Terry and the Pirates daily 03/21/1946 -Dragon Lady

I was bitten by the comic strip collecting bug about two years ago and after visiting the Billy Ireland Museum, have always wanted to add a Caniff Terry & the Pirates daily to my collection. As collectors, some or most of us have come across art that simply speaks to us. Just looking at it once...you know that it's right for your collection and you have to have it. When I thought about getting a Caniff strip, I was sure that I wanted one with the Dragon Lady...and after reading quickly through this one, I knew it was the right one. My mom used to always say when her nose itched, she was going to be mad about something, so that last panel had me really intrigued, besides being one amazing portrait of the Dragon Lady. Culturally, in many places worldwide, "an itchy nose symbolizes an unexpected future visit by someone you know", among a few other strange things. So, with the prior encounters between Terry and the Dragon Lady and the conversation in the first three panels, this was a clever way for Caniff to prelude their upcoming meeting.
The sinister Slits is also featured in panel four, foreshadowing the assault and rape of the Dragon Lady later in the storyline. This daily was purchased from Jeff Singh, one of the kindest, most knowledgeable people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and this hobby is all the better because of collectors like him. I'm glad he decided to let it go, and I'm really glad that I was fortunate enough to come across it, as it was only up for sale for a limited time.
Here's to the Dragon Lady! I really love this one!

Provenance - The John Biernat Collection