Sunday page Prince Valiant - 9 Apr 1972 - #1835

John Cullen Murphy began his collaboration on Prince Valiant with creator Hal Foster in 1970 when Foster decided to lessen his workload at age 78. With Foster's retirement in 1979, Murphy's son Cullen took over the writing. Cullen Murphy began contributing stories to Foster while studying at Amherst College. Murphy continued to draw Prince Valiant with his son scripting and his daughter doing the lettering and coloring. From the fall of 1971 until early 1980 Foster would give a nicely penciled layout for Murphy to complete and be published, and with his last pencil layout for February 10, 1980, he officially retired.

Offered here is a Sunday dated 4/9/1972 featuring Val setting out on yet another adventure, leaving behind beautiful Aleta! Pen and ink on paper, art measures 25" x 17", part of text is missing in the 2nd panel, otherwise overall condition is Very Good.

In 1971 and 1972, the Prince Valiant comic strip underwent a major transition, marking the end of Hal Foster’s full-time art tenure and the beginning of John Cullen Murphy’s role as the primary illustrator.
During this period, Foster moved into a role focusing on writing and sketching layouts, while Murphy finished the artwork.

Key Aspects of Prince Valiant Art (1971–1972):
The Transition: Hal Foster drew his final full Sunday page on May 16, 1971. John Cullen Murphy began taking over the art duties shortly after, starting with strip #1789.

Division of Labor: Throughout 1971 and 1972, Foster provided detailed scripts and pencil layouts, which Murphy then inked and finished.

Art Style: Murphy’s style in 1971–1972 closely imitated Foster’s, maintaining the detailed, realistic, and adventurous look of the strip.

Published Work: This period is covered in Prince Valiant Vol. 18: 1971–1972, which showcases the shift in artistic hand.

Notable Pieces: A Sunday strip from June 20, 1971 (#1793) shows Murphy’s early work on the strip, featuring strong, dramatic, and shadowed figures. Another notable sunday is therefore this one from April 9, 1972 (#1835) which shows the continued collaborative effort.
While Foster continued to contribute to the art through layouts until 1980, the 1971–1972 period is defined by Murphy stepping into the role of inker.