“RIP KIRBY is an absolute feast. Before now, one largely had to take on faith the
“John Prentice’s work is superb. He's one of the few cartoonists who took an important strip by a great cartoonist and did it not only justice, but in some ways, was as good as—and in some cases better than—the originator.” — Tom De Haven, author of the DERBY DUGAN trilogy
MORE THAN 800 SEQUENTIAL COMICS JULY 1967 TO APRIL 1970 JOHN PRENTICE KEEPS RIP KIRBY CURRENT AND EXCITING IN
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view that Raymond’s dramatic storytelling skills were almost on the level of his illustrative prowess. The evidence is at last back with us, and it doesn’t disappoint.” — Pol Culture
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PRAISE FOR ALEX RAYMOND AND JOHN PRENTICE:
(Different in Canada)
RIP KIRBY 1967–1970
THESE CLASSIC ADVENTURES WRITTEN BY
FRED DICKENSON.
John Prentice won his second National Cartoonists JOHN PRENTICE (1920–1999) was born in Whitney, Texas. After joining the Navy in 1939, he survived the bombing of
JOHN PRENTICE
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, served on two destroyers in eight combat campaigns, and was honorably discharged in 1945. After the war he enrolled in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and then moved to New York, where he eventually became a successful freelancer, illustrating paperback book covers; comic books for the Joe Simon/Jack Kirby studio, DC Comics, and others; as well as being a regular contributor to major magazines before taking over RIP KIRBY in 1956. He received the National Cartoonists Society award for “Best
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Story Strip Cartoonist” in 1966, 1967, and 1986.
LibraryofAmericanComics.com • idwpublishing.com
Society award for “Best Story Strip Cartoonist” in 1967, proving that the adventure strip could still capture the public’s imagination. Similarly, Rip Kirby, that debonair gentleman detective, proved that style and class still counted among the sexy jet-set. In these nine complete stories, Rip must prevent Mr. Monarch from selling a super-secret missile defense system to the highest bidder, tries to keep “The Shark” from stealing nearly a quarter million dollars, is hired to protect a gorgeous movie star from kidnapping, and in a bizarre twist, faithful Desmond is hypnotized into reverting to his former occupation as safecracker, with Rip as his victim. The strips are reproduced from the original King Features Syndicate proofs, insuring that every daily will look even better than when it was first published in newspapers nearly fifty years ago. Containing more than 800 sequential comics from July 10, 1967 to April 25, 1970!
THE LIBRARY OF AMERICAN COMICS www.LibraryofAmericanComics.com EDITED AND DESIGNED BY Dean Mullaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND INTRODUCTION BY Bruce Canwell ART DIRECTOR Lorraine Turner PUBLISHED BY Ted Adams MARKETING DIRECTOR Beau Smith RESTORATION ASSISTANTS Joseph Ketels and Janice Eggie The following people and institutions have been helpful in the preparation of this volume: Randall Scott and the Michigan State University Comic Art Collection (King Features collection), Brian Walker, Ita Golzman, Whitney Prentice, Jon Ingersoll, Justin Eisinger, and Alonzo Simon.
RIP KIRBY VOLUME NINE ARTWORK BY JOHN
PRENTICE STORIES BY FRED DICKENSON
ISBN: 978-1-63140-754-3 First Printing, August 2016 Distributed by Diamond Book Distributors 1-410-560-7100 Published by: IDW Publishing a Division of Idea and Design Works, LLC 2765 Truxtun Road San Diego, CA 92106 www.idwpublishing.com Ted Adams, Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Greg Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer/President Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic Artist Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Matthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer Dirk Wood, VP of Marketing Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services Jeff Webber, VP of Licensing, Digital and Subsidiary Rights Jerry Bennington, VP of New Product Development
Copyright © 2016 King Features Syndicate. TM Hearst Holdings, Inc. The Library of American Comics is a trademark of The Library of American Comics LLC. All rights reserved. Introduction © 2016 Bruce Canwell. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Korea.
CHAPTER 1: The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin 10
Y
july 10-12, 1967
The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin
The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin
july 13-15, 1967
Y 11
12
Y
july 17-19, 1967
The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin
The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin
july 20-22, 1967
Y 13
14
Y
july 24-26, 1967
The Mesmerizing Miss Merlin