ComicList Critiques by Charles LePage

Milt Caniff's Steve Canyon 1947
Checker Book Publishing Group
Milt Caniff

You will find no finer piece of literature in the world of comic strips or comic books than STEVE CANYON. Sadly, I started reading this strip in its waning years, as the Vietnam war was ending, and newspapers and readers starting turning away from what was a patriotic and military oriented story. However, we can recapture the magic of the strip's early years in this fine trade paperback series by Checker BPG.

Caniff started STEVE CANYON in 1947 after leaving TERRY AND THE PIRATES. He wanted to write and draw a comic strip that he owned, as opposed to one owned by a newpaper syndicate. Granted, Caniff was a popular and well known creator at the time, so one might think there wasn't much risk in his choice, but there was no guarantee STEVE CANYON was going to be successful, and there was every possibility he might have to go back to creating work for hire. Fortunately, for Caniff and us, STEVE CANYON was wildly successful.

Caniff was a superb artist and writer. The characters in SC have well conceived personalities, and even goofy ones like Happy Easter have a dignity and worth that shine through their antics. In Steve Canyon's world, anyone could be an hero, if they took the time and effort to do the right thing when it counted the most.

One amazing SC fact is, to the best of my knowledge, for the entire 41 year run, Caniff worked with only one assistant, Bill Maudlin. I don't know if that is a record, but it certainly has to be close to the top of such a list.

Not only does this volume contain a year's worth of cartooning gold, but it contains a variety of essays that clearly and easily introduce the reader to Caniff and CANYON. When I reviewed the first volume of Checker's Star Trek Gold Key collection, one of my criticisms was the lack of information for people unaware of the history of the collected comics. SC 1947 is the polar opposite in this regard. Anyone, no matter their level of knowledge, will be enriched by the information surrounding the strips.

On a side note, one of my earliest memories regarding newspaper comic strips involves Steve Canyon being shot by a bullet soaked in perfume. The woman who did the soaking did so in order to keep the wound from healing. I'd love to find out exactly when that story was published.

If you don't have this, you absolutely must buy it. You will not regret it.