Milton Caniff – Our Founder
Milton Caniff – Our Founder
Milton Caniff (1907-1988) was an American newspaper cartoonist best known for his long-running adventure comic strips, Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon.
Often referred to as "the Rembrandt of the comic strip," Caniff changed the history of the American comic strip. He was an expert in both the artistic and literary aspects of the medium, employing cinematic storytelling, exotic settings, and complex characters. The graphic style that Caniff made famous influenced many other comic strip and comic book artists. His foundational gift of artwork and papers to The Ohio State University established what is now the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.
Originally from Hillsboro, Ohio, Milton Caniff enrolled in The Ohio State University in the fall of 1925. He visited local cartoonist Billy Ireland at his Columbus Dispatch office to ask for a job. Ireland sent him away with instructions to make a drawing that would cause him to jump out of his chair. Caniff returned the next day with the drawing shown below, and Ireland hired him on the spot. Caniff said that this job made it possible for him to complete his college education and he was always grateful to Ireland.
After graduating from The Ohio State University in 1930, Caniff moved to New York City. In 1934, Caniff found major success with a new adventure comic strip, Terry and the Pirates which ran from October 22, 1934 to December 29, 1946. During World War II, he created a humorous comic strip exclusively to provide respite for servicemen overseas titled Male Call, which was distributed by the Camp Newspaper Service.
On January 13,1947, Caniff launched a new nationally-syndicated comic strip, Steve Canyon, which enjoyed massive success and was widely licensed for everything from toys to television shows. That same year, he was honored with the National Cartoonists Society’s first cartoonist of the year award. Steve Canyon ended June 4, 1988, shortly after his death.
Milton Caniff donated his papers to The Ohio State University in the mid-1970s. Included in the collection is original art, photographs, books, props such as model airplanes and army uniforms that Caniff used as models, and his personal correspondence. The Milton Caniff Collection was the founding collection of what is today the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.
Did you know?
Milton Caniff designed the Buckeye leaf emblazoned on the football helmets of The Ohio State Buckeyes! The design of the Ohio State Buckeye leaf was originally drawn in 1950 by Milton Caniff and was intended to represent the buckeye tree as a symbol for "strength and sturdiness" of all Ohio State students. The first Buckeye leaf decal appeared on the helmets of the 1967 OSU football team and are still given to players today for execution of an exceptional play on the field.