Prince Valiant

The comic strip Prince Valiant was written by Cullen Murphy for 25 years, from 1979 until 2004.The strip was drawn by his father, the illustrator John Cullen Murphy. Since 2009, the publisher Fantagraphics has been producing full-color, hardbound editions of Prince Valiant. The series begins with the strip's creation, in 1937, by Hal Foster. The Murphy collaboration starts with Volume 22.

*Descriptions below are from the publisher:

Prince Valiant Vol. 26: 1987-1988

The most visually opulent comic strip in the history of the medium celebrates its 50th anniversary with the marriage of Prince Valiant's son. Val goes in search of a northern spice route, which leads him into adventures among the Balts, the Greeks, the Lapps, and the Chinese. A Trojan Horse deception in reverse nearly wipes out Val's expedition, and a dreamlike encounter north of Cathay involves Yeti and other strange creatures. Back in Britain, Arn's bride strikes a blow against chauvinism and liberates the women of the village of Orr to exercise their true potential.

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Prince Valiant Vol. 25: 1985-1986

As this latest collection begins, Val and Arn are in Lappland, where they get involved with two twin brothers' struggle over succession. Arn consults a mystical hermit about whether his destiny intertwines with Maeve's, the daughter of an arch-enemy. With the sinister Mordred in control of Camelot, Val and Aleta seek to raise an army; this goal requires Val to capture a notorious outlaw, battle a troll, and find a hidden treasure. Arthur's forces come together at High Cross, and he wages an epic battle for the fate of Camelot, during which Arn becomes a knight of the round table. Also included, Prince Valiant writer Cullen Murphy and colorist Meg Murphy pay tribute to their mother, Joan, model for Aleta and other female characters for their father.

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Prince Valiant Vol. 24: 1983-1984

In Volume 24 (1983-1984), a comedy of mistaken identities culminates in Val playing a game of life-or-death using live people as chess pieces. Arn's job as Arthur's Keeper of Parks involves defending against invading Saxons. Merlin gives Val a magic ring and a dire message for Arn. With all the other knights of the round table away from Camelot on a rescue mission, Val joins a hunt for a cattle-killing man-beast. Finding his opening, arch-enemy Mordred launches an attack on the defenseless kingdom, sending Arthur the severed leg of the mayor of each conquered town. Arn's love for Maeve takes a turn toward heartbreak and betrayal when the identity of her father is revealed.

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Prince Valiant Vol. 23: 1981-1982

Renowned painter and graphic novelist George Pratt (Batman, Sandman) introduces the volume. In these full-page, gorgeously illustrated newspaper strips, Prince Valiant journeys from the upper regions of the Alps to the bowels of the Earth on an allegorical quest for humility involving the mysterious Wanderer, a curse on the kingdom, monstrous imps, and a mystical casket. York, Lincoln, Colchester, and Londinium are sacked as Mordred leads an invasion across Britain, culminating in the siege of Camelot. Aleta's pregnancy promises to bring a new child into the family, but the newly crowned Emperor Justinian plots to have the infant stolen at birth. Arn begins a dangerous courtship of the huntress maiden Maeve and embarks on quests to obtain the Sacred Ring of India and to find his lost newborn brother.

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Prince Valiant Vol. 22: 1979-1980

Val, deprived of his Singing Sword, is enslaved in the Berber salt mines. A death watch has begun for the bedridden King Arthur, and the monarch's half-brother Mordred plots to usurp the throne. Aleta investigates a murder in Cornwall. This volume includes a tour of Prince Valiant's England by Vanity Fair and The Atlantic editor Cullen Murphy, John Cullen Murphy's son, who begins his long tenure as the strip's scriptwriter with this volume. Plus: Todd Goldberg's examination of the historical reality behind the Prince Valiant strip continues.

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