Whitman Mystery Stories - April Kane and the Dragon Lady (a Terry and the Pirates Adventure)

I have, of course, heard of Terry and the Pirates over the years, but honestly, I've never read it.  I know that Terry and the Pirates was a newspaper comic strip created by Milton Caniff.  Looking it up online, I see the strip ran from October 1934 to February 1973.  Caniff left the strip in 1946, however, as Terry and the Pirates was owned by Chicago Tribune New York Times Syndicate and lacking any creative control over the strip, he went on to create his own work with a strip called Steve Canyon.  Terry and the Pirates went on under other writers and artists until it ended in 1973.  In recent years, I became aware that Whitman offered up a book in its line of "Authorized Editions" based on the comic strip, so when I found a copy in dust jacket, I picked it up.

April Kane and the Dragon Lady was published in 1942, just a few years before Caniff left the newspaper strip.  As with the other Whitman Authorized Editions that are based on comic strips, the book does not attribute any writer or artist to the book; however, on the copyright page, it does indicate the internal illustrations are "adapted" from the comic strip itself.  This might hint at Caniff himself being the artist and, possibly, the writer; or, it could be that the story is taken from one that ran in the newspaper strip and the illustrations are simply panels from that ongoing tale.  Having never read the comic strip, I cannot say for sure one way or the other.  The cover makes Terry and April appear to be children; the interior illustrations, thankfully, give them a somewhat older appearance.

I was not really sure what to expect from the story.  I had always assumed the "and the Pirates" portion of the name of the strip meant that Terry had a group of pirates that he went around with; but, I quickly learned this is not the case.  The "pirates" are actually the villains he fought against, with his trusty gang: his trusted friend, Pat Ryan; his Chinese helper, Connie; his silent strongman, Big Stoop; and, of course, his love interest, April Kane.  While the title of the book is April Kane and the Dragon Lady, the story would actually be more aptly titled "Terry and the Dragon Lady."  Based on the title alone, I had expected April to be the main character of the story, but, alas, that is no the case.  Terry is actually the main character - it is he who meets up with the Dragon Lady; it is he who takes dancing lessons in secret from the Dragon Lady so he can take April to an important ball; it is he who rushes to the aid of the Dragon Lady; and it is he who gets gravely injured during a battle on behalf of the Dragon Lady.

That's not to say April is not in the story.  But she is mostly a supporting cast member who is there to play nursemaid to Terry after he is hurt, and to help Pat recover after he defeats the villainous Klang during a cliff side fight.  It was disappointing not to see more of April, and more particularly, not to see her portrayed as a strong-willed heroine who is not dependent on the men to rescue her.  In fact, it is the Dragon Lady who seems to made of sterner stuff, and while she teeters between good and evil, it is clear that she is not dependent on anyone and can handle herself in any situation.  The way she handles the men who serve her, the way she confronts the enemy, and the way she does not hesitate to punish anyone who disobeys her - she is a definite leader, not a follower.  I almost wish the author had given us readers a bit more of the back story with her and Terry's gang, as it is evident Pat is familiar with her, as he speaks so comfortably with her, like no one else would dare.  

The one character in the story who kept me guessing was Deeth Crispin III.  The son of an important businessman, it is Deeth who ultimately takes April to the ball, albeit for the sole purpose of making Terry jealous (just as Terry takes the Dragon Lady to the ball in the hopes of making April jealous!).  Deeth ends up getting sucked into the adventure, as the Dragon Lady takes Terry, April, and Deeth hostage, flying them to a distant land where she plans to abandon them.  Deeth seems to lack courage at every turn - but when the final battle takes place, it is Deeth who sneaks away in the hopes of finding a way to save April, Terry, and the gang.  And it is Deeth who takes a bullet that potentially costs him his life - the only problem is, we never find out!  The book leaves so many things unfinished - does Deeth die?  Do Pat and April reunite with Terry and the gang?  Where did the Dragon Lady go?  A very unsatisfying ending to the story, that's for sure!

For an adventure story, I'd say the book was a fairly good read.  It was not a mystery, so if that's what you are looking for, you can pass by this one.  Not one of the best Whitman stories I've read, but by far, not one of the worst.

RATING:  6 glasses of poisoned punch out of 10 for not being afraid to put these characters in some very life-threatening situations and giving them the courage to make it through!