The newest Rip Kirby reprint volume, #11, covers the newspaper strip from 1973-75.

This detective adventure strip is presented here in eleven stories, reproduced from the original daily black and white King Features Syndicate proofs. The strips are written by Fred Dickenson, and illustrated by John Prentice, who worked on Rip Kirby after Alex Raymond’s death in 1956 until the strip ended with Prentice’s retirement in 1999.

There is a lot going on in these reprinted stories: Gunfights in an old Western town, a search for a hidden stash of heroin, some counterfeiting, and the return of Rip’s girlfriend Honey Dorian. Plus a new girlfriend and the return of characters such as Desmond, Wiggins, and Ma Casino.

The foreword by Bruce Canwell helps set the scene for us to understand the situation in the world when the strips were first published.

IDW, Rip Kirby Complete Comic Strips 1973-75 (Volume 11). $49.99 for 301 pages of content. Not rated; presume ‘Everyone’

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!