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.
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For more information on the career of Kreigh Collins, visit his page on Facebook.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While Kevin is bold, Freya is certainly brave.
The illustration of underwater swimming in the final panel is evocative of a decade-old Mitzi McCoy comic and plot device, that of finding a hidden cave with an air pocket.
August 7, 1949
As in the mid-1949 Mitzi McCoy sequence, a cave is found with an air pocket. It allows Kevin to escape the frigid water, albeit briefly. Meanwhile, as Thord’s men squabble, Kevin seizes his opportunity.
Besides being a rather gruesome conclusion to a compelling storyline, the August 31, 1958 episode is notable for a couple of other reasons, among them a continuity problem. When Thord and Kevin resurface in the second panel, some stones are visible in the foreground, to Thord’s right. In the next panel, Thord gives Kevin a stiff-arm as he lunges for the stones to his left. The throwaway panel then shows a closeup of a stone in Thord’s left hand, but the following panel shows the stone in Thord’s right hand, as he’s about to strike at Kevin.
Also of note is the introduction of the character Pedro in the final transitional panels. A large and recurring character, Pedro was by Kevin’s side for many of his adventures over the final decade of Kevin the Bold’s run. No doubt he was a favorite of Collins, as a very similar Pedro character played a prominent role in Kreigh Collins’ third and final NEA feature, Up Anchor!
“The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy” features the entire run of Kreigh Collins’ first NEA feature.
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 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.
The book is available for $30. For domestic shipping, add $4; for international orders, please add $25 to cover first class shipping. To place an order, leave a comment below or email me at BrianEdwardCollins1[at]gmail.com, and I will give you PayPal or Venmo information. Thank you!
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For more information on the career of Kreigh Collins, visit his page on Facebook.
Freshly awoken from being knocked out, Kevin and Freya race to water’s edge only to see Thord sailing away on Sor Nordick’s dragon boat, repurposed as the Erl’s funeral ship.
After discovering that Thord intended to steal the venerable old man’s treasure (instead of following custom and letting it sink with the burning boat), Kevin and Freya set off in an attempt to thward Thord’s plans.
[Now about those “unscrupulous” Jesicks. Reading through these comics, that name rang a bell for me, and I realized where it likely came from. Notably, Kreigh Collins was an avid sailor, and for many years he docked his boat at a marina on Lake Macatawa, Michigan. The marina? Jesick’s Boat Yard. I suspect that the choice of names Collins gave to Thord’s lackeys was in fun, and not indicative of any malice toward the owners of his longtime marina. It sounds Polish to me, but perhaps Jesick is a Norwegian name?]
An unforeseen bugaboo in the evil man’s plans dooms them, but while Kevin strides off to for a better view, Freya herself is not out of the woods yet.
For more information on the career of Kreigh Collins, visit his page on Facebook.
Kreigh’s Comics 