Prince Valiant Volume 5 [Hardcover]

It gets harder and harder to review each succeeding Prince Valiant volume. The same can be said for all of them. The artwork is breathtaking, the storytelling first rate, the production values superb.

Also fascinating is how Foster introduces characters that are intended for just one story arc or even for just one or two pages. Many writers wouldn't bother developing much in the way of characterization or motivation but Foster is different. He doesn't just have an anonymous desert warrior molest Aleta. No, he has "M'Belo, harem-bred and womaen-raised has none of the chivalry of the warriors. He lays sly hands on Aleta, as she goes by in the moonlight."

This volume also points out one or two things about Foster's writing that don't really work well for me. One is his frequent depiction of romantic love as a freight train which overwhelms the characters. Foster is a big fan of the "love at first sight" school of romance but I prefer the "start small and build up over a period of time" approach. No doubt Foster's approach is the best for a fast moving adventure strip.

Foster's humor can also seem a little on the juvenile side as the "Sir Puny" arc in this volume demonstrates.

But I nitpick. I've read the pages in these volumes a dozen times and I never tire of them. Very highly recommended. A newspaper strip has never been done any better than this.

How long was the publication delayed for ?.. i dunno.. seems ages.. but the quality of the book can not be faulted and the Love the publishers have for the work is clearly evident from the cover page to the end page. .. and after all it is Forster at the ( growing) heights of his art work and writing.

All too soon the second World War would impose restrictions on the size of the strip and Forster would have to stick to the more conventional grid layout.

With the long delay between order and fulfillment on this book it makes me hesitate to order the next volume. I want to wait and see it it will come out on time.. still, whatever the case.. it will be well worth the wait.

Just over a year ago, I wrote my first Amazon review, that being Volume 2 of Fantagraphics' Prince Valiant. I have just completed Volume 5 and I continue to be impressed. Hal Foster was a magnificent artist and knew how to tell a great story. This volume concerns itself with the courtship and early married life of Prince Valiant and Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles, who might be seen as the star of this volume. There is adventure as Aleta has to deal with being kidnapped by Val, who is in a deranged state. Just as he recovers, she is abducted by a warlord, leading Val to launch a major military effort to save her. They want to marry at Rome, but there is the matter of Vandal raiders getting ready to sack the city. On their way to Camelot, Aleta needs a new wardrobe and Val's expression upon receiving the bill is priceless. Aleta's first meeting with King Arthur is a mutually embarrassing episode, as Aleta is skinny dipping at the time. She disguises herself as a knight, and while comic, she does prove herself quite brave. When Val's father is facing trouble with an old friend, it is Aleta who finds a solution. Besides Prince Valiant, the first part of the book also includes a three-panel strip Foster did called The Medieval Castle, and while not quite as good as Valiant, it is a little gem, focusing on the two sons of a knight. If you are a serious enthusiast of comic strips, this series should be seen as an essential addition to your collection. With its combination of adventure, romance, pathos, humor and especially some of the finest art seen on newspaper pages, the early years of Prince Valiant show the genre at its best.