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.