Zeichner: Lank Leonard (1896-1970)

Serie: Mickey Finn 21. Mai 1963

Format: 12,5x42cm

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On 6 April 1936, his best known comic strip, 'Mickey Finn' made its debut. It was distributed by the McNaught Syndicate and appeared in more than 300 newspapers for more than four decades. 'Mickey Finn' was a daily comic strip about a New York police officer of Irish decent. The series had a homely atmosphere. Unlike other police comics 'Mickey Finn' never touched upon violence or any serious crimes for that matter. Finn was a bumbling but well-meaning, sympathetic cop who helped out everybody in his neighborhood. He got along with everybody, even other patrolmen. 'Mickey Finn' also offered a look at the protagonist's family life. Mickey still lived at home with his widowed mother, Ma, and her brother, Uncle Phil. He had a girlfriend, Kitty Kelly, whom he would eventually marry over the course of the series. When Mickey wasn't at home reading his newspaper he went to the office to talk with Sergeant Halligan or to the bar to have a chat with bartender Clancy. Such recognizable everyday events and overall nice, wholesome image did well with readers and allowed 'Mickey Finn' to remain a mainstay of "the funnies" for four decades. Leonard based Mickey Finn on a real-life Irish-American police officer named Mickey Brennan, whom he once saw helping children cross a street. Yet most of Leonard's inspiration came from his own life. Just like him Mickey was a decorated war veteran and many of his family members were based on the creator's own relatives.