Prince Valiant was created by Hal Foster in 1937. John Cullen Murphy began collaborating with Foster in 1970 and assumed full artistic responsibility for the strip when Foster retired the following year. Prince Valiant gradually became a family affair when Murphy's son, Cullen, came aboard in 1979 as the strip's writer.
Knowing how difficult it would be to find an artist capable of the classic-illustration technique that Prince Valiant demands, Murphy carefully selected and groomed Gary Gianni to be his successor because of Gary's already impressive command of compositional and rendering skills. Gianni, who has assisted Murphy on Prince Valiant for nearly three years, is ready to assume full artistic responsibility.
"For lovers of romantic adventure and great spectacle, there is no other strip like Prince Valiant. Not only does the strip have a devoted readership, but it has inspired hundreds of cartoonists, illustrators, writers and filmmakers over the past 70 years. It's fun stuff," said Gianni.
Influenced by Golden Age illustrators such as Joseph Clement Coll and Franklin Booth, Gianni has extensive experience in the publishing and illustrated-book business. He has won numerous awards
"Gary Gianni understands the vast history of Prince Valiant. As an illustrator, he has the dedication and enthusiasm to deliver the realism that Prince Valiant requires. Just as importantly, he has the skill. He is a brilliant - and highly acclaimed - illustrator and storyteller.
Gianni took over the newspaper comic 'Prince Valiant' after the retirement of John Cullen Murphy in 2004. He continued the feature with scripts by Mark Schultz until April 2012, when Thomas Yeates became the new artist.
Featured here is a sampling of his last weeks of the Prince Valiant strips in B/W