Vol. 1: 1934-1936
By Milton Caniff
Arc 1: The Lost Gold Mine
Oct 22, 1934 - Jan 19, 1935
12/31/17
Oct 22 - Dec 15, 1934 - Introduces all the named players: Terry, Pat Ryan, Dale Scott, Poppy Joe, Ol’ Pop Scott, George Webster Confucius aka Connie. I read this part of the story when I first bought the book in Dec 2017. Terry, Pat, Dale, Pop, and Connie embark on a quest to find the gold mine that Terry's father left to him. They use the map Terry brought with him to find the mine. They soon discover that someone else has laid a claim on the mine, someone who doesn't care for intruders. Dale disappears. Terry, Pat, and Connie continue to explore the mine, unsure what happened to Dale.
12/18/18
Dec 17-22, 1934 - Terry, Pat, and Connie are almost drowned in the mine
12/19/18
Dec 24-29, 1934 - Terry, Pat, and Connie are taken prisoner and reunited with Dale
12/20/18
Dec 31, 1934 - Jan 5, 1935 - Terry and Connie escape and rescue Dale who was ready to kill their captor
12/21/18
Jan 7-12, 1935 - Terry and Connie fight some thugs, rescue Pat, and find the villain’s treasure room
12/22/18
Jan 14-19, 1935 - Terry and his friends are captured once again by the nameless villain. Dale’s father (who hasn’t been in the strip since 12/13/34) shows up and saves the day. Pop stays behind to deal with the baddies while the others escape. Pop and the villain are killed in an explosion.
Thoughts
Not a homerun. The villain and his henchmen were stereotypes. Terry and Pat use racial slurs. I'm not ready to give up just yet. I wasn't expecting to be impressed this early in the strip. I'm not sure that I ever will be. I wonder if it is just nostalgia for this strip that has led many to elevate it.
I think it is interesting that all four of the main characters in this arc (Terry, Pat, Connie, Dale) have names that could be used for either men or women. I have no idea if this was done intentionally or not.
See also: Terry and the Pirates - Vol. 1 (1934-1936)
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