Steve Canyon (Milton Caniff’s…)

    (Checker, 2003-2006)

You could make the case that Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon started shakily and didn’t reach full maturity until the 1950s. Or that, until the Korean War, the continuities were rehashes of his last few Terry & the Pirates stories: commies filling in for fascists, Reed Kimberly a stand–in for Terry, etc. But that would be splitting hairs; Caniff always knew how to spin a yarn and keep it spinning. He was especially gifted at ratcheting up tension by putting off the actual action, whether romantic or military, without ever making the reader feel shortchanged. His characters could be poignant without ever becoming soggy and even funny, if you can navigate your way through Caniff’s jargon. 1949 was a particularly good year, especially the story concerning Reed’s getting involved with an Asian fairytale princess that features the unpleasant Dogie Hogan. Disfigured, cynical, and bitter, he always finds a selfish reason to do something genuinely heroic, making him a perfect foil for Steve. When he unexpectedly vanishes from the strip, he’s sorely missed.

— S.A. Bennett
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