REVIEW: Brian M. Kane, “Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir”

Cover, Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir by Brian M. Kane Image Courtesy Fantagraphics.

REVIEW
Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir
By Brian M. Kane
Hardback ($49.99)
Fantagraphics

Review by Bella Kovar

In a world full of countless books, it’s become more and more evident to me that first impressions of books are similar to first impressions of people. These impressions may not be the most accurate or holistic, but they often set the scene for what’s ahead. Thus, when picking up a book to read, I find myself subconsciously looking for three things: an inviting cover, a memorable title, and an intriguing logline. Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir by Brian M. Kane checks all of these boxes. 

In the introduction, Kane explains Prince Valiant’s impact as a comic strip published from the 1930s all the way until the 1970s. As the longest running adventure narrative within the comic strip universe, its prevalence cannot be overstated. The rest of the book continues to illustrate Prince Valiant’s importance in comic history and explores the comic’s impact on its author, Hal Foster. Kane’s framework in the memoir humanizes the people beyond the page by putting forth their artistic visions and highlighting the steps taken for such ideas to mobilize. By primarily focusing on how Prince Valiant is made, the book effectively pays homage to the series and its author, which makes this book perfect for any fan. However, it also caters to a general reader whose interest is simply piqued by the art of making things. 

Kane makes it clear that Prince Valiant’s success must be attributed to its creator, Hal Foster, as well as his colleague, John Cullen “Jack” Murphy. Kane, a contributor to the first ever textbook about the history of illustration, and colloquially known as a  “Foster scholar,” explains that Foster and Murphy benefited from a mutualistic relationship: Foster needed someone to further colorize and detail his sketches, while Murphy needed a primary storyteller. 

Image Courtesy Fantagraphics.

While praising Prince Valiant’s historical impact within the comic world, Kane also emphasizes the tedious process of comic making. The process is fascinating, explored through exclusive documents such as authentic letters, storyboards, and sketches.  It is through these interactive visuals where the reader gets a taste of the pair’s partnership. Foster’s personality and dry humor nearly jump off the page in his letters to Murphy. The reader doesn’t get to see how Murphy received these letters, so we rarely get a glimpse into his personality. Instead, Kane explores Murphy’s coloring talents and Foster’s notable unwavering trust in him. Foster created foundations, plotlines, and the general skeleton of each week’s new strip, while Murphy made sure the panels had the proper aesthetics to reel readers into their imagined world. Though Kane doesn’t explain how Foster’s narratives initially came to be, he sheds light on the partners’ process, creating a space dedicated to praising functionality and community in the artistic workplace.

If the book falters, it is in keeping a consistent timeline. The dates of letters and other included illustrations are scattered—all are mostly from the same year, 1971, but the months are not in any particular order. As a reader, it can feel overwhelming to keep up with Foster’s personal world through his letters, while simultaneously keeping up with Prince Valiant’s world through his storyboards. Having an illustrated memoir so reliant on documents helps the reader immerse themselves in the story. However, when the documents aren’t presented in a chronological timeline, it can also feel disorienting.

Image Courtesy Fantagraphics.

As a twenty-four-year-old woman living in a world where everything is commonly digitized, it is fascinating and refreshing to see how art was hand drawn and distributed in the time of Prince Valiant’s printing. I believe my positive first impression of the book to be correct: my initial inklings when noticing the inviting cover, memorable title, and intriguing logline established a curiosity that was aptly fulfilled. By utilizing memorabilia, Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir is a fresh take on the memoir as form. I encourage fans of the comic to read Kane’s work. However, if you’re like me and knew very little about vintage comic strips going into it, Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir is still an interesting read with a nostalgic and educational payoff.

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