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The Original

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Original pieces of Kreigh Collins’s comic strip illustrations are quite amazing. They are large (drawn on 20 x 30″  illustration board), rich in detail, and interesting in other ways — corrected areas are readily apparent, stock elements are revealed to be pasted in, and instructions or notes are sometimes written in the margins. In the example shown above, Kreigh (my grandfather) personalized the illustration and gifted it to my other grandpa (“For Walt Palmer, May his trials be less than Kevin’s!”). Unfortunately, the art has a bit of wear and tear due to hanging on my brother’s bedroom wall through high school and college. He gets a pass as he shared a name with Kevin’s young ward — Brett accompanied Kevin on many of his adventures.

Another feather in Brett’s cap is being Kreigh Collins’ first grandchild. I was his second—barely—having been born three days before my cousin Josh. I don’t recall any characters named Joshua, and there was only one minor character named Brian that I’m aware of.

Originals can occasionally be found at auctions for a couple hundred dollars or so, depending on their condition. Another original I own was in quite nice shape when it was offered for sale about ten years ago. But by the time I won it on ebay in a later sale, its edges had been hacked down to fit into a cheap 18 x 24″ picture frame. I suppose its value has taken a hit, but I didn’t buy it as an investment. For me, it’s all about the family connection.

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

A Strange Battle

These half-page episodes are very nicely illustrated, and it’s interesting to remember that in this era, when third-page versions KEVIN appeared, the original artwork’s entire third tier of panels was eliminated (an enormous “throwaway”).

I don’t have an example of the May 29, 1966 half-page but I did manage to find an image of the original artwork—which is included in a collection at the Smithsonian.

Drawing. Comic strip, “Kevin the Bold,” art by Kreigh Collins. GA*22482.

Things look grim as Kevin’s right arm is imapled by a Potawatan arrow—just as Captain Spur lunges at him.

Luckily, Spur’s exuberance causes him to lose balance and fall overboard, where he presumably meets his demise.

After imparting a bit more “Viking-Indian” history on his readers, Collins transitions to KEVIN’s next chapter.

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

Trapping Skraelings

The timing of this current chapter of KEVIN THE BOLD is a bit awkward, with Indigenous Peoples’ Day being celebrated tomorrow (October 14). Some of the dialog is rather offensive, and while Kreigh Collins didn’t write too many episodes during this late period of his comic strip, going along with it made him complicit. When these episodes ran in 1966, the discovery of ancient Norse sites in Canada’s Maritme provinces was a recent development, and inclusion of this plot point was likely a suggestion of my grandfather. So despite being a product of a more insensitive time, I give him points for sharing this progressive idea.

The ancient Norse had a put down for the indigenous people they met, calling them Skraelings, and it’s notable that here, even the friendly “Viking-like Indians” use the condescending term against their enemy, the Potawatas.

Looking beyond any awkwardness, let’s try to enjoy a rather unique chase scene.

Given the givens, of course Chief Swen took Kevin’s advice and circled around the island. And let’s just try to ignore the ridiculous red skin tones given to the warring tribes’ members.

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

Distant Relation

From their hiding place, Kevin and Erik keep a close eye on Captain Spur and his men.

Erik recognizes the language used by the “Indians”.

As Erik and Chief Swen bond over the possibility of their shared ancestry, Captain Spur quickly cozies up to the Potawata. The third tier of panels gives readers of the half-page episode a clearer idea of what’s to come…

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

The Chase Is On

Kevin and Erik continue journeying west.

They have seen a lot. After canoeing the length of Lake Ontario and witnessing the majesty of Niagara Falls, they continue on, through Lakes Erie, St. Clair, Huron, and Superior, finally reaching what would become Duluth, Minnesota. But not only are they seeing wondrous new things, so is the young lady who spies upon them.

Even more surprising, Captain Spur and his men have kept pace on the 1,500-mile cross-continental trek!

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

On a Mission from the Queen

This next chapter of Kreigh Collins’ comics comes from the mid-1966 run of KEVIN THE BOLD. Kevin is aboard a ship making a voyage to the New World. These early crossings were extremely challenging.

A detail that piques my personal interest is the name of Kevin’s companion, Erik. My father’s name was Erik, and while he and my grandfather didn’t always get along so well, it’s wonderful to see a virtuous character named for him.

From the Maritime Provences all the way to Montreal, Kevin and Erik have really covered some ground.

To be continued…

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

One Man’s Trash…

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“Throwaway Panels” — such an unfortunate term for these wonderful little illustrations. Deleted in order to squeeze and rearrange a half-page comic into a tabloid format, they were usually incidental to the action. In “Kevin,” they often showed damsels — in distress, or otherwise.

Other options included villains, exclamations, or random bits of scenery. Kevin himself also made frequent appearances in this panel.

Throway panels 1950s 72 Thugs  Throway panels 1950s 72 exclamations

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After seeing enough of these, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Lotería, a Mexican game of chance similar to Bingo. With the strip having a presence in Mexico (“Kevin el Denodado”), I think the NEA missed a marketing opportunity!

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(From the Mexican monthly magazine “Revista Ferronales” magazine)

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

Harsh Mistress

With a sudden storm having wrecked their sailboat, Kevin and Bunny desperately cling to its swamped hull.

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With word of her husband’s rescue coming via radio and newspaper, Jane betrays a bit of jealousy toward her husband’s co-star. However, her fears are assauged with the arrival of a telegram, which reveals Bunny’s true colors.

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On reflection, it’s interesting to note the “modern” touches of these late-period comics of Collins (e.g., the pasted up photostat of the Western Union Telegram); I guess everything is relative, even the groovy dialog.

The sequence immediately following this one ran previously, and can be viewed here.

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

Line Squall

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As he’s escorted around Hollywood by his co-star and director, Kevin learns how the movie game is played. As the action in the comic intensifies, the mood of the topper strip “Water Lore” darkens.

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Jane trusts her husband Kevin enough to ignore the rumors propagated by the Hollywood hype machine — or is she just putting on a brave face? Meanwhile, Kevin and Bunny are lost at sea without ship-to-shore communication. Rescue efforts get under way, and Pedro manages to press the spineless movie star Cecil Dunn into service.

Of note: movie director Rex Fox bears a certain resemblance to one of Collins’ old “Mitzi McCoy” characters, publisher Stub Goodman. Stub was based on the character Frank from the 1947 novel by Thomas W. Duncan, “Gus the Great.” Like Stub, Frank was a newspaperman, and a very richly developed character. Midway through the book, he retires to California (and to my disappointment, isn’t heard from again). It’s nice to see one possible outcome was Frank’s reinvention as a Hollywood director.

Stub on the phone

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

A Smooth Sail

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Eager to get his friend involved in the movie business, Pedro’s idea is to have Kevin’s wife Jane talk him into it. Jane is leery of the possibility of losing her man to a famous Hollywood starlet, but seems to go along with the plan —  she and Kevin are eventually persuaded by the easy money.

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As the sequence gets off the ground, the action is very light, but there are some interesting details to be noticed. The WATER LORE topper strips have some nice illustrations of various watercraft to accompany Collins’ observations, technical diagrams, and historical tid-bits. The March 7 topper references the artist’s home port of Holland, Michigan, which was located a short drive from the tiny village of Ada, where Kreigh lived with his family. Another notable from Ada was Amway founder Richard DeVos. DeVos went into business about the same time as Collins started cartooning, and one part of the Amway empire included an air charter service. Collins name-checked his friend in the March 14 comic.

It’s been a smooth sail through the first few episodes, but how long will it last?

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