A Man Condemned

A brawl begins—and ends badly for Kevin and Brett. However, Grossmaul soon gets a taste of his own medicine.

The story arc wraps up with poetic justice, and transitions to the next adventure.

Sadly, for Chicago Tribune readers, the December 20, 1959 episode (above) is the last one to appear in the paper.

Here are the sequence’s last three episodes in color, as third-pages.

Available Now

Initially available only from the publisher’s website, I now am happy to offer copies for sale of “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy.”

The book’s price is $30. For domestic shipping, add $4; for international orders, first class shipping costs $25. (A recent order sent from New Jersey to France took 10 calendar days to be delivered). To place an order, email me at BrianEdwardCollins1[at]gmail.com, and I will give you PayPal or Venmo information.

MITZI McCOY ran from 1948 to 1950 and showcased Kreigh Collins’ skill as an illustrator and storyteller. His picturesque landscapes, lovely character designs, and thrilling action sequences brimmed with detail and charm, and the strip’s ensemble cast rotated in and out of the spotlight taking turns as protagonists in the dozen story arcs collected in this volume. The last story collected in “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy” is the narrative bridge that set Collins and his characters off on a new journey, beautifully told for the next couple of decades in the much-lauded adventure strip Kevin the Bold.

The collection includes an introduction by Eisner Award-winning author Frank M. Young, an Afterward by Ithaca College’s Ed Catto, and previously unpublished artwork and photos. Longtime comics artist Butch Guice also provides a new pin-up of the character Mitzi McCoy.

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

The Plot’s Afoot

As a welcome change of pace, the following episode is a half page from the Sunday Independant. With its descriptive, educational labels, it is characteristic of Collins’ illustrative comics work.

Now let’s settle into our seats and watch as the action unfolds.

Although Kevin has finally made his appearance in this story arc, Brett continues to dominate the action.

I don’t have a third-page version of the November 22, 1959 episode scanned but I do have a black and white proof—which has been embellished with some yellow paint. Kind of a drag, but it could’ve been worse—our young artist seemed to spend more time creating their own artwork, as shown on its reverse (“Mixed media with architectural details,” unknown artist).

Here are the other two episodes in color, as third-pages.

Available Now

Initially available only from the publisher’s website, I now am happy to offer copies for sale of “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy.”

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

Send in the Cavalry, er, Clowns!

Brett’s nightmare keeps taking turns for the worse.

Brett is in dire straits. Where is his benefactor, Kevin?

Wait—what? Was Brett just saved by a mime? I did not see (or hear) that coming! With any luck, Kevin will be ready for any sudden plot twists.

Here are the three episodes in color, as third-pages.

Available Now

Initially available only from the publisher’s website, I now am happy to offer copies for sale of “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy.”

The book’s price is $30. For domestic shipping, add $4; for international orders, shipping costs $25. To place an order, email me at BrianEdwardCollins1[at]gmail.com, and I will give you PayPal or Venmo information.

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

The Proudest Boy in Europe

As was occsionally the case with these nice BW proofs, someone got handy with the scissors—though it seems kind of like an odd panel to remove. This one can’t be patched as nicely as some others I’ve run across.

Gretchen instinctively avoids Hans, but the Grossmauls’ evil plan is set into motion. Poisoning someone with a sleeping potion is one thing…

…but arson is another. Interestingly, the panel showing Hans running from the fire he had set was the throwaway panel, so this detail would be lost on tabloid or third-page readers. The panel that follows, where Hans’ father asks if the deed is done, leaves the fire’s origin as somewhat ambiguous.

Poisoning, arson, murder… and a scapegoat. The aptly named Grossmauls are about as evil as any villains featured in “Kevin the Bold.”

Here are the three episodes in color, as third-pages.

Available Now

Initially available only from the publisher’s website, I now am happy to offer copies for sale of “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy.”

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

The Warden of the Smoke and Bells

When Kreigh Collins’ first NEA comic strip (“Mitzi McCoy”) debuted, it was designed to be carried by an ensemble cast, where any of the regulars could take the lead in a given story arc. This was certainly less the case with “Kevin the Bold,” with Kevin dominating the action, but there could be stretches of two or three weeks where he was completely absent.

A much longer sabbatical happened in late 1959. For seven consecutive episodes, Kevin’s ward Brett took the lead—it wasn’t until the final panel of the eighth episode that Kevin appeared. At the conclusion of the story arc, “Kevin” was dropped by the Chicago Sunday Tribune (it’s unclear if this was a coincidence). “Kevin the Bold” was the first NEA comic to grace the Trib‘s pages, and the paper had run the strip since its inception. No doubt this was a blow to its creator.

The first episode of this new story is a densely packed with exposition. While Brett is Kevin’s ward, he has yet to learn the importance of holding his tongue. However, the lad does manage some choice words.

The next two episodes originally ran in the Carbondale Southern Illinoisian. Despite the pall cast over the last episode, the mood brightens considerably as we meet the kindly Professor Sachs…

…before taking another dark turn.`

Here are the three episodes in color, as third-pages.

Available Now

Initially available only from the publisher’s website, I now am happy to offer copies for sale of “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy.”

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

Leaping Lizards, er, Lads!

Six episodes in, and so far two of Heather‘s crew have fallen into the drink. I wonder who’s next?

Somewhere in Kreigh Collins’ morgue file, he had an image of a boy playing leapfrog. It was never referenced in “Mitzi McCoy,” but it appeared in Collins’ pre-NEA “Bible Picture Story Comics,” twice in “Kevin the Bold.” and at least once in “Water Lore,” above. Now that’s thrifty!

From left: December 15, 1963; October 30, 1955; and c. 1946.

With the eighth episode of “Up Anchor!”, another recurring character was introduced—Kevin’s friend, Pedro. Pedro had been a mainstay in “Kevin the Bold,” he first appeared in 1958 and continued on and off until the very last episode, a decade later. While Kevin definitely changed when he transitioned between the two strips, Pedro remained essentially the same.

Oho! It was Erik that somehow fell in—luckily Pedro was there to lend a hand. He also lets loose with what will become the big fella’s catchphrase.

Waiting until late December to button up a boat for the winter would be ill-advised in Michigan, but if you factor in the three-month lead time that the production process of these episodes required, doing it in late September (when the artwork was inked) seems appropriate.

Collins also had the advantage of being able to photograph his sailboat in order to create reference images for use in his strip, and it looks like the photo below could have been used for the episode above. I’d guess the younger guy is my uncle Kevin.

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

Secret Weapon

Kreigh: “Teddy, let’s sail the Great Loop with the twins.” Teddy: “Wouldn’t that be grand!”

“Up Anchor!” was narrated by Jane Marlin, who was loosely based on Kreigh Collins’ wife, Theresa. “Teddy” also had a hand in writing the strip, and the the November 24, 1968 episode, she also pitched in a bit with the illustration. I clearly recognize the handwritten labels on the drawings Jane holds from her numerous cards and letters over the years (and there were plenty of years—she lived to be nearly 102!)

Teddy definitely fit the idiom, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” After all, besides “the Skipper” and eight-year-old twins, she served as Heather‘s only crew during it’s year-long circuit of the 6,000-mile Great Loop. Made plain in the strip, traditional gender roles were largely held, so she was responsible for cooking, cleaning, and all the other typical roles of a mother. The original plan was to home-school (boat-school?) Kevin and Glen during the journey, so teacher could be added to the list, too. Of course, Teddy was used to adventuring with her husband—shortly after their 1929 wedding, they took a steamship to Europe and spent several months exploring the continent (mostly France). She chronicled the Great Loop journey in her diary, and later the material was published in an article that appeared in The World Of Comic Art. The late 1966 article was reprinted and used as part of an NEA promotional push, and some of this material was repurposed as “Up Anchor!” storylines.

After a bit of self-deprecation, another educational tidbit was dished out regarding alcohol fires.

Generally, the content of “Water Lore” didn’t reflect the action in an episode of “Up Anchor!,” but the December 1, 1968 episode was an exception, with its focus on cooking. Personally, I don’t have a lot of memories of sailing aboard Heather, but I do recall touching her smokestack once and burning my hand.

This wouldn’t be the last time Heather went aground.

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

I’d Rather Be Sailing

In late October of 1968, with the final episode of “Kevin the Bold,” our hero made good on something he’d been trying to do for years.

The end of the trail found Kevin in his friend Pedro’s homeland, Spain, but if he was going to settle down, it would mean more than time travel—a change of scenery was also in the cards.

A true measure of local renown is not needing to list a street address on one’s stationery.

Set on Lake Macatawa, in western Michigan (the same place Collins docked his boat, Heather), “Up Anchor!” was Kreigh Collins’ final NEA comic feature. It launched on November 3, 1968 and was an attempt to adapt to changing times—adventure strips like “Kevin the Bold” had fallen out of favor. His new strip was largely based on his family’s real-life experiences aboard their schooner, Heather—but plenty of license was taken with the plot.

The tone of the strip changed too, as it was narrated by Jane Marlin. Jane was loosely based on Kreigh’s wife, Theresa; “Teddy” helped develop the strip’s continuity, too. With “Up Anchor!,” Collins had finally figured out how to best deal with dreaded third-page reproductions of his artwork—he added a topper strip, “Water Lore.” (For the last few years of “Kevin,” the bottom tier of panels had been considered expendable—an example is shown at the top of this post). When the new strip ran as a tabloid, the smaller of the two “Water Lore” panels was the throwaway; when it ran in a one-third page format, the topper was lost.

While the tone of the strip was more modern than in “Kevin,” there are still some elements that now seem dated, such as a recurring theme of male chauvinism, and even an awkward joke about a black eye in the strip’s debut.

Nonetheless, with summer here, a voyage under sail sounds wonderful.

The debut introduced the characters, or crew—in addition to Jane and Kevin (remember, this was supposed to be the same character as from the previous strip), we meet the couple’s sons, Erik and Dave. In real life, Erik was my father and David is my uncle, and their little brothers are Kevin and Glen. Once again, Glen seems to have gotten short-changed, but maybe this was fine with him. For what it’s worth, Glen bears a much stronger physical resemblance to his father than his brothers.

Most of the examples I have are third-pages, but I have recreated the full illustrations with the help of black and white online downloads.

A rather central component of the strip was education, and it wasn’t just relegated to the topper.

This post has some pretty sweet examples of “Water Lore,” particularly the one above dealing with radar’s precursor, and the November 10 example even previews the following week’s edition.

As the episodes themselves indicate, “Continued next week.”

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

Book Report

I am happy to announce that “The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy,” is now available directly from me. Upon its 2018 publication, the book was exclusively available on the publisher’s web site. However, some people experienced problems with order fulfillment (including me!)—this was heartbreaking! After all, this project was a labor of love, and after having invested so much time in it, hearing about this situation was particularly vexing—I couldn’t do anything about it.

Because I now have a small inventory of the books, I am offering them for sale—with the promise that orders will be processed as quickly as possible. The cost per book is $30. For domestic shipping, I am charging $4; for international orders, shipping costs $25. To place an order, email me at BrianEdwardCollins1[at]gmail.com, and I will give you PayPal or Venmo information.

Also available!

“Kevin the Bold: Sunday Adventures, September 5, 1954 to June 2, 1957” contains over 140 episodes of this rollicking, witty and dramatic lost Sunday comics classic! With elegant artwork and smart storytelling by creator Kreigh Collins, KEVIN THE BOLD blends swordplay, suspense, humor and history in a rugged, highly appealing blend! Sourced from rare syndicate proofs and are reproduced in crisp black and white, the volume contains 14 complete story arcs. (Please note: three of the book’s 145 episodes were scanned from Sunday comics).

“Kevin the Bold: Sunday Adventures, September 5, 1954 to June 2, 1957” is available on Amazon.

Coming Soon!

I have recently learned that a collection of “Kevin the Bold” episodes is forthcoming in a series of two volumes published by comics luminary Anders Hjorth-Jørgensen of Denmark.

“Kevin den Tapre” (Kevin the Brave) appeared in the weekly Danish magazine “Hjemmet” throughout the 1950s, first in color, then in black and white; these comics are the source material of what will be reprinted by Mr. Hjorth-Jørgensen’s publishing company, Forlaget desAHJn.

I will post further information on these books when it becomes available.

Podcast on the Making of “The Complete Mitzi McCoy”

To learn more about Kreigh Collins, MITZI MCCOY, and how my recent book on Mitzi came together, listen to the interview I did with John Siuntres: “Anatomy of a Comic Strip,” from his long running pop culture audio podcast, Word Balloon.

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

Tamper; Tantrum

Two rivals vie for Lady Goodly’s affections, yet she only has eyes for another.

Kevin is trapped, and has only a risky escape plan.

The Duke takes the bait, Kevin plays possum, and Percival?

Percival came through in the clutch. Here are the sequence’s final two episodes in color, as third-pages; I don’t have a color example from June 25, 1961.

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

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