Prince Valiant, Vol. 44: Karak the Terrible

Fantagraphics' deluxe, full-color library-quality editions of Prince Valiant were initially intended to end with 2000's Vol. 40, the final volume in which Foster was the chief architect of the strip's visual look. Due to overwhelming public demand, however, we are continuing the series, reprinting strips written and roughed-out by Foster and finished by Foster's prodigious assistant, John Cullen Murphy. Murphy, who had been quietly assisting Foster for several years, actively took over the bulk of the drawing chores in 1971 and immediately developed a fan following himself (although, for the most part, your average newspaper reader couldn't discern a difference between Foster and Cullen Murphy's styles).

Each volume of Prince Valiant features close to a year's worth of full-page Sunday strips, in an oversized format showcasing the strip's spectacular artwork.