[Downunder Dan]

Syd Nicholls (the pen name of Sydney Wentworth Jordan) was an Australian cartoonist best known for his character Fatty Finn. Fatty is a character who holds a position similar to that of Dennis the Menace (US or UK version), though perhaps a more positive one. Fatty Finn initially ran from 1923 to 1933. While principally a humorous character, Nicholls sometimes introduced more adventure story elements, but was instructed by editors to go back to humour. Even before Fatty Finn was cancelled, Nicholls created the pirate character Middy Malone to satisfy his desire to write adventure stories. Nicholls had trouble finding a publisher for the character, trying in both Australia and America. Late in the 1930s, he set up a publishing company to bring Malone to the public (as well as a weekly comic featuring Fatty Finn). The Middy Malone Magazine allowed him to provide a place for other Australian cartoonist to publish adventure strips. His publishing venture went bust in 1950, and he again placed the Fatty Finn character in the newspaper at the end of 1951. Fatty Finn’s second newspaper life ran until Nicholls’ death in 1977.

Link to the comment: Middy Malone's Magazine vol.2 3