| Steve Canyon |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT STEVE CANYON | |
| american comic strips | |
| comic strips started in the 1940s | |
| 1950s american television series | |
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HISTORY By 1946, Caniff had developed a worldwide reputation for his writing and art on ''Terry and the Pirates'', the rights to which were owned by the Chicago Tribune Newspaper Syndicate . Seeking creative control of his own work, Caniff approached the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' with an idea for a strip he would own outright. Caniff's last episode for ''Terry and the Pirates'' appeared in December 1946, and ''Steve Canyon'' appeared little more than a week later in 125 newspapers throughout the country. Like many comic-strip creators, who employ uncredited assistants or ghost artists, Caniff in 1952 hired Comic Book artist Dick Rockwell as his assistant on the strip. A nephew of famed illustrator Norman Rockwell , Dick Rockwell Penciled and Inked secondary characters and backgrounds, while Caniff wrote, drew the main characters, and did finishing touches. Rockwell continued on ''Canyon'' until Caniff's death on May 3 , 1988 . The last ''Steve Canyon'' strip was a tribute to Caniff in two panels, one drawn by legendary cartoonist Bill Mauldin , the other containing the signatures of 78 fellow cartoonists. CAST Visually based on Gary Cooper , Steve Canyon was an easygoing adventurer with a soft heart. Originally a veteran running his own air-transport business, the character returned to the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and remained in the military for the remainder of the strip's run. Initially his buddies were former veterans, and romantic interest was provided by Copper Calhoon, a kind of capitalist version of the popular Dragon Lady character Caniff had created for ''Terry and the Pirates''. Eventually, however, Canyon developed a permanent sidekick in crotchety millionaire adventurer "Happy" Easter, and a permanent love interest in Summer Olson, Calhoon's private secretary. The young, Terry-like Reed Kimberley also became a major character. Caniff was famous for colorful villians and intriguing female characters, and these populated the series. He was also intensely patriotic and with Canyon's return to the military the story began to revolve around Cold War intrigue and the responsibilities of American citizens. However, Caniff was able to maintain the Picaresque quality of his stories, which ranged throughout the world. OTHER MEDIA The strip was adapted into a filmed, half-hour Television Series on the NBC network in 1958-1959 (with reruns on ABC in 1960). Dean Fredericks played Canyon as a troubleshooter for the Air Force who travelled from base to base until mid-season, when he became stationed at the strip's fictitious Big Thunder Air Force Base in California . None of the supporting characters from the strip were used. COLLECTIONS Kitchen Sink Press published ''Steve Canyon Magazine'' for xx issues, until replacing it with Trade Paperback collections using the same numbering:
Checker Book Publishing has published a year-by-year collection of ''Steve Canyon'':
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