Kreigh Collins’ comic strip, Mitzi McCoy, is being published in a collected edition by Lost Art Books. The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, Vol. 1: The Complete Mitzi McCoy collects the full two-year run for the first time. This volume highlights Collins’ picturesque landscapes, detailed character designs, and exciting action sequences.
His grandson, Brian E. Collins, restored and edited this collection. “After having been more familiar with the historical fiction themes of my grandfather’s long-running Kevin the Bold comic strip, coming across the looser, contemporary Mitzi McCoy was like a breath of fresh air for me. Mitzi’s episodes variously included humor, drama, and action, with moods ranging from lighthearted family fare to more ribald scenarios and noir-ish suspense,” Collins said.
“Working on the book, it felt appropriate to pay attention to every detail, to try to do justice to my grandfather’s legacy,” Collins said. “I imagined him appreciating the time I invested, knowing how much time he spent researching, illustrating, and writing Mitzi McCoy.”
Brian worked with Lost Art Books publisher Joe Procopio who had accumulated a large collection of Collins’ books, strips, and other items. Together they agreed to publish the Mitzi McCoy volume first.
“Looking at Kreigh Collins’ work always feels like you’re sharing in his good time at the drawing board as he channels all kinds of things that fire his creative furnace, whether it’s the adventure serials of the time, the great Brandywine School of Illustrators, the theatricality of silent cinema, or the adventure strips of Roy Crane and Milt Caniff. Collins gets it all in there with the exuberance of an excited 40-year-old kid who doesn’t quite believe he finally gets to craft these fun romps for a living,” Procopio said.
The 148-page collection also includes an introduction by Frank M. Young, an afterword by Ed Catto, and new pin-up of the character by Butch Guice. It’ll be on sale September 15, debuting at Small Press Expo and can be ordered directly from the publisher at lostartbooks.com.
