Finn (2000 AD) explained

Character Name:Finn
Real Name:Paul Phillips (or Paul Shawcross)[1]
Publisher:Fleetway Publications
Debut:Crisis #1 (17 September 1988)
Alliances:Green Army
Eve Collins
Powers:White magic
Hand of Glory
Finn
Schedule:Weekly
Titles:Crisis
2000 AD
Fantasy:y
Magic:y
Publisher:IPC Media (Fleetway)
Startyr:1989
Endyr:1996
Issues:53
Writers:Pat Mills
Tony Skinner
Artists:Jim Elston
Liam Sharp
Paul Staples
Letterers:Gordon Robson
Steve Potter
Editors:Steve MacManus & Michael W. Bennent
Tharg (Richard Burton)
Tharg (John Tomlinson)
Creators:Pat Mills
Nonus:y
Altcat:2000 AD comic strips
Sort:Finn (comics)

Finn is a fictional pagan warlock eco-terrorist created by Pat Mills. He first appeared in British fortnightly anthology comic Crisis in 1989 in the strip Third World War and later moved to an eponymous series in 2000 AD after Crisis was cancelled in 1991.

Publication history

The character was popular but the series ended in 1996.[2] According to David Bishop the reason the character was suspended was due to concerns that he was in danger of duplicating the appeal of Mills's Sláine.[3] Mills has speculated that part of the reason was because some readers were complaining in the letters page about Finn "being a sinister witch and saying his authentic pagan practices were a bad example to readers".[4]

Plot summary

Finn is the alias of Paul Phillips. In Third World War it is established that Paul was once a soldier in the British Army stationed in Northern Ireland, but he deserted to become Finn, an eco-terrorist fighting to save the planet from multi-national corporations. Third World War began as a relatively realistic story set in 2000, with very little in the way of fantasy or science fiction elements, but that changed as Finn became more prominent.

In the eponymous strip in 2000 AD it emerged that the leaders of the corporations were in fact a secret society of powerful aliens called Newts. In this strip Finn was a mini-cab driver in Plymouth by day, and a white witch fighting the aliens by night. He used military equipment alongside magical items such as the Hand of Glory.

Bibliography

He first appeared as a supporting character in the series Third World War in the comics magazine Crisis; then in the eponymous strip in 2000 AD:

Reprints

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. 2000 AD. 924. 27 Jan 1995. The Origin, Part 1. Pat Mills and Tony Skinner. Liam Sharp.
  2. Web site: Pat Mills Unwrapped Part 2. Mlls. Pat. 4 March 2011. Forbidden Planet International Blog. 26 April 2016.
  3. Web site: Typing about myself in the third person. Bishop. David. 21 August 2006. Thrill-Power Overload. 26 April 2016.
  4. Web site: Finn to Appear in the Megazine. Mills. Pat. 26 September 2012. Pat Mills. 26 April 2016.