a famed castle beleaguered by frequent assault from the Huns. After assisting in the rebuttal of this great force, Val commits himself to ridding Europe from these formidable invaders and journeys from parish to castle alike, rebuking the huns with his clever plans and superior tactics. Building a reputation as an inventive and generous military leader, he soon amasses a makeshift army that allows the budding general to deal a fatal blow to the Huns' campaign. As this great effort comes to a close, Val seeks further excitement and journeys to Rome with two fellow knights of the roundtable. After being caught in the middle of a coup, the three knights must flee and go their separate ways with Val deciding to be there southward across the sea.
This collection was just chock full of gorgeously rendered locales, involved military campaigns, and engaging action. The castle seiges in particular were marvelously detailed, serving as a highlight in a volume overstuffed with epic military campaigns. Not only were these conflicts depicted beautifully, but they contained a lot of compelling tactical action and playful schemes from Val. Varied scenery made these set pieces even more engaging with diverse backdrops including but not limited to pastoral countryside, sublime mountaintops, seaside cliffs, and even a volcano! There was also an intriguing dash of mysticism to be found, from a fortuitous encounter with a wizard to a conflict with a giant who ruled a town of misfits. I had a great time with this, not only did the strip format provide for breezy reading but the overarching narratives remained compelling and the quality of the prose was consistently pleasant throughout.
This collection was just chock full of gorgeously rendered locales, involved military campaigns, and engaging action. The castle seiges in particular were marvelously detailed, serving as a highlight in a volume overstuffed with epic military campaigns. Not only were these conflicts depicted beautifully, but they contained a lot of compelling tactical action and playful schemes from Val. Varied scenery made these set pieces even more engaging with diverse backdrops including but not limited to pastoral countryside, sublime mountaintops, seaside cliffs, and even a volcano! There was also an intriguing dash of mysticism to be found, from a fortuitous encounter with a wizard to a conflict with a giant who ruled a town of misfits. I had a great time with this, not only did the strip format provide for breezy reading but the overarching narratives remained compelling and the quality of the prose was consistently pleasant throughout.
January 6, 2016
For some reason, Foster's work is remembered mostly for an unattractive haircut, but both his story-telling and art is top notch. I vaguely remember being put off by re-prints of Prince Valiant in the comic section of the Sunday paper, but here in this beautiful over-sized, everything is full-bore pulp. Foster deserves mention in the same breath as Kirby, Howard, and Dumas.
December 31, 2011
This classic adventure comic series continues to impress me with it's incredibly beautiful illustrations and captivating storyline. Prince Val gets knighted by King Arthur and manages to save much of Europe from the bloodthirsty Huns - and he's still a teenager! Great stuff.
February 15, 2016
Val's adventures continue as he saves a kingdom from the Huns and visits the once mighty Rome. Foster's storytelling and art are improved from the already great first years, especially in his backgrounds and use of color.
November 18, 2016
The Prince and his buddies head to Rome following the fall of the Roman Empire and end up tangling with some pretty nasty Huns. But the Prince sets them straight and stops The West's dissent into barbarianism. Not too shabby for a 98 page graphic novel!
August 5, 2012
Superb!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews