Kreigh Collins’ version of the Christmas Story, illustrated in comics form, was hailed upon its release. Locally, it was featured as part of a Christmas exhibit at the Ryerson Library in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the event made the December 13, 1949 edition of the Grand Rapids Press. Today, the bulk of Kreigh Collins’ papers and comics illustrations are found in a collection at the Grand Rapids Public Library’s Local History Department, housed in the Ryerson building.

The final instalment of the series is another beautiful reproduction of Collins’ work by the Chicago Tribune. After seeing the initial results of the Trib’s pressmen, the artist showed his appreciation in a letter to A. M. Kennedy, the comics editor for the esteemed paper. No doubt Collins was sincere, but perhaps he was hoping a little praise would help his chances of seeing his regular comic, “Mitzi McCoy,” also grace its pages.

While “Mitzi” never did make it into the Trib, the Kreigh Collins was successful in crafting a comic (“Kevin the Bold”) that did appeal to A. M. Kennedy and would appear in the Chicago paper within a year.

Merry Christmas!

For more information on the career of Kreigh Collins, please visit his page on Facebook.