Rip Kirby, Vol. 11: 1973-1975, Hardcover

The longest-running modern adventure strip continues with 11 new stories starring the debonair private detective, reproduced from the original King Features Syndicate proofs.

In these 11 stories, Rip Kirby takes part in an old-style shoot-out in a nearly-deserted Western ghost town, battles the deadly Owl and the Pussycat over a hidden stash of heroin, and rubs a magic lamp the wrong way in a Turkish bazaar. After learning he is the doppelganger of the crown prince of a postage stamp-sized country, the bespectacled detective follows the trail of a counterfeit two million before being framed by a paroled con man who wants to get even with Rip for making him play second fiddle in the prison orchestra. Plus--the long awaited return of the Rip's original girlfriend, Honey Dorian, as well as his arch-nemesis, the deadly Mangler

The more than 800 sequential comics from January 22, 1973 to October 11, 1975 also feature Rip's new girlfriend Holly Glowstep, and standbys such as Desmond, Wiggins, and Ma Casino.

John Prentice (1920-1999) received the National Cartoonists Society award for "Best Story Strip Cartoonist" in 1966, 1967, and 1986. Born in Whitney, Texas. He joined the Navy in 1939 and survived the bombing of 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.