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When Murphy was 9, a local artist asked him to sit for an illustration -- Norman Rockwell, working on a Saturday Evening Post cover. Murphy so enjoyed the experience he decided to become an illustrator. With Rockwell's help, Murphy got a scholarship to the Phoenix Art Institute in New York and indeed became an illustrator: he spent most of his career -- 34 years -- illustrating the Arthurian Prince Valiant comic, which appears in about 300 Sunday newspapers. Murphy took over the job from the comic's creator, Hal Foster, and recently turned it over to Gary Gianni. Murphy also did his own comic, Big Ben Bolt, about a boxer, which ran for about 25 years starting in 1949. He died July 2 at 85. From This is True for 4 July 2004 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Gary GianniMark Schultz List Price: $19.99 Amazon Price: $13.59 Editorial Review: Prince Valiant is "the biggest, most beautiful comic [strip] of all time." --Comic Revue Prince Valiant is a high-art comic novel that follows the exploits of the iconic knight errant. Originally created by Hal Foster and now sketched by award-winning creators Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz, Prince Valiant is an epic comic adventure that has maintained a continuous story line since its debut in 1937. Noted for its realistic panoramas and its intelligent, humorous narrative, Prince Valiant depicts events taken from various time periods spanning from the late Roman Empire to the High Middle Ages. This collection follows Prince Valiant and his son Nathan as they prepare for battle following King Arthur's abdication. The knightly father and son encounter danger and adventure as they right wrongs throughout each step of their journey. Meanwhile, Aleta, Valiant's true love, holds court back at Camelot while facing challenges of her own. Prince Valiant appears weekly in more than 300 newspapers nationwide. Strips dating from November 21, 2004, to May 11, 2008 are included within this collection.  By: Hal Foster List Price: $29.99 Amazon Price: $19.79 Editorial Review: The most gorgeous adventure comic strip of all time, the on-going Prince Valiant Sunday-only comic strip ran for 35 years under its creator, Hal Foster. Foster limned epic swordfights and some of the most beautiful human beings ever to appear in comics. And he matched his nonpareil visual sense with the narrative instincts of a born storyteller. Prince Valiant has previously been widely available only in re-colored, now-out-of print editions (which fetch collectors' prices). Thanks to advances in production technology and newly available original proof sheets, this new series is the first to feature restored artwork that captures every delicate line and chromatic nuance of Foster's masterpiece. Comic strip aficionados will be ecstatic, and younger readers who enjoy classic adventure will be bowled over. Book One also has a rare, in-depth Foster interview.  By: Gary Gianni List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $19.77 Editorial Review: The Prince Valiant Page is the first book collection featuring Gary Gianni?s work on Prince Valiant. This book gives a well-rounded informative look at both Gianni?s rendition of the Prince Valiant Sunday strip and his own working procedures. Further, he explains the usage of his tools and provides many tips learned during the course of his career.  By: Colm Mcnamee List Price: $15.00 Amazon Price: $12.15 Editorial Review: Commemorating the 700th anniversary of the enthronement of Robert I of Scotland, this book is intended as an everyman's guide to Scotland's famous hero king. The life of Bruce is one of the greatest comeback stories in history. Heir and magnate, shrewd politician, briefly "king of summer," and then a desperate fugitive who nevertheless returned from exile to recover the kingdom he claimed, Bruce became a gifted military leader and a wise statesman, a leader with vision and energy. Colm McNamee combines the most up-to-date scholarship on this crucial figure in the history of the British Isles with lucid explanation of the medieval context, so that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate Bruce's enormous contribution to the historical impact not just on Scotland, but on England and Ireland too. It is designed to encourage popular reassessment of Bruce as politician, warrior, monarch, and savior of Scottish identity from extinction at the hands of the Edwardian superstate. Peeling back the layers of misconception and propaganda, the author paints an accurate, sympathetic but balanced portrait of a much beloved national hero who has fallen out of fashion of late for no good reason.  By: Robert Barr List Price: $0.99 Amazon Price: $0.99 Editorial Review: The Sword Maker is a historical romance, set in the Rhenish Palatinates. The Emperor is old, fat, lax and indolent, caring only for his flagon of wine, and his nobles have waxed in power, levying taxes so heavy commerce has come to a standstill in Frankfort. An attempt by merchants to run the blockade on the river and reach Cologne has been destroyed, with the Robber Barons sinking the ships and taking the goods. An appeal to the seven Electors to depose the Emperor and install his son in his stead has proven futile, as the Electors benefit from things as they are, and the Prince has been imprisoned by an Archbishop to forestall further efforts. The guild of ironworkers makes fine swords, and suffers like the rest from the standstill in commerce. Revolution is brewing . . . [Kindle] |
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