Wolfgang J. Fuchs

John Cullen Murphy: Born on May 3, 1919, in New York, died on July 2, 2004, in Greenwich, Connecticut. At the age of nine, John Cullen Murphy attended Saturday classes at the Chicago Art Institute. By the age of eleven, he was enrolled at the Grand Central School of Arts in New York. As a schoolboy, Murphy earned money drawing and caricaturing boxers. At 15, he fortuitously met a well-known magazine illustrator who recognized his talent, encouraged him, and helped him secure a scholarship at the Phoenix Art Institute in New York City. In 1950, he created his first comic, the boxer strip Big Ben Bolt, which he illustrated until 1970. Starting in 1970, Murphy assisted Hal Foster, who lived in his neighborhood, with his work on Prince Valiant. In 1971, Foster named him as his successor, but it wasn't until 1979 that he was solely responsible for the illustrations. Murphy's son Cullen wrote the texts, while his daughter Mairead handled the lettering and coloring. In March 2004, Gary Gianni took over the series. Murphy passed away a few months later at the age of 85.