I've been devouring the IDW Complete Terry and the Pirates hard covers since I added the Cannon #C-38 page to my collection in July of 2010. I can really see, studying these, to what great extent Milton Caniff's strip was probably the young Wally Wood's primary artistic inspiration as far as his development and style. Bill Pearson disagrees with this observation, and feels that Roy Crane influenced Wood more. Maybe so, but I haven't been exposed to enough of Crane's work to judge. What does anybody else think?
This strip, #C-4, has been a grail of mine since it was advertised in one of Overseas Weekly publisher Joe Kroesen's auctions in an ancient issue of The Comics Buyers Guide. After so many years had passed, I'd given up hope that an opportunity would ever transpire to put it in my hands. But a post on Comicart-L selling some Wood art pricked my interest, as it always does, and that prompted my query that led me to understand that this Cannon example might be available. Such are the serendipitous joys of our hobby!
I'm crazy about the Madame Toy character, and would love to see somebody create a Cannon film franchise so we could all be treated to a live action Toy. Not sure who could possibly play her and do her zoftig Asian allure justice, but I'd pay to watch it. A fan can dream.
I'd like to publicly thank Bruce Haley for consenting to sell this to me, and for probably the nicest art transaction I've experienced in almost 20 years of collecting. Bruce is a kind and patient guy, and a gentleman.
