I've never read any of Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon strips before, and to be honest, I've never even read his much-lauded Terry and the Pirates comic-strip work before either. Until now, I only knew of Caniff by reputation, and after making my way through this rather dense volume, I can see why his name is one that's hailed as a pioneer in sequential art storytelling. In some ways, the storytelling here is crude by today's standards, but there's also a great deal of skill and intricate plotting at play. Overall, though, the entertainment value in this book stems from its historical significance.
Steve Canyon was a pilot in the Second World War, but the end of the global conflict didn't bring with it an end to action in the crack pilot's life. Founding his own air-transport business, Canyon and his hand-picked crew always seem to find adventure when carrying out jobs for wealthy clients, such as the cold but brilliant Copper Calhoun, a woman who didn't allow her gender to get in the way of her financial success.
Given the limiting nature of the four-panel strip layout, Caniff was able to cram a lot of detail into each and every square-inch block of the property. There's depth and a strong eye for perspective at play. It's easy to see how his style might have influence classic comic artists who followed him. Caniff's work here puts me in mind of the styles of such comics artists as Joe Staton, Carmine Infantino, John Romita, Dick Giordano and Frank Thorne. Steve Canyon looks like a rougher, grittier version of Herge's Tintin.
The most interesting aspect of this book is Caniff's portrayal of women. In many ways, he's quite progressive when it comes to the empowering roles he gives women in this stories, both as villains and allies to the chief protagonist. I love how Canyon's receptionist takes a snobby yes-man down a peg in the opening scene. But on the other hand, the women are also cast in a weaker light at times. The same receptionist character is shortly thereafter seen as pining away for her boss, like a little girl with a crush on the captain of the football team. This isn't a criticism of Caniff's storytelling, mind you. One has to acknowledge that these stories and characters are the product of another time more than five decades past.
Another aspect of the book I appreciated was taking in the different storytelling approaches that come with the comic-strip format. Caniff clearly placed an emphasis on accessibility. Somehow, even with the space constraints inherent in the medium, he's able to not only keep the plot moving forward, but include enough exposition to allow the new readers he would have encountered on a daily basis.
Mind you, the storytelling was clearly meant to be taken in small doses. As one volume, the collected strips make for a dense read, even a little arduous at times. Mainstream comics today have readers trained to expect story arcs that work better in one sitting than as episodic fiction. Steve Canyon doesn't work on that level, nor should it be expected to, given its origins and the medium for which it was tailored.
Note: This trade paperback was not among this week's new releases.
