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Sell Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art at NateDSanders.com Auction for $70,461

To buy, sell or consign Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art such as the one we just sold for $70,461, please email [email protected] or call Nate D. Sanders at (310) 440-2982.  Thank you.

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

In July 2017, we just sold another Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art at Nate D. Sanders Auctions (http://www.NateDSanders.com)

Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art From 1939 — Perhaps the Most Recognizable Artwork by Hal Foster From “Prince Valiant”, the Majestic Andelkrag Castle

One of the greatest pieces of artwork by Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art in his career, the original artwork for the 120th “Prince Valiant” Sunday comic strip from 28 May 1939. In this instantly recognizable piece — featured on the cover of Fantagraphics’ “Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940” and in numerous “Prince Valiant” publications — Val sees the foreboding castle of Andelkrag in person, surrounded by Huns as they prepare to attack it. The six panel strip measures 26″ x 34.5″, (the large Andelkrag panel measures 17″ x 21″ by itself), with incredible detail showing the seemingly impregnable fortress, the mountains behind it, the flames roiling up aside it and Prince Valiant standing upon a hillside, gazing at its beauty and enormity. In this strip, Val makes his approach and plunges into the river moat at darkness, to find a fire-raft built by the Huns in order to destroy Andelkrag’s bridge. As Prince Valiant destroys their handiwork, the Huns vow revenge in return. Artwork is signed by Foster on the second panel, inscribed to “Edward W. Larson / with friendly greetings / Hal Foster”. With King Features Syndicate, Inc. label on fifth panel, with 1939 copyright. The date of 28 May 1939 appears on the fourth panel, along with “120”, the number of this Prince Valiant strip in the life of the series. Artwork is mounted to board and matted to a size of 33″ x 41.5″, with matting strips separating the panels. With minute amount of soiling, artwork is in near fine condition. Accompanied by the color newsprint of this artwork and two “Prince Valiant” books featuring this strip.  An amazing Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art.  Sold for $70,461.

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art ''Prince Valiant'' Sunday Artwork by Hal Foster From 1939 -- Perhaps the Most Recognizable Artwork by Hal Foster From ''Prince Valiant'', the Majestic Andelkrag Castle
Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art From 1939/ Click above for larger image.

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Hal Foster with a Original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Strip

In November 2016, we sold this Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art for $44,291:

Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Dated 6 March 1937 — 4th Prince Valiant Strip in the Series! — Val’s “Career of Adventure Begins” Here, Showing His Growth From Boy to Young Man

Original “Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur” strip in two parts, dated 6 Mach 1937, the 4th strip in the series which launched on 13 February 1937. In this large 12-panel strip, we witness Prince Valiant grow from a boy – stranded on the Fens Marshes – to a young man who hunts and provides food for the exiles. His teacher is a young native boy who shows him how to hunt and also escape death by the “marsh lizard”, the superbly drawn creature which preys upon the young men in the last half of the strip. Hal Foster additionally draws an image of Prince Valiant’s face on the back of the strip, and inscribes the first portion of the strip in pencil above the panels, “To Douglas Newton with best wishes for his success as an artist / Hal Foster” and then additionally, “I send you this early one because it has a dragon in it – hope you can clean it up”. The 1937 King Features Syndicate label appears on the 11th panel, along with the date of 6 March. A publisher’s sticker also appears under the 10th panel. First portion of strip measures 29″ x 21″ and second portion measures approximately 29″ x 20.25″ with an irregular top edge. Strip is in good condition with some dampstaining that mostly appears on the margins and can be framed out. Strip also has some foxing, toning and tape remnants to margin. Artwork itself is still bold and clean. An excellent, very early example of Hal Foster’s classic Prince Valiant.  One of the most important Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art ever offered. Sold for $44,291.

Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Number Four in Series Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Number Four in Series

Pegged as “The Father of the Adventure Strip,” Hal Foster is considered one of the finest comic artists of the the 20th Century.  A product of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the young Foster began his self-educated art career by taking an art course at The Winnipeg Carnegie Library to help refine his already prodigious drawing skills.  His first work as an artist was doing illustrations for the Hudson Bay Company’s mail order catalog.

After a brief time away from art, working in a gold mine of all things, Foster moved to Chicago looking for opportunities as an artist.  He continued to develop his craft by taking classes at the Chicago Art Institute and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.  He began to get work illustrating ads and magazine covers.

In 1927, Foster traveled to California to meet Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs.  The two agreed to launch a Tarzan of the Apes comic strip, which made its debut in 1929.  The strip quickly became a hit and was picked up by United Features Syndicate.

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Tarzan of the Apes comic strip

His work on Tarzan cemented Foster’s reputation as a comic artist of the first order, particularly as the Tarzan strip progressed and Foster adapted his formidable artistic skills to the medium of comics.  As the strip matured, the hallmarks of Foster’s work on Prince Valiant emerged, including sophisticated compositions, a fluid depiction of movement and a dramatic sense of realism.

4. TarzanByHalFoster Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Hal Foster Tarzan of the Apes comic strip

 

5. Tip_Top_26_04_tarzan Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Tarzan of the Apes comic strip

One of Foster’s biggest fans was newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.  Hearst so wanted a Hal Foster strip to run in his papers that he agreed to a rare 50-50 split of the gross income for a new strip that Foster proposed to him, “Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur.” The Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip premiered in 1937 and quickly became the gold standard of Sunday comic strips.

6. Hal Foster, Ray Bradbury Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Strip in the Days of King Arthur

See this Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art auction link:  http://natedsanders.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=31498

Above is the original Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art that was given to novelist Ray Bradbury by Foster.  Nate D. Sanders auctioned the Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip on behalf of the Ray Bradbury Estate for $21,175.  The 5 January 1947 Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip features Prince Valiant, his wife, Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles, and Earl Jon amid a classic Arthurian feast. True to Foster’s iconic form, the strip is intricately detailed and does not employ word balloons, instead narrated in captions positioned at the bottom of panels.

7. Foster aerial shot of him drawing a Sunday page Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Foster aerial shot of him drawing a Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip

Foster described his artistic process below:

“By profession I am a cartoonist, and my work is displayed through the medium of the Sunday comic section. But in reality I am an illustrator, and my methods are those of an illustrator. A thorough foundation of perspective, anatomy, composition and color is essential. Like most of the artists who draw story or adventure strips, I spent many years as a commercial artist. Cartooning is the presentation of ideas. The best illustration or the funniest caricature is static unless it is the visual part of an interesting or comic idea.

Prince Valiant is written in novel form, corrected, changed and researched. Then the page is laid out and the story broken down into captions; the first panel takes up the story where it left off the previous week, and the last panel suggests suspense to be told the following week.

The layout of the page is a pencil sketch, so that each panel can be planned to offer variety…the portrait, half-figures and intricate and detailed scenes. Two-thirds of the ‘novel’ is discarded, for the captions must be reduced to a minimum. Nobody wants to read a long caption.

The page, 29×15 inches, follows the pencil sketch. The finished black-and-white page is then photostated and the ‘stat colored. It is this colored photostat that the engraver follows in making plates.

Much research has gone into the illustrations; the costumes and weapons, architecture, harness, even farm implements must be of King Arthur’s period. Even more care must be taken with the story, for each actor must remain in character, and the action must be ever-changing. Too much drama or violent action can become boring, so I try to follow with family scenes, introduce new actors, or add a touch of humor, before the next dangerous episode.

There is an old saying among cartoonists, ‘No one ever sold a funny drawing, but a funny idea illustrated puts meat on the table!’

I have emphasized the story idea here, because of all the aspiring young students who have asked my advice, not one has seemed to consider it at all. Their interest was in the pens and brushes, the paper, size, how to draw a funny figure… and would I introduce them into my syndicate.”

 

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Hal Foster Drawing an Original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Strip

 

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Original Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Above: Original Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art that sold for $5625 at Nate D. Sanders Auctions.  Dated 2 June 1968, complete Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip features Prince Valiant and his wife, Aleta.

See this Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art auction link:

http://natedsanders.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=32791

 

Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Hal Foster Drawing His Original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant Comic Art Strip

Nate D. Sanders just sold another original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip for $27,981

1. Hal Foster Dean Young Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art

Original Sunday Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art strip

See this Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art auction link: http://natedsanders.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=43216

Above is the original “Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur” Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art Sunday strip in two parts, dated 5 October 1941. In this chapter, we witness the wizard Belsatan casting a powerful spell for the return of his wife and its dramatic aftermath (which is “beyond description!”). In earlier action, Belsatan had concocted a scheme to use Val to get rid of his beautiful, but nagging wife, Acidia. The schemed worked, but the wizard soon grew lonely, leading to the action featured in this strip, a fantastic example by Hal Foster, the strip’s creator, working at the absolute top of his game. Foster inscribes the strip to his “favorite comic artist ‘Chic’ Young”, who of course is the creator of the popular “Blondie” comic strip.  Amazing Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art.

Hal Foster passed away in 1982.  He was 89 years old.  In 1996, Foster was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.

To buy, sell or consign Hal Foster Prince Valiant comic art, please email [email protected] or call Nate D. Sanders at (310) 440-2982.  Thank you.

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