Dickie Dare
Encyclopedia
Dickie Dare was a comic strip
syndicated by AP Newsfeatures
. Launched July 31, 1933, it was the first comic strip created by Milton Caniff
before he began Terry and the Pirates
.
In 1932, Caniff moved to New York City to accept an artist position in the Features Service of the Associated Press. He did general assignment art for several months, drawing the strips Dickie Dare and The Gay Thirties, then inherited a panel cartoon called Mister Gilfeather in September 1932 when Al Capp
left the feature. Caniff continued Gilfeather until the spring of 1933, when it was retired in favor of a generic comedy in a panel cartoon, The Gay Thirties, which he produced until he left AP in the fall of 1934.
and Brick Bradford
. The eponymous central character was a 12-year-old who dreamed himself into adventures with such literary and legendary persons as Robin Hood
, Robinson Crusoe
and King Arthur
. In the spring of 1934, Caniff changed the strip from fantasy to reality, adding a new character, Dan Flynn, a freelance writer and friend of Dickie's father. At this juncture, Dickie no longer dreamed his adventures but experienced them while touring the world with "Dynamite Dan" Flynn. The duo shared many adventures during the next couple of decades.
Caniff left the strip in late 1934 to work on Terry and the Pirates, which followed the same theme of boy hero with two-fisted adult mentor.
began drawing Dickie Dare in the middle of a story. In 1944, when Waugh left to work on another strip, his wife and assistant, Odin Burvik, became the Dickie Dare illustrator, followed by Fran Matera
. After Waugh returned to the strip, he stayed on until it ended in 1957. In the final decade, Dickie aged from a 12-year old to a Navy Cadet.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Waugh worked at his studio located in suburban Newburgh, New York. His works are held in the collections of museums in Ohio, New York and Iowa. The University of Syracuse holds his papers.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
syndicated by AP Newsfeatures
AP Newsfeatures
AP Newsfeatures, aka AP Features, was the cartoon and comic strip division of Associated Press, which syndicated strips from 1930 to the early 1960s.In February 1930, I.M...
. Launched July 31, 1933, it was the first comic strip created by Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
before he began Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates (comic strip)
Terry and the Pirates was an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, had admired Caniff’s work on the children's adventure strip Dickie Dare and hired him to create the new adventure strip,...
.
In 1932, Caniff moved to New York City to accept an artist position in the Features Service of the Associated Press. He did general assignment art for several months, drawing the strips Dickie Dare and The Gay Thirties, then inherited a panel cartoon called Mister Gilfeather in September 1932 when Al Capp
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
left the feature. Caniff continued Gilfeather until the spring of 1933, when it was retired in favor of a generic comedy in a panel cartoon, The Gay Thirties, which he produced until he left AP in the fall of 1934.
Characters and story
In July 1933, Caniff began the adventure-fantasy, Dickie Dare, influenced by series such as Flash GordonFlash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
and Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford was a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed in 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate....
. The eponymous central character was a 12-year-old who dreamed himself into adventures with such literary and legendary persons as Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
and King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. In the spring of 1934, Caniff changed the strip from fantasy to reality, adding a new character, Dan Flynn, a freelance writer and friend of Dickie's father. At this juncture, Dickie no longer dreamed his adventures but experienced them while touring the world with "Dynamite Dan" Flynn. The duo shared many adventures during the next couple of decades.
Caniff left the strip in late 1934 to work on Terry and the Pirates, which followed the same theme of boy hero with two-fisted adult mentor.
Coulton Waugh takes the Dare
Coulton WaughCoulton Waugh
Frederick Coulton Waugh was a cartoonist, painter, teacher and author, best known for his illustration work on the comic strip Dickie Dare and his book The Comics , the first major study of the field.His father was the marine artist Frederick Judd Waugh, and his grandfather was the Philadelphia...
began drawing Dickie Dare in the middle of a story. In 1944, when Waugh left to work on another strip, his wife and assistant, Odin Burvik, became the Dickie Dare illustrator, followed by Fran Matera
Fran Matera
Francis "Fran" Matera is an American comic strip artist best known for his King Features Syndicate adventure strip Steve Roper and Mike Nomad from 1984 to 2004. In addition to his extensive experience in newspaper strips, Matera also spent many years in the comic book industry, particularly for...
. After Waugh returned to the strip, he stayed on until it ended in 1957. In the final decade, Dickie aged from a 12-year old to a Navy Cadet.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Waugh worked at his studio located in suburban Newburgh, New York. His works are held in the collections of museums in Ohio, New York and Iowa. The University of Syracuse holds his papers.