Hermes Press unveils two new vintage releases that honor the legendary Milton Caniff at the San Diego Comic-Con-Steve Canyon: The Complete Series, Volume 1 and Male Call: The Complete Newspaper Strips: 1942-1946. Caniff was one of the newspaper cartoonists who inspired the first generation of comic book artists, his inimitable sense of composition and thick ink line on Terry and the Pirates spanned both The Great Depression and World War II. Caniff later continued to define the adventure strip with Steve Canyon.
Male Call was Caniff’s wartime strip that originally exclusive to military newspapers, combining pin-ups with cheesecake humor. You can’t help but feel affection for Miss Lace, a World War II sweetheart with enough sass even by today’s standards. Lace was even the first comic strip character to appear on television. We reprint the entirety of Male Call, complete with essay by Caniff biographer R.C. Harvey and rare artwork.
We’ve also uncovered the never-before reprinted Steve Canyon comics from the 50’s to bring you this rip-roaring collection of Steve’s comic book adventures. With characters modeled after John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, it’s hard not to see the enduring and romantic charm of Caniff’s air force tales, as Steve Canyon continues to fight the good fight for America during the Cold War. All stories were overseen by Caniff himself, carrying the flavor and sophistication of the newspaper strip to a full color comic.
Celebrating our respect and admiration for Milton Caniff’s work, Hermes Press has remained loyal to the originals while restoring them for a new generation. Male Call and Steve Canyon, once long out-of-print, are our two latest collections not to be passed up. Come check them out at Booth #1821-23.
