Friday, January 28, 2011

"Milton Caniff's Private War" - Nemo #32 part 1

Printed upside-down and filling the back half of "Nemo: the Classic Comics Library's" final issue #31, was issue #32. What a great treat as they cleaned out their vaults and shared with us what they had laying in wait.

First up is a very in-depth article about a specific part of Milton Caniff's career. After so much success before, during and even long after the years of World War II with his strips "Terry & the Pirates", "Male Call" and "Steve Canyon" there came a time when things didn't go so right. The downside of having a life-long career, I suppose, is that your audience changes. Even in generations...and in public perspective. As the decades shifted from the 1930's to the 1940's to the 1950's and into the 1960's, Caniff's audience and the country at large went from the gung-ho, "let's get Hitler and fight for the right!" of WWII to the "what in the hell are we doing here?" of Vietnam.

Boys and Men in uniform weren't held on a pedestal anymore. They weren't heroes, they were considered war-mongers. Mr. Caniff felt they remained heroes and "Steve Canyon" could tell a story of changing times.

Here's his struggle to keep from cancelation.

Read on, kiddoes.





















Talk to you soon.

2 comments:

Runs.with.Ferals said...

Milt knew how to dip out some ink ! I really cherish my early collected Steve Canyon stuff. I like the art from his late 40's period better than Dicky Dare or Terry & the Pirates. It's fast & loose, baby !

Unca Jeffy said...

Milt was an ink-pippin' fool! Fast and loose is a nice description. Shadows you could drown in!

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