Terry and the Pirates made Milt Caniff famous but not terribly rich — the strip was owned by the newspaper syndicate which originally commissioned it.  After WWII Caniff abandoned Terry and created a new strip that he owned, Steve Canyon.  The magnificent artwork continued but the story lines got less interesting and the strip’s protagonist, freelance pilot and soldier of fortune Canyon, had a stiff cardboard-patriot quality.

Orson Welles was one of many Caniff fans who found the new strip a terrible letdown, though it remained popular for many years.  It’s entertaining enough for the most part and the artwork makes it worth one’s attention.

Click on the image to enlarge.