Afl. 596-642 Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, about a noble knight in the days of King Arthur, began in newspapers in 1937 and continues to this day. It was Foster (1892-1982) who introduced illustrative techniques—and the sensibilities and standards of such greats as Howard Pyle—to the comics page. Realistic depictions and sophisticated compositions had been curiously absent before him. He is still considered to be comics’ supreme classicist.