Oh, surely not. She loves the hero of Mark Schultz and Thomas Yeates’s Prince Valiant and would get less screen time without him. But in the interlude between the two stories this plot recap covers, we do get word from Camelot and it’s going surprisingly well ever since Valiant got away from it. Maeve and Aleta make an awesome regency. The Eastern Saxons have been held to Londinium. Nathan is, well, Nathan. Ingrid is, well, Ingrid. The coffee crop failed but everything else is bountiful. So there’s no reason they should hurry home. Heck, if you get the offer why not take a trip to Hibernia or something? Australia maybe? Valiant hasn’t been to Australia yet, has he? Maybe try there?

So this should catch you up to the end of the year (2023, our time) in Prince Valiant. If, for you, it’s after about March 2024, you may find a more up-to-date ancient scroll here. Or any news about the comic strip, in case some breaks out. It hasn’t produced any drama to speak of that I’ve heard about in years but you never know, right? Back now to the time of King Arthur …

Prince Valiant.

8 October – 31 December 2023.

Prince Valiant and his son Arn, sent out to what’s now Wales to fix all the warfare with Saxon invaders, were trying out kidnapping. Baedwulf, leader of the small band of Saxons who’ve been making life hard for the Gwynedd folks, likes the spunk Valiant and Arn show here. And he and Caitrin, one of the Gwynedd locals who’s married a Saxon, lay out the sad facts. Camelot hasn’t got the manpower to spare to drive out the Saxons. There isn’t enough geld in all the Danes to get the Saxon mainland interested in sending reinforcements. They can keep bleeding each other to death or they can stop fighting and have fish fry together.

Eating without death sounds good. There’s some fiddly little details to work out and Valiant’s amazed to watch how much fun Arn has doing that. And then Galahad arrives, bearing news from Camelot. Turns out since he, Valiant, and Arn left things have been going great. He can head go out any way he likes, away from Camelot.

With adventuring done for the present, Val would be very happy to return to Camelot --- but Arn remains busy mending social fences in Gweynedd, and Val is determined to stay by his son. A commotion draws his attention. Bronwyn and Baedwulf --- who have been spending much time together --- are arguing, and have drawn a crowd. Of course, Val is as nosy as anyone. 'It is incredible, but I swear to you all, I saw it!' Baedwulf cries to the crowd. 'Last night, as Bronwyn and I were inspecting the construction of the boats and amazing vision came before us --- an omen --- a sign of good fortune. First, a beautiful cat appeared in the boat closest to us. And then, in the sky behind, there came its mistress: Freo, goddess of love, come to bless Bronwyn and me!' Bronwyn retors: 'Nay! Baedwulf's eyes deceive him! A cat-thing did appear, but it was the horrid monster Cath Palug! Its baleful gaze foretold only misfortune!' — Mark Schultz and Thomas Yeates’s **Prince Valiant** for the 19th of November, 2023. This turn of events brings up something I didn’t realize I was missing in **Prince Valiant**, but the appearance of the ambiguous, ominous mystical world is doing a lot to make the story more real and vivid to me. I’m not saying I want the strip to entirely become one of magic and fairy stuff, but bit of that makes a great boost.

And there’s reason to head out. Baedwulf and Caitrin’s sister Bronwyn saw an omen over some boat construction. Baedwulf says a beautiful cat appeared on the boat, and then in the sky, Freo, goddess of love, appeared. Bronwyn says no, it was the demon Cath Palug, harbinger of despair. Caitryn interrogates Bronwyn, establishing that the cat departed to her left. So that’s great, because that means they’re blessed, not cursed. And Baedwulf declares it’s a sign he must go to Hibernia, to present his betrothed — Bronwyn — to his lord and see if this whole “food, rather than death” thing sounds good to them too.

So it’s a journey to the west for Valiant and Arn, and more, including a stowaway cat. There’s what Baedwulf insists are selkies in the water, but you’ll get a certain amount of that on any sea voyage. A change in the wind pushes them off course, though, and they come ashore in a deserted fishing village. Well, they’ve got whole hours before sunset and probably Valiant’s Singing Sword just does that vibrating now and then. You know how they are.

Next Week!

Which of five generations of characters is going to be Santa Claus this year? And why the heck are they doing it in Charlotte, North Carolina? I ask the tough questions about Jim Scancarelli’s Gasoline Alley next week and probably come out learning about some weird Lum and Abner clone I never heard of before next week.