Prince Valiant Volume 22

Book name: Prince Valiant
Volume 22, 1979-1980
By: Hal Foster and Cullen Murphy
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books, INC.
Price at time of publication: $ 34.99
ISBN: 978-1-68396-378-3
Reprinting in color Sunday newspaper comics section strips of Prince Valiant
Reviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets

First: I have reviewed several other of these volumes here at Jazma Online in past posts. The books are very difficult to get through interlibrary loan service. This volume came all the way from Palm beach, Florida library. I have only missed so far finding volume 21.

Volume 22 has a long 4 page introduction by Cullen Murphy called “ Prince Valiant’s England”. Cullen Murphy is son John Murphy. John was former person that worked on newspaper strip after Hal Foster retired. I was actually surprised series of books has not been bought up and made into recent movies.

Here is what back cover says about volume 22.

Galen, the youngest of Prince Valiant’s sons, begins the long journey to knighthood, bringing both shame and honor upon himself. But the old order is threatened with collapse as 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 plans to usurp the throne. And Aleta investigates a murder in Cornwall.

Also: a tour of Prince Valiant’s England by Cullen Murphy, son of John Cullen Murphy and editor of Vanity Fair and The Atlantic, who begins his long tenure as Prince Valiant scripter with this volume. And Todd Goldberg’s examination of the historical reality behind the Prince Valiant strip continues.

Allen continues:

It is best to also read some of my other reviews to better understand my appreciation of Prince Valiant. This might be my last review of series. The books are very hard to get even with inter-library loan services. I only found volume 21 and 23. That would put me up to 1982 of reprints.



Allen Klingelhoets