Update on Volume 3:
I'm very excited about the recent work that has been done and that we are almost ready to go to the factory. Two MAJOR issues have been overcome in the last month and I am so relieved to be past them I can't tell you. I also had to take a slight break to work on a project with The National Aviation Hall Of Fame and the USAF Museum this month but am back at the office, fully recovered and nearly finished with V3. I am expecting last-minute materials from Ohio State University and University of Wyoming within the next few days that include portions that I need to finish the revised documentaries...then I'm done with them for Volume 3.
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| Steve Canyon Volume 3 main menu page for disc 2 (prior to revisions)...it should say "(Episodes 31-34 PLUS Extras) |
With the exception of the unaired pilot bonus episode (which I am finishing now) all of the episodes for Vol 3 have been cleaned and gone over as much as I am capable of at this time...each has an average of 37,000 individual frames that I have had to correct mostly by eye and hand and it's been a real ordeal. Think a bit on that number. Now it's true I was ready to let some of it go in the past but my heart just wasn't really into allowing that to happen, so here we are. Soon there will be a BIG fanfare and post here (and elsewhere on the internet AND in email) announcing that V3 is at the factory, AND THEN when it is HERE and then when we start shipping. Until you see the fanfare it hasn't happened yet, so just be patient a wee bit longer. Check further down this post for a link to some more on Volume 3...and here's some more related news!
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There have been a number of articles relating to Steve Canyon in magazines lately...here are a few that may be of interest.
On the Newsstands now:
http://www.syfy.com/magazine/
Sci Fi Magazine has a nice article by Jeff Berkwits on both the Terry And The Pirates 1952 TV series and our very own Steve Canyon 1958 show. Thanks a heap Jeff! Their website is at http://www.syfy.com/magazine
http://www.airforcemag.com/
Air Force Magazine April 2013 just hit the newsstands last week has a whopping 8 color pages on the history of Terry And The Pirates, Steve Canyon and Milt Caniff in an excellent article by John T. Correll. If you can't find it on the stands you can also download a digital (Adobe PDF) copy of the whole magazine or just the article on Milt by visiting their website at http://www.airforcemag.com.
Thanks Russ Maheras for providing the copies of Air Forge Magazine!
http://pilotmag.com/
PilotMag #21 (on stands now) has a 1 1/2 page article on us by our Friend Ron Kaplan of the National Aviation Hall Of Fame. This article by Ron (with different photos and in a different layout) originally appeared in Warbird Digest:
http://www.warbirddigest.com/
Warbird Digest #44 (Sept/Oct 2012) Has Ron's original article (see below). Click to open in a larger easier to read format).
The author Ron Kaplan is ALSO the Director of the REEL FEST Aviation Film Festivals who have plans for presenting these film festivals all around the USA. I've appeared at two of them, the most recent in Dayton Ohio at the US Air Force Museum where we presented a Steve Canyon episode on their 80 foot wide Imax screen!
The Steve Canyon episode OPERATION DIPLOMAT went over well, but the biggest draw was the two screenings of TOP GUN 3D, which were packed (sold out). I enjoyed the film AND getting to meet Top Gun Pilot and Astronaut Capt. Robert "Hoot" Gibson (who is a BIG Steve Canyon fan!).
These are the only two pictures I have (until they send me a set of their pro publicity images from the event)...but here I am in the museum with the large F-14 Tomcat miniature used in the "flat spin" effects in the movie TOP GUN (1986). It took two grueling weeks of intense effort BUT we finally got the kinks worked out of showing Steve Canyon in Imax and are all set for more events like this down the road. A big thank you to Mary Bruggeman of the Air Force Museum Foundation and to Ron Kaplan for having me once again. Thanks also to my friends Hal Bryan, Matt Tauber and Ted Haycraft for your kindness and for being there.
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| Matt Tauber and John Ellis in March 2009 at the prior REEL FEST. |
Lastly I should also mention that IDW's Library Of American Comics' astounding archive editions reprinting ALL of the Steve Canyon newspaper strips from the beginning (with color sundays like you've never seen 'em (from Milt's original color syndicate proofs!) are up to...ahem...Volume #3 now (I just got mine in the mail...see image above). They are amazingly swell and a big thanks to Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell for all the hard work on these...Milt would be very happy and proud!
Signing off for now...and please STAND BY for the big announcement coming up in the next post in May.
John Ellis
Pacoima, CA
P.S. Note that I FINALLY have repaired all of the picture (and other) links on this blog that have been messed up since Apple.com withdrew their web support June 30th 2012. If you've been frustrated by missing pictures and such, have no fear, they are all BACK now! Huzzah! AND if you SHOULD find any that I might have missed, please drop me a line.
