A hasty plan has placed Kevin and Pedro in peril.

Both Kevin and Pedro appear doomed in their rescue effort, as Kevin is attacked and Pedro nearly crushed. While supporting the crumbling pier, somehow Pedro is able to cut Glenn loose, allowing him to crawl away.

In his attempt to avoid Kevin, Captain Steele’s carelessness brings the whole wharf down, entombing him. It’s a familiar way for Kevin’s enemies to go, victims of their own demise.

The story ends abruptly, without showing a mother-child reunion, and quickly transitions to the next chapter.

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

While Glenn is still held captive, his worried mother calls on Kevin to help find him.

I don’t have a color half-page example of the October 26, 1958 episode, but the reverse side of this black and white proof has an interesting detail. Normally, pencilled on the back of these prooofs were instructions from NEA boss Ernest Lynn for his secretary (e.g., “Kreigh Collins Airmail”), but this one reads “Kreigh Collins Airmail – Macatawa,” indicating that Collins and his family were spending the summer sailing in northern Michigan—Lake Macatawa was a favorite spot, and Collins used local Post Offices for general delivery during summers spent aboard his boat, as he continued his work assignments. With episodes readied about three months before publication, that meant that delivery of this proof took place in late July, 1958, the third summer Collins and his family sailed aboard their schooner Heather.

Poor, frightened Glenn cries out again, but this time Kevin and Pedro are within earshot.

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

Glenn is shown to be quite a precocious young fella, but his curiosity poses some risk.

As Pedro’s character develops, he is shown indulging in his favorite pastime; meanwhile, poor Glenn is out of the frying pan but into the fire.

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

As a mid-1958 storyline transitions to a new chapter, a new, recurring character is introduced.

A mountain of a man, Pedro would continue to play a large roll in Kevin’s adventures over the final decade of the comic strip’s run. Pedro even made the jump when “Kevin” morphed into “Up Anchor!,” continuing his supporting roll during the 3.5-year run of Collins’ final NEA feature. Friends like that are hard to find, and I would like to thank my friend Arnaud for providing most of these scans from Pedro’s introductory sequence.

As the story unfolds, some new characters are introduced—the first is swordsman/card cheat Captain Steele—I’m thinking he’s going to be the villain…

…Call me Kreskin! Another new face is that of little Glenn. In real life, Glen is one of Kreigh Collins’ four sons, the oldest of twins born when Kreigh and wife Theresa were in their mid-40s. (Glen’s twin is named Kevin). Glenn is a handsome little fella, as is his namesake—though Uncle Glen now more closely resembles Pedro in size. Here Glenn and Kevin meet cute as Captain Steele flees the scene of a crime.

Although this is Pedro’s first appearance in the comic strip, he and Kevin are well acquainted previously, and their story continues next week…

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