Categories
Milton Caniff

Holiday Greetings from Milton Caniff

The following Terry and the Pirates strip is from 1940 and has Dr. Ping and Hu Shee (Chinese guerrillas battling the Japanese who’ve invaded their homeland), trying to bring some holiday cheer to their injured stowaway, Terry.

Terry and the Pirates - December 22, 1940
Terry and the Pirates – December 22, 1940

Caniff could do a humerous take for a holiday strip, but some of his most poignant are his more serious reflections.

Note: Click on image to see larger.

Terry and the Pirates - December 25, 1945
Terry and the Pirates – December 25, 1945
Terry and the Pirates - December 25, 1946
Terry and the Pirates – December 25, 1946

Talk about connecting with the reader. It’s this kind of commitment to the craft that separates the pros from the amateurs.

For more of Caniff’s holiday strips check out the following article originally published in the Henderson (N.C.) Daily Dispatch by David Irvine.
(Not) Home for the Holidays: Milton Caniff’s Christmas Strips

For more Terry and the Pirates, make sure to check out The Library of American Comics’ The Complete Terry and the Pirates – HIGHLY recommended!

Terry and the Pirates

By Jim Keefe

Jim Keefe is the current artist of the Sally Forth comic strip. From 1996-2003 he was the writer and artist of the Flash Gordon comic strip. A graduate of the Joe Kubert School, Keefe likewise teaches Comic Art. Teaching and speaking engagements include SVA in Manhattan, Hofstra’s UCCE Youth Programs, and most recently the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.