Monday Cartoon Day.
Today, I have a series of cartoons for the serious collector. Colonel Gilfeather was a one panel gag/story series, which the young Milton Caniff took over from Al Capp, when he got up and left to do Li'l Abner. As far as I can see, Caniff took over from September 1932, continuing the feature well into 1933. It has always surprised me to see how eager some comic strip scolars are to attribute everthing that is good about Mr. Caniff's work to Noel Sickles. As you can see here, he was no slouch himself either, even when he still had to work out the chiascuro technique that made his style (and which he admitted was developed by him copying and trying to top Sickles). Although Gilfeather was by no means something we would find particulary funny, it is at least particulary well done for a beginning artist. The use of Gilfeather's black jacket and the placing of the figures is exemplary. Also, the knack for caricature, which lifted Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon above mere adventure strips is visible here as well.
This is what I love about the internet. I would probably not buy a book with this strip, even it is was complete or commentated by an expert. But a mere payment of $5 every three years leaves me with enough room to share these historical gems and other with you and leave them up here for as along as the blogosphere continues.
September 1932:
October 1932:
December 1932:
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