Llewellyn proves to be a menace with a sling — fatally striking a hawk in flight and then “ringing the bell” of David himself. Kevin and David escape, but Llewellyn and his band of hooligans go to work on their nefarious plan.
With the weather taking an ominous turn, David Drew fears for his family’s safety. Little does he realize that their travel plans had changed.
While it was great to have The Detroit News running Kevin as a half-page comic, its color reproduction too often failed to live up to the standards set by the Chicago Tribune, as the sloppily-printed November 3 comic shows.
Kevin deftly saves lovely Emily and impresses the girl’s mother. Mary explains her family’s situation and reveals that they are about to sail off to visit her husband — in spite of his stern warning for them never to travel by sea (due to his career choice).
Meanwhile, in Wales, things are becoming complicated for David Drew.
The Chicago Sunday Tribune was an early champion of “Kevin the Bold.” However, by 1957, the comic ran in its dreadful one-third page format more often than not. The Detroit News, another large-circulation paper, still ran half-page versions.
The following sequence of comics from the News features an impoverished farmer who turned to a life of crime in order to support his family. David Drew feels justified in his career path, as he thinks his lot have been exploited by the wealthy. Soon, circumstances arise that give him a change of heart.
Meanwhile, Kevin is In London, attracting the attention of pretty ladies. As usual, they are falling for him.
Like most artists, Kreigh Collins looked to his family and surroundings for inspiration. Kreigh’s young twins were named Kevin and Glen. Kevin obviously had a major part in his eponymous cartoon strip, whereas Glen didn’t show up until eight years later.
If you knew my Uncle Glen, you’d appreciate the irony of Pedro’s comment.
The sequence with “little Glenn” lasted nine weeks. Perhaps seeing the inequality of his twins’ like-named characters, Kreigh introduced another Glen six years later. This time, he was an orphan, stranded in the West Indies.
Even Inky appeared. He was the neighbors’ dog.
Kreigh’s oldest sons, Erik and David, had namesake characters in Collins’ final comic strip, “Up Anchor!” Like Kreigh’s, the Marlin family sailed aboard a schooner named Heather. (In reality, Erik and David were no longer living at home, and neither were redheads).
Fifteen months into its nearly two-decade run, “Kevin the Bold” introduced a new character, Brett. My brother Brett was Kreigh’s first grandchild, and as with Kevin, the character appeared in the funnies before the actual person was born (in Brett’s case, nearly ten years earlier).
In “Mitzi McCoy” Stub Goodman drove a loaner car that looked a lot like Kreigh’s.
Another character with a name from the artist’s real-life experiences appeared in a mid-1955 sequence, “The Castle of the Sleeping Beauty.” A little girl had gotten lost in the woods, and her father, the “great steel maker Temple Roemer” was distraught. Tempel Smith, Kreigh’s brother-in-law, had started a steel-stamping business ten years earlier, and by this time it had grown into a massive steel company.
It starts innocently enough as Brett and Lora spend some time together in a pleasant, bucolic setting… not realizing Kevin’s peril as the kite was readied for flight. The comics are excellent examples of Collins’ skill as an illustrator, and contain beautiful costumes, settings and perspectives.
After having been manipulated by an evil man, the superstitious townsfolk desperately set Kevin free.
The sequence ends with some very heavy karmic payback for Calib. The announcement that Leonardo Da Vinci has returned heralds the next chapter of “Kevin the Bold.”
Fearing for his safety, Dr. Claustus asks Kevin to stay. This provides an opportunity for Dr. Claustus to receive assistance with an experiment inspired by the drawings Leonardo da Vinci had left for him.
The experiment succeeds, but provides an opportunity for Calib to turn the townsfolk against Dr. Claustus and Kevin.
In the ninth sequence of “Kevin the Bold,” some new characters are introduced. Kevin and Brett meet Dr. Claustus, an alchemist, and Lora, his granddaughter. Calib (a thug from the nearby Castle) is the villain, and Leonardo da Vinci has a cameo appearance. Da Vinci will reappear in the following sequence (and again in 1967, near the end of the comic strip’s long run).
When in need, Dr. Claustus is the type of brilliant man people seek out to solve problems. However, he is mistrusted by others. After a couple of scene-setting comics, the characters become entwined, and the drama starts.
Twice, Kevin makes a fool of Calib and soon enough his new adversary seeks revenge.
In recognition of one year of posting the comics of Kreigh Collins, we will celebrate traditionally.
Among other papers, “Mitzi McCoy” initially appeared in its beautiful half-page format in the Pittsburgh Press and the Indianapolis Times. Tabloid newspapers, such as the New York Mirror, ran the comic as tabs or half-tabs. In some dailies, such as the Grand Rapids Press, it appeared in black and white.
Famously appearing from its onset in the prestigious Chicago Sunday Tribune, “Kevin the Bold” also ran in the Detroit News and other papers. As the Pittsburgh Press had done with “Mitzi,” the Florida Times-Union used “Kevin” to lead off its comic section.
My collection of comics largely consists of my grandfather’s original samples. They are mostly from the Chicago Tribune and the Detroit News. There are sometimes multiple versions of a particular Sunday, from different papers, in different formats. Entire comic sections are occasionally found, often from newspapers of places Kreigh visited during journeys aboard his schooner Heather.
The inclusion of one of these comic sections always piqued my curiosity. It’s a Tribune section dated December 27, 1959. “Kevin the Bold” is nowhere to be found. Only recently did I realize the significance — in what must have been a devastating blow to the artist, it marked the point when the Tribune dropped the strip after carrying it for a decade. Notably, “Kevin” does appear in another intact section from the same day’s Detroit News.
With Selim crippled by a broken leg, Kevin sets off for the treasure alone. Rog hopes Kevin will do the dirty work for him.
The sequence wraps quickly as Stormza comes to Kevin’s rescue. Though the beautiful Stormza has just saved him, as is his way, Kevin declines her overtures and sets off, alone, for new adventures.
Their sea journey over, the group now travels across the desert with Stormza continuing to cause trouble due to her rebellious nature. In search of lost treasure, Kevin and Selim discover that they aren’t the only ones trying to recover it, and a new villain is introduced.
Before facing the Rog, Kevin has a close call with some locals and is saved by a wise and kindly old Arab sheik. It is an interesting to see how Arabs are portrayed in this 60-year-old comic. The sheik and his men become Kevin’s allies as they prepare to face Rog, the villainous European.
Kreigh’s Comics 