Milton Caniff is the grand old man of the adventure-drama style of newspaper comics. He created two classics of the genre, "Terry and the Pirates" (begun 1934) and "Steve Canyon" (begun 1947). Both involved globe-trotting heroes and exotic villains; Terry was an eager young buck growing up in Asia, while Canyon was a veteran fist-fightin' flyboy. During World War II Caniff had Terry join the Army Air Corps and also began a new strip, "Male Call," which ran in military newspapers. After the war Caniff remained closely associated with flying and the military. Caniff is particularly known for his detailed and dramatic visual style, which is often described as cinematic.

Extra credit: The term "Dragon Lady" comes from the name of a slinky Asian villainess in Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates."