Syd Nicholls (1896 – 1977): The Creator of Fatty Finn and Pioneer of Australian Comics

Sydney ‘Syd’ Wentworth Nicholls aka. Syd Nicholls (20 December 1896 – 3 June 1977) was a pioneering Australian cartoonist, illustrator, and commercial artist, best known for creating the iconic comic strip Fatty Finn. Over more than five decades, Nicholls contributed to shaping Australia’s comic and popular culture landscape. His work influenced generations of cartoonists and entertained readers of all ages, while championing the creation of uniquely Australian stories.

Infobox: Syd Nicholls

Early Life and Education

Nicholls was born in Frederick Henry Bay, Tasmania, the son of watchmaker Hubert George Jordan and Arabella Cluidunning (née Bartsche). Following his parents’ divorce, his mother remarried in 1907, and young Sydney adopted the surname of his stepfather, becoming Syd Nicholls. During his childhood, the family moved to New Zealand, where he attended various schools, including both rural and city institutions. This exposure to diverse educational environments may have contributed to the depth and adaptability of his later artistic storytelling.

The family relocated once again, this time to New South Wales, where Nicholls began working at the early age of 14 as a printing assistant at the firm W.E. Smith. Despite his young age and working commitments, he harbored a deep passion for drawing and the arts. Determined to refine his talents, he enrolled in the Royal Art Society of New South Wales, where he studied for seven years under esteemed mentors Norman Carter and Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo. These formative years were crucial in shaping his style and technique, particularly his strong draftsmanship and sense of composition.

His early promise was evident: at only 16, his first published cartoon appeared in International Socialist in 1912. By the time he turned 18, he had become a regular contributor to some of Australia’s most influential periodicals, including The Bulletin, Australian Worker, and Australasian Seamen’s Journal. His sharp wit, distinct style, and bold political voice began to establish him as a serious artist and commentator.

A politically engaged figure from a young age, Nicholls was deeply influenced by the radical labor movements of the time. He contributed to Direct Action, the mouthpiece of the Industrial Workers of the World. One of his cartoons, critical of war profiteering and the establishment’s push for conscription during World War I, was deemed so provocative that it led to the arrest and imprisonment of editor Tom Barker. This incident cemented Nicholls’s reputation as a fearless cartoonist willing to challenge authority and champion social justice causes through his work.

Early Career and Film Work

Nicholls’s graphic talent soon extended into the burgeoning Australian film industry, where his artistic abilities found new expression. In 1919, he was commissioned to create title cards for Raymond Longford’s silent cinematic masterpiece The Sentimental Bloke. These hand-drawn intertitles added visual elegance to the film and showcased Nicholls’s command of typography and visual storytelling. His success with this project not only enhanced the film’s critical reception but also earned him recognition as a versatile visual artist within the local film industry.

Inspired by his success and keen to expand his skills, Nicholls traveled to the United States in 1920, immersing himself in the American film industry’s advanced title design techniques. During his time in Hollywood, he observed the latest innovations in cinematic art direction, absorbing the methods used by prominent film studios such as Universal, Fox, and Paramount.

He was particularly influenced by the integration of lettering, visual motifs, and narrative flow in American intertitles. Upon his return to Sydney, he brought with him a refined understanding of visual rhythm and composition, which he would later incorporate into his comics and newspaper illustrations. This international exposure not only broadened his creative perspective but also cemented his reputation as an artist capable of blending traditional illustration with modern visual storytelling.

The Creation of Fatty Finn

In 1923, Nicholls joined the Sydney Evening News as a senior artist. Tasked by editor Sir Errol Knox with creating a Sunday comic to rival Jimmy Bancks’ popular Us Fellers, Nicholls introduced Fat and His Friends on 16 September 1923. The strip was retitled Fatty Finn in August 1924, marking a shift in both character and tone.

Initially modeled on Billy Bunter, Fatty was a pudgy schoolboy wearing a straw boater and frequently the target of his friends’ pranks. Over time, he evolved into a more slender, energetic figure with a Scout-like uniform and a sense of adventurous optimism. He gained a loyal crew, including his dog Pal, goat Hector, and friends Headlights Hogan, Lollylegs, Bruiser, and a comical policeman, Mr. Claffey. These supporting characters brought a dynamic chemistry and sense of community to the strip, reflecting everyday Australian street life and suburban mischief with authenticity and charm.

Nicholls masterfully blended slapstick, satire, and social commentary, subtly critiquing adult institutions through the eyes of children while portraying youthful camaraderie and resilience. His comic panels were often vibrant and carefully composed, filled with playful energy, detailed backgrounds, and expressive facial gestures that deepened the emotional connection with readers.

The comic’s vibrant style, warm humor, and depiction of inner-city Australian childhood quickly made Fatty Finn a national favorite. It resonated particularly with working-class audiences who saw their own neighborhoods and struggles humorously reflected in the strip. By the late 1920s, it rivaled Ginger Meggs in popularity. Nicholls’ clean lines, expressive characters, and artistic innovations—such as tall column-like frames, expansive panoramic scenes, and subtle color shading—were regarded as some of the finest in Australian comic art. His skill in balancing visual humor with touching everyday moments helped establish Fatty Finn as a cultural cornerstone that appealed to both children and adults alike.

Film and Publication Milestones

In 1927, Fatty Finn inspired the silent film The Kid Stakes, directed by Tal Ordell. It holds the distinction of being the first Australian feature film based on a comic strip and included a live-action sequence of Nicholls drawing his beloved characters, further blurring the line between creator and creation. Filmed on location in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, the production captured the lively energy of inner-city life, using real streets and neighborhoods that closely resembled those depicted in the comic strip.

This grounded authenticity, combined with the playful antics of Fatty and his goat Hector, contributed to the film’s modest but notable box office success. The film was widely praised for capturing the uniquely Australian humor and setting, and it elevated the profile of both Fatty Finn and Nicholls himself, leading to renewed interest in the comic and further merchandising opportunities.

From 1928 to 1930, three Fatty Finn annuals were released in full color, a rarity at the time, showcasing Nicholls’s growing influence and the strip’s popularity. These annuals not only highlighted his evolving art style but also served as collectible items cherished by young readers. During this time, Nicholls attempted to broaden the comic’s themes and deepen its narrative appeal by incorporating serialized adventure storylines. These involved imaginative journeys with pirates, cannibals, and other exotic characters, blending fantasy and realism in bold new ways.

Unfortunately, his creative ambitions were repeatedly thwarted by conservative editorial policies at the Sunday News, which prioritized safe, formulaic content over risk-taking innovation. Despite these setbacks, the attempt revealed Nicholls’s aspiration to expand the artistic and narrative boundaries of Australian comics.

In 1931, frustrated by the constraints placed on his work and eager to find a more receptive audience, Nicholls traveled to New York City in a bold attempt to sell his new adventure strip, Middy Malone, to American syndicates. He brought with him a portfolio of meticulously drawn samples, brimming with dynamic characters, rich backgrounds, and a sense of high-stakes action.

While he received polite interest and engaged in several promising meetings, he ultimately found it difficult to penetrate the tightly controlled American comic syndicate scene, which was largely closed to foreign creators at the time. Returning to Sydney in 1932, he resumed work on his existing projects, only to be unexpectedly dismissed from his newspaper job in 1933, a decision that shocked many of his peers and marked the end of a significant chapter in his career.

Self-Publishing and Innovation

Undeterred, Nicholls began self-publishing. In 1934, he teamed up with fellow cartoonist Stan Clements to launch Fatty Finn Weekly, a pioneering venture recognized as Australia’s first all-Australian weekly comic book. The publication, presented in a tabloid format, ran eight pages and featured a combination of comic strips and prose, all created by Australian artists. Central to its appeal were Nicholls’s own Fatty Finn and the adventure strip Forest of Fear. These were accompanied by original works like Pam and Popsy Penguin and Basso the Bear, created by contributors under pseudonyms such as ‘Hotpoint’.

The comic was groundbreaking in its use of speech balloons and serialized narratives, marking a shift from the traditional caption-based comics that had dominated Australian newspapers. Fatty Finn Weekly was more than just entertainment—it served as a platform for local storytelling at a time when Australian youth culture was still being defined.

Nicholls also fostered reader engagement through clubs and promotional offers, including the ‘Fatty Finn Club’ which sent out badges and membership certificates to loyal readers. Despite initial success and a strong readership base, the publication struggled to compete with the influx of inexpensive, syndicated American comics, especially as wartime paper shortages and rising production costs took their toll. By early 1935, the comic folded, but its influence endured, inspiring a wave of local comic publishing efforts in the years that followed.

In the following years, Nicholls remained dedicated to the advancement of Australian comic art. He produced occasional comic books, such as Middy Malone in the Lost World, continued to develop new characters, and lent his talent to union newsletters, campaign posters, and educational material. His art appeared in numerous labor and public service publications, reinforcing messages about civic responsibility, health, and equity. He remained a vocal advocate for local creators, urging publishers to support homegrown content in a media landscape increasingly saturated with imported material.

Return of Fatty Finn and Advocacy Work

In December 1951, after nearly two decades of absence, Fatty Finn returned to newspaper syndication in the Sunday Herald. The strip was warmly received by both long-time fans and a new generation of readers, delighted by its timeless humor and nostalgic appeal. Following the merger of the Sunday Herald with the Sunday Sun and Guardian in 1953, Fatty Finn found a new home in the Sun-Herald, where it continued its weekly run.

Nicholls remained the strip’s sole illustrator and writer, preserving its 1920s visual aesthetic throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, even as newer comic styles and printing technologies emerged. His decision to resist modernisation was both a stylistic statement and a personal homage to the strip’s origins, reflecting a deep reverence for traditional comic artistry and his belief in the enduring power of classic storytelling.

Beyond his comic work, Nicholls was an active and influential figure within Australia’s media and arts communities. As a long-serving member of the Journalists’ Club, he held leadership roles, including president and vice-president, where he advocated for greater support of artists and writers within the media industry. He also chaired the New South Wales authors’ and artists’ section of the Australian Journalists’ Association, a position through which he mentored younger artists and campaigned for fairer representation of Australian creative professionals in publishing.

Deeply invested in public education, Nicholls frequently donated his artwork to support awareness campaigns led by the New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, particularly those related to improving public school conditions, promoting student welfare, and championing the role of arts in education. His illustrations were not only tools of humor but also instruments of advocacy, resonating widely with educators and families alike.

Personal Life and Death

Nicholls married Roberta Clarice Vickery, a fellow commercial artist, in 1942. The couple shared a strong creative bond, occasionally collaborating on design and illustration projects, and they raised two daughters together. Despite his considerable public achievements and a decades-long career filled with artistic innovation, Nicholls faced significant emotional and psychological struggles in his later years, which were compounded by the shifting landscape of the publishing industry and his resistance to modernization trends in comic art.

These personal battles weighed heavily on him, and he gradually withdrew from public appearances. On 3 June 1977, at the age of 80, Nicholls died tragically after falling from a balcony in Potts Point. His death marked not only the personal end of a storied life but also the conclusion of Fatty Finn, which was immediately retired from publication, closing a significant chapter in Australian cartooning history.

Legacy and Recognition

Syd Nicholls left a profound and enduring mark on the Australian cultural and artistic landscape. As a pioneering force in early 20th-century cartooning, he championed the production of locally made comics at a time when Australian newspapers and publications were overwhelmingly reliant on syndicated foreign material. His bold move to center stories around distinctly Australian themes, settings, and sensibilities set him apart from his contemporaries and contributed to the growth of a truly homegrown comic tradition.

Nicholls was not merely an entertainer; he was a cultural advocate who used his art to reflect and reinforce the lived realities of working-class Australians. His depiction of urban childhood life—filled with larrikin energy, neighborhood camaraderie, and a cheeky sense of justice—gave voice to a demographic often underrepresented in mainstream media. The enduring popularity of his most iconic creation, Fatty Finn, was a testament to Nicholls’s keen insight into the Australian psyche and his ability to resonate across generations.

Throughout his career, Nicholls remained steadfastly independent, refusing to compromise his artistic integrity or adopt styles that didn’t align with his vision. His commitment to hand-drawing his strip in the original 1920s style—even in the rapidly modernizing world of the 1950s and ’60s—spoke to his authenticity and deep respect for the medium he helped pioneer. In doing so, he became not only a standard-bearer for traditional comic art but also a mentor and role model for aspiring cartoonists.

In 2016, in recognition of his profound contributions, he was posthumously awarded the Ledger of Honour and inducted into the Australian Comics Hall of Fame. Today, his characters—particularly Fatty Finn—continue to be remembered as cultural icons and symbols of a nostalgic yet resilient Australian spirit. Nicholls is celebrated not only for his artistic achievements but also for his vision, perseverance, and lifelong advocacy for Australian creators and original content in the arts.

Selected Works

• Fat and His Friends (1923–1924): The earliest incarnation of the comic strip that would become Fatty Finn. It featured a chubby, mischievous boy known simply as ‘Fat’ in a group of schoolyard misfits. These early strips focused heavily on slapstick humor and moral comeuppance, mirroring the tone of other popular British comics of the time. The character design and situations reflected early 20th-century Australian urban life, with visual cues borrowed from British public school culture.
• Fatty Finn (1924–1977): After its renaming, the strip gained a new direction and broader appeal. Fatty transformed into a more agile, heroic figure dressed in Scout-like attire. The strip centered around his adventures with his loyal dog Pal and goat Hector, alongside neighborhood kids like Headlights Hogan and Lollylegs. Mr. Claffey, the bumbling policeman, provided adult comic relief. Nicholls continued developing expressive characters, intricate backgrounds, and an authentic sense of Australian suburbia. As the strip matured, it began incorporating social satire, while maintaining its wholesome, family-oriented humor.
• The Kid Stakes (1927, film appearance): A milestone in Australian cinema and comics history, this silent film brought Fatty Finn to life on screen, with real children playing the characters. Directed by Tal Ordell, the film was a critical success and contributed significantly to the strip’s popularity. Nicholls made a cameo in the film, showcasing the drawing of Fatty Finn, blending animation with live-action in a creative fashion.
• Fatty Finn Weekly (1934–1935): A groundbreaking publication that marked one of the first locally produced, weekly all-Australian comic books. Created and edited by Nicholls, this comic book format featured Fatty Finn in serialized form, along with other original stories like Forest of Fear and contributions from local artists. It also featured a popular membership club and regular reader competitions, creating a strong community of young fans.
• Middy Malone in the Lost World (1930s): This strip showcased Nicholls’s ambition to explore more adventurous storytelling. Middy Malone was a daring, boyish hero engaging in high-stakes escapades in exotic locales. The strip combined suspense, fantasy, and action, and displayed Nicholls’s versatility as an artist capable of dynamic, cinematic layouts.
• Phantom Pirate, Forest of Fear, and Middy Malone’s Magazine (1940s): These publications were part of Nicholls’s broader efforts during the 1940s to sustain Australian comic production amid rising competition from American imports. Phantom Pirate offered swashbuckling sea tales, Forest of Fear delivered atmospheric jungle adventures, and Middy Malone’s Magazine was a dedicated anthology for Nicholls’s adventure stories. These works reflected Nicholls’s deepening exploration of genre fiction and his push to diversify the Australian comic scene.