In my most recent appearance over at The Comics Journal I banged out some serious praise for the latest volume of Hal Foster's masterwork Prince Valiant, newly reprinted by Fantagraphics. Prince Valiant is an interesting comic -- when I think about it I know abstractly that it has no case for being called the best comic ever, as it was for decades from the 1940s to the '70s or thereabouts. But whenever a new volume comes out I get so deeply lost in Foster's art and the romance of his stories and settings that I'm constantly thinking to myself "this is the best comic ever!" I guess I will have to conclude that Prince Valiant isn't NOT the best comic ever, and leave it at that. Or actually, I won't be leaving it at that, because I've got another 1500 words on it right here. Go read them.
2 comments:
I still haven't read any Foster. I know he deserves his place in the pantheon, his massive influence on adventure comics, but I kind of admire his drawing more than like it, you know? But I do feel I should at least have ONE book of his on my shelves! Are the Fanta reprints the best places to start, d'ya reckon?
And...did you see that Tim Hensley Ramones strip done as a Prince Valiant pastiche?!? That was fucking great!
Foster's art is really there for the reading. I know it looks a lot like more presentational showpiece stuff, but it all makes sense in sequential form, it's really amazing. Give it a chance that way. Yeah, the Fanta reprints are the place to start.
That Hensley strip was dope
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