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Comics: Meet the Artist
With John Cullen Murphy
"Prince Valiant"
Hosted by Suzanne Tobin
Washington Post Comics Editor
Friday, Oct. 12, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT
Welcome to the Washington Post Style section comics discussion, hosted by Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin.
Since 1937, Prince Valiant has traced the epic adventures of a brave and noble prince, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. John Cullen Murphy, who draws the classic comic strip, began collaborating with strip creator Hal Foster in 1970 and took over the strip when Foster retired the following year. Murphy now collaborates on the strip with his son, Cullen Murphy.
Murphy will be online Friday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. EDT to answer questions and take comments about his cartoon.
Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Suzanne Tobin:
Greetings, comics fans, and welcome to "Comics: Meet the Artist." Today, John Cullen Murphy, the illustrator of "Prince Valiant," is joining us from his studio in Coscob, a neighborhood of Greenwich, Conn. "Prince Valiant" is really quite the family affair...Dad John does the illustrations, son Cullen writes the stories and daughter Meg does all the coloring and lettering. Welcome, John, and thanks so much for being here to answer our readers' questions.
Arlington, Va.:
Since Prince Valiant is obviously a story about a time gone-by, do you touch on historical events like the Crusades? If so, do you see any moral imperative to address them now considering the current unrest in the Muslim world?
John Cullen Murphy: The Crusades happened about 400-500 years before the Prince Valiant stories. We're at the tail end of the 5th-6th centuries A.D. and the tail end of the Great Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was mostly in Constantinople by that the time. Mohammed, I believe, lived around the late 600s and early 700s, so I don't see any parallels, except we had good guys then and bad guys then, as we still do today.
The current events really don't have any place in the historical period I'm dealing with in "Prince Valiant."
Charlottesville, Va.:
I really like your strip, and enjoy the historical settings which you use. I do wonder, though: Is there any historical evidence to support the storylines which place British knights in a variety of distant foreign lands in the time period of Prince Valiant (for example, in the Roman Empire at the time of Justinian)?
John Cullen Murphy: I can't think of any historical precedent for having British knights roaming around Europe. The broad background is historical, but then we play around with history a little and have our own characters take part in these events in the Dark Ages. There were roaming bands of barbarians around Europe, and they were the ones that eventually caused the downfall of Rome. Our characters occasionally have altercations with the Saxons in Germany. According to Prince Valiant's story, they did invade Britain, and King Arthur and his knights subdued them. But being such a kind gentleman and enlightened monarch, he invited them to stay and gave them parcels of land, thus creating the Anglo-Saxons.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
So, tell the truth, are you Irish?
John Cullen Murphy: My wife is Irish on both sides and so am I. Back in the '60s, we actually took our whole family and lived in Dublin for a couple years and 7 of our 8 children went to school there. When they came back, they were ahead of their peers in the States. I was one of the founders of the Wild Geese, an Irish association devoted to advancing and promoting all forms of Irish culture. It's not a parading and drinking society, we promote Irish cultural events, like literature, music, art and dance.
Miami, Fla.:
Hi Uncle Jack. If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? Dad has never answered that one straight. Love Tom
John Cullen Murphy: Hi, Tom! How's your growing family?
Miami, Fla.:
Assuming they won't run that last question, is Meg still involved with the strip?
Hope all is well! Love Nephew Tom
John Cullen Murphy: Yes, she's still doing the coloring and lettering from St. Louis.
Lance, Prince Frederick:
Mr. Murphy: I just want to say that "Prince Valiant" is simply the best comic strip out there, and has been one of the best strips for the 30 or so years that I've read it. The stories are clever, the writing is top-notch, the characters intriguing and likeable, and the illustrations are beautiful. I want to ask two quick questions: Have you ever thought of extending the strip to seven days a week? And, just where do you get your great ideas from?
Thanks, and keep up the great work.
John Cullen Murphy: I appreciate the kind words (and I couldn't agree you with more!) I haven't thought of doing the strip 7 daysa week. But when the creator Hal Foster was doing, his syndicate, King Features, broached the idea of making it daily and Sunday, but he declined because it was just too much work. Also, in a daily strip, the scope just wasn't big enough. Since he owned the strip at that time, he could control that. When you consider that he was working 60 hours a week, writing, illustrating and coloring and lettering it, it just wasn't practical. Since I've been doing it (1970), noone has asked to take daily and I wouldn't want to do it anyway because everything today in the daily comics is so small.
Potomac, Md.:
I have read Prince Valiant since I was a child, and my 10-year-old now enjoys it with me. We have all the Fantagraphic reprints of Hal Foster and are thrilled that they have started reprinting yours.
Prince Valiant is getting up in years, and we are wondering if the focus will shift to his children or grandchildren at some point? My son (who is here with me) particularly likes Galen, the scientist son of Prince Valiant.
John Cullen Murphy: First of all, for those of you not familiar with Fantagraphics reprints, they usually print a year of Prince Valiant at a time in a softcover, larger-than-comic-book format, and they're based in San Francisco.
As for Prince Valiant's five children, (he has two twin daughters and three sons) we have had a number of stories in which all five of them have been featured. I doubt that the entire focus would shift to them, but they will continue to play major roles in some stories. Galan is kind of the scholar of the family, so when the occasion arises, he will leap to the fore with his knowledge and curiosity of science, medicine and history.
Miami, Fla.:
The art of the strip clearly transcends what we typically think of as comic strip art. How do you prefer to think of yourself, as an artist doing a comic strip, as a comic strip artist, or simply as an artist?
John Cullen Murphy: I like the word illustrator, because that's what I am, that's what I've been all my life. I worked on most of the major magazines before I started doing "Prince Valiant." I am a painter, who has done watercolor and oil paintings for many years. I'm honored that some of my World War II paintings now hang in the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Museum in Norfolk, Va. And I also have some sketchbooks in the permanent collection at the Military Museum at Brown University in Providence, R.I. I've also exhibited my Western art in Santa Fe, N.M. and I've had five shows of my paintings at the Bruce Museum here in Greenwich.
Falls Church, Va.:
Prince Valiant has not returned home to see his father for many years. How are things in the homeland? Is he ever going to become King Valiant?
John Cullen Murphy: I don't know if he's ever going to become king. I'll have to get together with my son, Cullen, who writes the stories. But I can tell you that he will see his father again. His father's up in Norway, and it's just going to take a while to get him back there.
Lexington Park, Md.:
To what extent do you try to base the strip on historical sources? For example, Prince Val is once again entagled with Justinian. Is your characterization of the emperor based on Procopius? And, has Belisarius ever appeared in the strip?
John Cullen Murphy: The character of Justinian in the strip is based on alot of the Roman histories, written by people like Plutarch and Pliny. And in those, he does not come off well. Noone really knows what Justinian looked like. Belisarius was one of Justinian's great generals, and he did appear about 10 years ago in the strip. Justinian was even once in love with Prince Valiant's wife, Aleta (who, by the way, is often an answer in alot of New York Times crossword puzzles). That storyline was in the strip about 10 years ago too.
Leesburg, Va.:
So what's it like working with family. Is it smooth sailing most of the time? Are you less likely to take family vacations because you can't get away from your work? Or, is working with the family the best part of your job?
John Cullen Murphy: Cullen, who's the writer, and Meg, who's the letterer and colorist, do come to visit from time to time, but we don't go on any extended vacations together. But we do get along very well. The last time all of my 8 children, 16 grandchildren, and Joan (my wife of 50 years) and I were all together was here in Greenwich about 2 years ago, when we all celebrated my 80th birthday.
Washington, D.C.:
When Hal Foster died, were you his assistant?
Have you trained somebody to take YOUR place someday?
John Cullen Murphy: I'd been working with Hal for 10 years when he died in 1982, just shy of his 90th birthday. Until he sold "Prince Valiant" to the syndicate, about a year or two before he died, I had just been doing the illustrations, coloring and lettering, and Hal wrote the stories after he retired from drawing in around '80. As for training somebody to take my place, I do look at alot of work of different people, but I don't own "Prince Valiant." Since it's now owned by the syndicate, any decision about that would have to be made by them. Incidentally, when Hal sold the feature to the syndicate, he recommended my son Cullen to write the stories, which he's been doing ever since. But, as far as someone taking my place, you needn't worry, because I'm not going to die. (Famous last words!)
Arlington, Va.:
Do you think "Prince Valiant" still has relevance in today's world?
John Cullen Murphy: Of course he does, because he's the epitome of a strong, likable, family man who has raised wonderful children and is a loving husband. He also loves his country and is a fierce warrior when goaded.
Washington, D.C.:
I love, love, love Arthurian legends. But with a cartoon that has continued for so long, are you concerned about running out of material?
John Cullen Murphy: No, never, as long as there are different characters in the strip, each person is a story in themselves.
We have such a broad panoply of history to draw from. For instance, in the 1950s, Val was in the New World, where he was startled by Niagara Falls. So there's no limit to the scope of this feature.
wiredog:
Am I the only one who finds Norman architecture in the panels a bit anachronistic?
John Cullen Murphy: Anachronistic? You still see the columns when to go to Rome today.
Silver Spring, Md.:
I really love the Prince Valiant comic strip and especially like the women in it, but I have a question that has nothing to do with that. Were there any comic strips that influenced you in making Prince Valiant?
John Cullen Murphy: Since Hal Foster actually created it, I can't say that I was influenced by any other comic strips in "making" it.
Washington, D.C.:
I'm really interested in the scenes in Justinian's court. How do you do the research on the everyday life at court?
John Cullen Murphy: We just make it up. There's such a paucity of material on that period. This was the Dark Ages, after all, although there was trade and shipping going on. You just have to use your imagination about what it must have looked like.
Laurel, Md.:
Do you have any tricks for making sure that this week's "Prince Valiant" doesn't contradict something that appeared in 1953, or do you just do your best and treat it as entertainment, not a serialized documentary?
Are there Prince Val experts who write to point out problems of continuity or history?
John Cullen Murphy: It has happened where readers point out inconsistencies, but I can't think of one offhand. Cullen and I are very familiar with the stories, and I don't think we've ever repeated a story, consciously or unconsciously.
Alexandria, Va.:
I've been a devoted fan of "PV" for about 20 years, thanks for your great work! I once found some bound collections of older strips in a bookstore, and I'd love to be able to read the entire series from its start in 1937. Are there any plans to reissue the collections?
John Cullen Murphy: You probably want to get in touch with Fantagraphics in San Francisco, because I think they have done all of Hal Foster's strips, and are now, just this year, starting with mine in 1970. I haven't seen it yet myself.
Miami, Florida:
The family is doing great. Little Jack is walking but not drawing yet. We have great hopes for your namesake...love to Aunt Joan.
John Cullen Murphy: Dear Nephew Tom, I hope my namesake does very well. Thanks for joining me online, it was a nice surprise. Give my love to Lisa.
Orono, Maine:
I've noticed an increased number of strips seem to have two authors. Why is that? How does the process work when two people share a strip? Does one write the text and the other draw the pictures?
John Cullen Murphy: Alot of strips are done like that, with one person handling the writing and the other the drawing. But only my name appears on this one, because I'm just plain selfish. For years, when I was drawing "Prince Valiant" for Hal Foster, my name never appeared on it until after he sold it. So now I'm doing the same lousy thing to my son.
Bethesda, Md.:
Dear John,
If other people get "Dear John" letters, what does a "John" get?
Thank you, thank you, for continuing Prince Valiant. It is a unique comic in its presentation. What a pleasure. I savor it on Sundays. May your son continue the great tradition.
Question. How accurate is the background information that you wrap the story around? Are you a scholar of that period in history? Are you mixing different times together? Are your mannerisms of the times correct?
John Cullen Murphy: I'm not a scholar, certainly, and neither was Hal Foster. Hal only got to the 8th grade, and I went straight from high school to art school. But we were both avid readers. My son, however, is a scholar, and an honors graduate of Amherst in medieval history, so he has a pretty good background.
The background history in the strip is pretty accurate, but we just throw our characters into a situation that may have occurred 300-400 years before or after that time. We sort of "telescope" history. For example, the Vikings appeared about 800-1,000 AD, but we have them in the 500s. The information about them is accurate, but the timing is a bit skewed.
Washington, D.C.:
What other cartoons do you read? Are you at all interested in humor cartoons?
John Cullen Murphy: Oh, yes, definitely. Like anybody, I love Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Hagar, B.C., Wizard of Id, as well as Sam and Silo. The humor cartoons are the heart of the industry now. Back in the '30s and '40s, most of the comics were adventure strips. They're aren't many of us left.
Suzanne Tobin:
Well, folks, we're out of time for today. Thanks for your great questions, and thanks to John Cullen Murphy, for being such a good sport.
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