Customer Reviews

Prince Valiant: 1939-1940 (Vol. 2) (Prince Valiant (Fantagraphics))

5 star:		(12)
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3 star:		(1)
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If you're an old-time fan of PRINCE VALIANT, or just a young pup

discovering that strange, beautiful, buried-in-the-moldering past world of the Sunday funnies, this second volume of Hal Foster newspaper strip reprints will be a collection cornerstone.

The years covered are 1938-1940: Val is out and about in the world, discovering its lurking perils

and enticing wonders. In the process of his development, we can see Foster's art maturing

as each Sunday page rolls off the press. There is brutal reality here, as when Val

breaks through Hun lines to participate in the siege of Andelkrag amazingly details of panoramic battle! - and witnesses the fate

of its defenders. There is also Dunsanian fantasy, when Val visits the Cave of Tie and is soundly (and easily) defeated by Old Man Tempus. The strips' reproduction is faultless; its coloring superb.

Easily the best (and most economical) way to finally enjoy PRINCE VALIANT after all these years!

This series is outstandng and I recommend it without reservation. I have enjoyed the Prince Valiant comic strip for over 50 years and Fantagraphics has done an excellent job in publishing this oversized, hardcover series. With every page in dazzling color, and with high resolution, crisp reproduction, the books are a joy to read--just the opposite of the softcover set. Two years of Hal Foster's great work for just under $20 is an amazing bargain and I encourage you to add it to your collection.

I have read the first three volumes of Prince Valiant by Fantagraphics and have been highly impressed. Both the art and the storytelling are magnificent. I can easily recommend any of the three, but I particularly liked Volume 2. We see Prince Valiant knighted and going off seeking adventure. One of my favorite episodes is the story of the castle of Andelkrag, facing a siege by the Huns, and the castle's lord, Camoran, who displays an amazing zest for life even as the situation becomes increasingly hopeless. I was also struck by the humor that occurs from time to time. In the first episode of Volume 2, a knight at Camelot incurs the wrath of his wife and "Not even the annoyance of a king can halt the flow of really constructive criticism!" I can say that watching the start of Prince Valiant left me awed with Hal Foster's achievement.

I have now purchased both books in the recent Fantagraphics reprint of the Prince Valiant Series.

My only complaint is that they only print one book a year. At this rate, it will take another 25 years to cover the first 50 years of the comic strip.

My son and I have loved these books, with the crisply reproduced images. In all honesty, these pictures are not much bigger than the old Fantagraphics reprints, but they are better quality.

These are the stories that will revive the spirit of Adventure and Chivalry in any one at any age. Timeless and Timely stories of old that are so true to this day. If you EVER wanted to be a KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR, NOW is your CHANCE!

These large format volumes that carefully reproduce the original strips are just a joy to hold and to read. This one is No. 2. The art work is just stunning, and the story line is for everyone who read Pyle or Sabatini or the other adventure authors in his or her youth. Keep them coming, Fantagraphics. And thanks. I've pre-ordered No. 3 already.

Foster just gets better and better as the strip goes along. Art and plot a perfect blend. Plus the wonderful and enchanting color, taken

from the orginal printer's proof.

A book that can be read over and over again and a wonderful gift

for all ages.

This is the second volume in Fantagraphics latest Hal Foster/Prince Valiant reprint project. The reproduction values are well up from the previous series of 50 card cover volumes. Indeed it is hard to see how this strip could look any better. Claims have been made that the line work in a European reprint (which I've never seen) is much better but that project lacks the color that is so important to a strip like Prince Valiant. Certainly the reproduction is light years ahead of the Nostalgia books which were my first Prince Valiant collection.

This book reprints the pages from 1939 and 1940, all 105 of them. This allowed me to sell two more volumes of my Fantagraphics card covers. The frequency of release of these books appears to have been stepped up due to enthusiastic response. Still no word on how many will ultimately be released, however.

Reading these strips again I was struck by not only what a superb artist Foster was but by what a superb storyteller as well. The plots rise well above the formulaic. He sets things up well in advance. In this book he gets his necklace of iron disks that will in a future sequence prove to be important. His characterization is first rate, not only of the major players but even characters that only appear for a few strips seem well fleshed out in words and pictures. The anachronistic world he has created, although based on the real world before the invention of gunpowder, seems alive and vibrant, on par with all but the best fantasy worlds that have been created over the years.

In short, if you've never read Prince Valiant and have an interest in heroic fiction pick up volume 1 of this series and find out why this series has the worldwide following it does. If you own previous collections and are wondering if it's worthwhile to upgrade wonder no longer. This collection won't disappoint.

Excellent!

Unless ones grandparents saved for the family the Sunday commics of 1939-1940, this book is a wonderful addition to the library of Prince Valiant fans.

A good reproduction of the original comic strip. The detail and color are just great. A little expensive for the size of the book, but since it was limited in its availability, you get what you pay for.