About
The book: Miss Mizzou: A Life Beyond Comics written by J.B. Winter. The book was released in August of 2014 and went out of print in January of 2019. The book was available in paperback and kindle format. You can try to buy old copies on Amazon or borrow a copy through a library.
The subject: The book details the history of Milton Caniff’s comic strip character Miss Mizzou and the various promotional tie-ins the character inspired in Columbia, Missouri in the 1950s and 1960s. Miss Mizzou was introduced into the Steve Canyon comic strip in 1952 with her name being a reference to the nickname “Mizzou” for the University of Missouri, which is based in Columbia. The character was loosely based on rising film star Marilyn Monroe with the character model being Copacabana chorus girl Bek Stiner. Claiming to be a popular waitress originally from Columbia, the character was somewhat of a small-time night club entertainer who would sometimes get caught up in international adventures with United States Air Force pilot Steve Canyon. Miss Mizzou quickly became popular and would occasionally reappear in various comic strip story lines during Steve Canyon’s four decades of newspaper publication.
The author: J.B. Winter is a cartoonist & designer living in Columbia, Missouri. He’s published various mini-comics over the years, but is probably best known for his 50 state jam comic featuring cartoonists from every state in the USA. “Miss Mizzou: A Life Beyond Comics” is Winter’s first foray into writing narrative nonfiction. You can see more of his work at his website: www.jbwinter.com
Contact: Use this form.
Legal:
- “Miss Mizzou” is owned by Classic Cool, the owner of The Milton Caniff Estate. You can contact them for more information.
- The word “Mizzou” is trademarked by the University of Missouri. For use of this trademark, contact the the MU Office of Licensing and Trademarks.
Comics: This is a list of known Miss Mizzou Appearances in Steve Canyon. Find out about reprints on the comics page.
- The Deep Woods: July 27 – December 13, 1952
- Evangeline: August 6 – November 8, 1954
- War Games: January 23 – April 17, 1958
- Canal Caper: August 9 – November 11, 1962
- The Lady from Langapora: February 9 – May 3, 1978
Landmarks:
- Life size Miss Mizzou chalk drawing – MU Reynolds Alumni Center conference room
- Columbia, Missouri streets – Caniff Circle, Canyon Drive, Mizzou Place
Libraries:
- MU Library Special Collections – The Steve Canyon and Miss Mizzou collection
- University of Missouri Archives – Miss Mizzou vertical file
- OSU Cartoon Library & Museum – Milton Caniff Collection Guide
Icons, banners & flyers:
-
- 500 x 500 pixels – avatar one
-
- 500 x 500 pixels – avatar two
-
- 600 x 221 pixels – social media image 1
-
- 600 x 221 pixels – social media image 2
-
- 234 x 60 pixels – banner ad
-
- 180 x 150 pixels – banner ad
-
- 8.5 x 11 inches – flyer
High resolution images for press:
-
- Miss Mizzou book cover – courtesy of J.B. Winter & the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
-
- 1952 Milton Caniff & Bek Stiner – courtesy of Gabrielle Adelman
-
- Columbia Tribune – 09/05/1952 – courtesy of the Columbia Daily Tribune
-
- 1954 Bek Stiner photo – courtesy of author’s personal collection
-
- Showme Magazine Oct. 1960 – courtesy of University Archives, University of Missouri
-
- Self portrait of book author J.B. Winter
