Steve Canyon
success with an all-new strip – a strip featuring lots of jet-setting,
adventure, and, of course, gorgeous gals. The result was Steve Canyon,
first created for distribution by Field Enterprises.
The strip featured
Steve Burton Canyon, former air force captain and owner of the small, rather
shaky airline Horizons Unlimited. From South America to South Africa, from the
Middle East to the Far East, Canyon traveled the world fighting crime and having
high adventure.
The strip was always very in touch with the political and
social climes of the day, hence, the outbreak of the Korean War saw Canyon going
back to the air force. A few undercover missions later, he became colonel. It
was around this time that Caniff decided to focus more on developing the
secondary characters in the strip, mainly other military types, whose detailed
personality traits brought them to life in a way that further injected the strip
with a sense of humanity and wholeness. And of course, there were also plenty of
girls around to add some color and excitement. Most of them were treacherous
beauties out to get either Steve’s blood or his heart. It was the wife of his
pal Leighton Olson, however, for whom Steve always carried a torch…and, after
Leighton’s death, the two actually did marry.
As the years went on,
Steve’s Texan cousin Poteet was introduced, and even she had a crush on the
noble hero…familial relations, apparently, notwithstanding. Things went
smoothly for Steve and his crew for a few more years, that is, until the Vietnam
War. Steve re-enlisted in the air force again, which sparked the ire of many a
protesting reader. To save his strip, Caniff decided to focus more on Steve and
Summer than Steve and the air force, and the strip began to take on a family
drama-ish air – an air it cultivated until it’s end in 1988.
Soon after
Steve’s debut, comic books started to appear. A radio program was broadcast in
1948, and a decade later, a TV series aired. There was even a “Steve
Canyon’s Airagers” Club that was highly popular. Today, Steve collectibles
– from original art to comics to premiums from the programs and club – abound.
s and
passion for mischief. Bushmiller’s simple (some critics say <i>too</i> simple)
and sometimes downright stark backgrounds further let Nancy take center stage
back in the early days, and today, under the guidance of Guy and Brad Gilchrist,
that’s where she remains. After all, being the center of attention is the most
appropriate place for a gal as obsessed with her appearance and as enthralled by
dressing up in her aunt’s heels, dresses and gobs of make-up as
Nancy.<br><br>Not that she’s a girly-girl. There’s a reason her best pal is a
boy - and Nancy’s tomboyish side coupled with her vanity make each adventure
with her a rollicking fun-fest where there’s never a dull moment. And of course,
Nancy without her pug-nosed pal Sluggo would be like the sky without stars -
albeit rather <i>dim </i>stars. But what Sluggo lacks in the brains department,
he generally makes up for by being a loyal companion who is always there to help
Nancy out of (or into) a jam. <br><br>Bushmiller remained in charge of his
endearing rascal until Parkinson’s disease forced him to hand the reigns over to
his assistants, Will Johnson (who worked on the dailies) and Al Plastino (who
worked on the Sundays). After Bushmiller’s death in 1982, Mark Lasky took over
drawing <i>Nancy </i>for one more year before he, too passed away and Jerry
Scott took over. It was Scott who injected the ruckus-rouser with a touch of
modernity, something the fans immediately took to. Nancy’s modern-day makeover
didn’t last, however, and when Scott left and control was
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Steve Canyon
success with an all-new strip – a strip featuring lots of jet-setting,
adventure, and, of course, gorgeous gals. The result was Steve Canyon,
first created for distribution by Field Enterprises.
The strip featured
Steve Burton Canyon, former air force captain and owner of the small, rather
shaky airline Horizons Unlimited. From South America to South Africa, from the
Middle East to the Far East, Canyon traveled the world fighting crime and having
high adventure.
The strip was always very in touch with the political and
social climes of the day, hence, the outbreak of the Korean War saw Canyon going
back to the air force. A few undercover missions later, he became colonel. It
was around this time that Caniff decided to focus more on developing the
secondary characters in the strip, mainly other military types, whose detailed
personality traits brought them to life in a way that further injected the strip
with a sense of humanity and wholeness. And of course, there were also plenty of
girls around to add some color and excitement. Most of them were treacherous
beauties out to get either Steve’s blood or his heart. It was the wife of his
pal Leighton Olson, however, for whom Steve always carried a torch…and, after
Leighton’s death, the two actually did marry.
As the years went on,
Steve’s Texan cousin Poteet was introduced, and even she had a crush on the
noble hero…familial relations, apparently, notwithstanding. Things went
smoothly for Steve and his crew for a few more years, that is, until the Vietnam
War. Steve re-enlisted in the air force again, which sparked the ire of many a
protesting reader. To save his strip, Caniff decided to focus more on Steve and
Summer than Steve and the air force, and the strip began to take on a family
drama-ish air – an air it cultivated until it’s end in 1988.
Soon after
Steve’s debut, comic books started to appear. A radio program was broadcast in
1948, and a decade later, a TV series aired. There was even a “Steve
Canyon’s Airagers” Club that was highly popular. Today, Steve collectibles
– from original art to comics to premiums from the programs and club – abound.
s and
passion for mischief. Bushmiller’s simple (some critics say <i>too</i> simple)
and sometimes downright stark backgrounds further let Nancy take center stage
back in the early days, and today, under the guidance of Guy and Brad Gilchrist,
that’s where she remains. After all, being the center of attention is the most
appropriate place for a gal as obsessed with her appearance and as enthralled by
dressing up in her aunt’s heels, dresses and gobs of make-up as
Nancy.<br><br>Not that she’s a girly-girl. There’s a reason her best pal is a
boy - and Nancy’s tomboyish side coupled with her vanity make each adventure
with her a rollicking fun-fest where there’s never a dull moment. And of course,
Nancy without her pug-nosed pal Sluggo would be like the sky without stars -
albeit rather <i>dim </i>stars. But what Sluggo lacks in the brains department,
he generally makes up for by being a loyal companion who is always there to help
Nancy out of (or into) a jam. <br><br>Bushmiller remained in charge of his
endearing rascal until Parkinson’s disease forced him to hand the reigns over to
his assistants, Will Johnson (who worked on the dailies) and Al Plastino (who
worked on the Sundays). After Bushmiller’s death in 1982, Mark Lasky took over
drawing <i>Nancy </i>for one more year before he, too passed away and Jerry
Scott took over. It was Scott who injected the ruckus-rouser with a touch of
modernity, something the fans immediately took to. Nancy’s modern-day makeover
didn’t last, however, and when Scott left and control was







