Epic! MILTON CANIFF 12-24-41 TERRY & PIRATES Original hand-drawn one-of-a-kind
This World War II-themed strip is special because it ran on Christmas Eve, three weeks after Pearl Harbor. However, its significance becomes historical, in my opinion, in that the stamp on the back of the artwork shows it was submitted to the syndicate on December 9, 1941--48 hours after Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II.
The significance is further enhanced in that, in my opinion, the dialogue is clearly Caniff's direct reaction to Pearl Harbor, as well as to Christmas Eve in wartime. He has written the number "3" in the upper left corner, to show this is the third daily of the week, followed by "Terry" (the abbreviated title). Above the fourth panel, he titled this particular strip "We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight", a reference to Christmas.
The first panel features title character, Terry Lee, the second main character, Pat Ryan and another main character, April Kane, sitting around a fireplace, contemplating Christmas Eve and the forces they know they are about to face. The second panel is a beautiful silhouette of Pat Ryan, continuing the talk of Christmas and the fraternity of man. The third panel shows Terry and Pat, as Pat continues talking of man's age-old battle with tyrants. The last panel is another silhouette of Pat, now looking out the window, as he finishes what I think is Caniff's most direct reference to Pearl Harbor--ending with Those dead have not died in vain! This particular artwork displays some of Caniff's impressionistic chiaroscuro brushwork, for which he is famous! For a 75 year old comic strip, this is in excellent overall condition. The art board is triple-ply Strathmore (the embossed emblem is visible in the upper left corner). The entire art board is 22 7/8" wide and 6 1/2" high, with the image area measuring 19 3/4" wide x 5 3/8" high.
The corners show some wear, but are still basically square. The art board is off-white with only very minor staining. The India ink is still a rich black. There is no white ink or paste-overs. There is some very minor evidence of a razor blade being used to touch up the artwork in a couple spots, a method Caniff often used. There are two blue pencil editor's notes in the right margin. There are small tack holes in the upper left and right margins, where the artist attached the strip to his drawing board. The syndicate strip has a couple nicks in it, but is still attached. Please note that the artwork is too large to fit entirely on a scanner, so I have provided multiple scans of the artwork to show every bit of the art board. The artwork is all in one piece, with no bends or folds. Milton Caniff is one of the very most popular and highly regarded comic artists of all time and his work is rare and highly desirable to collectors, especially his work on Terry & the Pirates that feature his signature chiaroscuro technique, like this one.
In my opinion, the Pearl Harbor connection to this strip and its excellent condition make it particularly desirable. This piece has been in my collection for over ten years. MILTON CANIFF 12-24-41 TERRY & PIRATES Original hand-drawn one-of-a-kind" is in sale since Thursday, December 01, 2016. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Comics\Original Comic Art\Comic Strip Art".
The seller is "boogiebbs" and is located in Lakewood, Ohio. This item can be shipped to United States, to Canada, to United Kingdom, DK, RO, SK, BG, CZ, FI, HU, LV, LT, MT, EE, to Australia, GR, PT, CY, SI, to Japan, to China, SE, KR, ID, to Taiwan, ZA, TH, to Belgium, to France, to Hong Kong, to Ireland, to Netherlands, PL, to Spain, to Italy, to Germany, to Austria, RU, IL, to Mexico, to New Zealand, SG, to Switzerland, NO, SA, AE, QA, KW, BH, HR, MY, BR, CL, CO, CR, DO, PA, TT, GT, SV, HN, JM.
- Signed: Yes
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
