The action never lets up in the 27th volume of Fantagraphics’ exquisite reprinting of Hal Foster’s masterpiece, as Val embarks upon another treacherous journey that will test his mettle.

On a quest in the Asian lands of Cathay, Prince Valiant encounters a fire-breathing mechanical dragon and the legendary adventurer Prester John. Armies converge, mountains crumble, and a father and son are reunited. Mordred escapes imprisonment and treacherously stabs Arn, who learns that Maeve is soon to give birth. Val discovers a lost colony and wrestles with a tusked whale off the coast of Greenland, but a spell overcomes the expedition on the Isle of Lost Youth. Plus: an introduction by Turkish/German artist Ertugrul Edirne and behind the scenes of a heavy-metal interpretation of Prince Valiant.

In the published Prince Valiant Vol. 27, in the second panel of the May 7, 1989 strip, part of the narration is missing from the top of the image due to a production error. Here is the panel as it should have appeared. Thanks to Brian M. Kane for pointing out the error.