Prince Valiant Vol. 4 Hardcover by Hal Foster

Product Details

• Publisher: Fantagraphics (2011-10-03)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 112 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781606994559
• Item Weight: 1054.62 grams
• Dimensions: 36.32 x 26.16 x 1.65 cm

Haunted by his long-lost love, Prince Valiant journeys back to the land of his birth.

As this fourth volume begins, Prince Valiant, haunted by Aleta, seeks Merlin’s wise counsel. This brief episode segues into one of Hal Foster’s patented epics, “The Long Voyage to Thule,” which ran for seven straight months and featured Valiant’s return to his birthplace and reunion with his father. Of course, Foster’s astonishingly detailed and evocative depictions of Val’s homeland contribute greatly to this sprawling epic.

After a series of shorter adventures including “The Seductress,” “The Call of the Sea,” and “The Jealous Cripple,” Val finally decides he can stand it no more and sets out to find his long-lost love. Long-time fans know that his quest will eventually be successful, but Foster throws so many obstacles in the way of true love that the saga “The Winning of Aleta” would end up stretching a full year and a half, well into the next volume.

With its stunning art reproduced directly from pristine printer’s proofs, Fantagraphics has introduced a new generation to Foster’s masterpiece, while providing long-time fans with the ultimate, definitive version of the strip.

About the Author

Hal Foster (1892-1982) created Prince Valiant in 1937. Though remaining involved with the strip until his death in 1982, Foster handed the bulk of the scripting and art chores over to his longtime assistant, John Cullen Murphy, in 1971.

Brian M. Kane is a comics historian and adjunct professor at Ohio State University. He edited 18 volumes of Fantagraphics’ collection of the Prince Valiant strip, as well as The Prince Valiant Companion.