Baby Face Finlayson
Encyclopedia
Baby Face Finlayson was a fictional character
in a comic strip
in the UK
comic
The Beano
, first appearing in issue 1553, dated 22 April 1972. Baby Face Finlayson "The Cutest Bandit in the West" was an outlaw
in the American Old West
, and was, in fact, a baby.
His name is derived from the real-life American gangster of the '30s Baby Face Nelson
(real name Lester Joseph Gillis).
He was originally a minor character in Little Plum
, but was later given a strip of his own. He rode around in a motorised pram, stealing everything that wasn't tied down, whilst shouting "Yuk Yuk!". He had a number of accomplices, including Jessie James, Sid the Kid and Goo Goo McGoo who were also, apparently, babies. Their chief nemesis was Sheriff
"Marsh" Mallow of Cactus Gulch.
When the strip returned in 1980, the Wild West theme was dropped, and the setting was moved to England. The tagline was also changed to "The Cutest Bandit Around". However, in the final strip of the second series, he was posted back to America by the angry Beano editor, whom Baby-Face had tried to kidnap. On both occasions the strip was drawn by Ron Spencer
.
In issue 3181, dated 5 July 2003, he cameoed in a Little Plum
strip, when he stole Little Plum's wigwam. He sped off in his pram, crashed into a buffalo so Little Plum thought he had learned his lesson, until he steals Little Plum's clothes without him noticing and rides off. In September 2004 he reappeared again for five weeks in his own strip, this time drawn by Emilios Hatjoullis
. He has appeared in the Beano Annual every year since then. In 2006 Baby Face returned as a villainous gangster in the Bash Street Kids adventures "School's Out" and "Hot Rod Cow", written and drawn by Kev F Sutherland. He appears in the 2008 Beano annual in the story "Pluggy Love", where Danny believes that Plug's girlfriend is evil. He appeared once again in the 2009 annual in "Reservoir Dodge".
Since 2008 the character has appeared in the Beanomax
a few times.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, first appearing in issue 1553, dated 22 April 1972. Baby Face Finlayson "The Cutest Bandit in the West" was an outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
in the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, and was, in fact, a baby.
His name is derived from the real-life American gangster of the '30s Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
(real name Lester Joseph Gillis).
He was originally a minor character in Little Plum
Little Plum
Little Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
, but was later given a strip of his own. He rode around in a motorised pram, stealing everything that wasn't tied down, whilst shouting "Yuk Yuk!". He had a number of accomplices, including Jessie James, Sid the Kid and Goo Goo McGoo who were also, apparently, babies. Their chief nemesis was Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
"Marsh" Mallow of Cactus Gulch.
When the strip returned in 1980, the Wild West theme was dropped, and the setting was moved to England. The tagline was also changed to "The Cutest Bandit Around". However, in the final strip of the second series, he was posted back to America by the angry Beano editor, whom Baby-Face had tried to kidnap. On both occasions the strip was drawn by Ron Spencer
Ron Spencer
Ron Spencer is an illustrator whose most famous work has been for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.- Early life :Ron Spencer grew up on a farm in Aurora, Nebraska. As a child, his reading material included such Marvel Comics as Conan the Barbarian.- Artwork :Spencer is primarily...
.
In issue 3181, dated 5 July 2003, he cameoed in a Little Plum
Little Plum
Little Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
strip, when he stole Little Plum's wigwam. He sped off in his pram, crashed into a buffalo so Little Plum thought he had learned his lesson, until he steals Little Plum's clothes without him noticing and rides off. In September 2004 he reappeared again for five weeks in his own strip, this time drawn by Emilios Hatjoullis
Emilios Hatjoullis
Emilios Hatjoullis is a British cartoonist and graphic designer. During the 1960s he was a designer at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach and at the Blackpool Illuminations. His works include the tableaux displays of nursery rhymes such as 'Hickory Dickory Dock' and 'Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary', which...
. He has appeared in the Beano Annual every year since then. In 2006 Baby Face returned as a villainous gangster in the Bash Street Kids adventures "School's Out" and "Hot Rod Cow", written and drawn by Kev F Sutherland. He appears in the 2008 Beano annual in the story "Pluggy Love", where Danny believes that Plug's girlfriend is evil. He appeared once again in the 2009 annual in "Reservoir Dodge".
Since 2008 the character has appeared in the Beanomax
BeanoMAX
The BeanoMAX is a monthly British comic published by D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd It is a spin-off of the UK comic, The Beano. Each issue has 44 pages and costs £3.50.The first issue was published on February 15, 2007 and was a Comic Relief special.- Strips :...
a few times.