Finieous Fingers
Encyclopedia
Finieous Fingers was among the earliest comics
that appeared in Dragon magazine
. Finieous Fingers, the title character and self proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief", was a good-natured thief who was pestered by halfling
s (hobbits) and evil magic-users
. He was generally found in the company of his two men-at-arms, Fred and Charly. The full-page comic was created by J. D. Webster, who was its sole author and illustrator.
The comic's appearances became sporadic, due to Webster's commitments as an A-7
pilot in the U.S. Navy
. It appeared in issues 3, 4, 6,7, 9 through 22, 25 through 28, 30, 33, 35, 38 through 41, 43, 45, 49 through 51, 53 and 54. After the strip's final Dragon appearance in issue #54 (October 1981), Webster moved it to Adventure Gaming magazine, a publication which folded the following year. Finieous was next spotted in The Space Gamer
and its sister publication Fantasy Gamer in 1984, but again this only lasted about a year. In the 1990s, Finieous Fingers was resurrected for a time in the pages of Shadis
magazine, this time drawn by Jason Holmgren.
Author J. D. Webster is a late '70's graduate of Auburn NROTC and a former Navy pilot. Webster is currently flying for Northwest airlines and is living in Michigan with his wife and daughter. Several of his Fineious Fingers characters were modeled after friends who he dungeon mastered for: BoredFlak was based on Everette Burge who now lives in Selma, Alabama. Ozyamadas was based on Grant Castlebury who now works in the Texas aerospace industry. The title character was based on close personal friend Scott Mills, who currently delivers mail in the Birmingham area.
A compilation, The Finieous Treasury, was published by TSR
in 1981. A series of miniature figures based on the comic was produced by Thunderbolt Mountain in 1982 and made their debut at the 1982 Origins in Baltimore, there were also 10 gold plated sets created at that time.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
that appeared in Dragon magazine
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
. Finieous Fingers, the title character and self proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief", was a good-natured thief who was pestered by halfling
Halfling
Halfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit which can be a fictional race sometimes found in fantasy novels and games. In many settings, they are similar to humans except about half the size. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons...
s (hobbits) and evil magic-users
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
. He was generally found in the company of his two men-at-arms, Fred and Charly. The full-page comic was created by J. D. Webster, who was its sole author and illustrator.
The comic's appearances became sporadic, due to Webster's commitments as an A-7
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
pilot in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. It appeared in issues 3, 4, 6,7, 9 through 22, 25 through 28, 30, 33, 35, 38 through 41, 43, 45, 49 through 51, 53 and 54. After the strip's final Dragon appearance in issue #54 (October 1981), Webster moved it to Adventure Gaming magazine, a publication which folded the following year. Finieous was next spotted in The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
and its sister publication Fantasy Gamer in 1984, but again this only lasted about a year. In the 1990s, Finieous Fingers was resurrected for a time in the pages of Shadis
Shadis
Shadis was an independent gaming magazine that published articles on role-playing games. Started by Jolly Blackburn, it began as an independent gaming fanzine in 1990, and was later transformed into a quality small-press magazine in 1993. Each issue contained a variety of articles covering many...
magazine, this time drawn by Jason Holmgren.
Author J. D. Webster is a late '70's graduate of Auburn NROTC and a former Navy pilot. Webster is currently flying for Northwest airlines and is living in Michigan with his wife and daughter. Several of his Fineious Fingers characters were modeled after friends who he dungeon mastered for: BoredFlak was based on Everette Burge who now lives in Selma, Alabama. Ozyamadas was based on Grant Castlebury who now works in the Texas aerospace industry. The title character was based on close personal friend Scott Mills, who currently delivers mail in the Birmingham area.
A compilation, The Finieous Treasury, was published by TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1981. A series of miniature figures based on the comic was produced by Thunderbolt Mountain in 1982 and made their debut at the 1982 Origins in Baltimore, there were also 10 gold plated sets created at that time.
Partial Listing of Dragon Appearances
- Issue #3, p. 17 "The Adventures of Finieous Fingers and Fred and Charly"
- Issue #4, p. 30 "The Continuing Adventures of Finieous Fingers Minus Fred and Charly"
- Issue #6, p. 27 "The Quickly Ending Adventures of Finieous Fingers And the Return of Fred and Charly"
- Issue #7, p. 24 "Beginning a New Adventure of Finieous Fingers, Or One Day in the Marketplace"
- Issue #9, p. 29 "Finieous Fingers in: The Trouble with Trifles Or!, Do Hobbits Make Bad Company?"
- Issue #10, p. 29 "Finieous Fingers, Fred and Charly in: Hobbits Are Definitely Bad Company, Or, 002½ in: You Only Get It Once"
Partial Listing of Adventure Gaming Appearances
- Issue #6, p. 41 "If Finieous Fingers Played Traveller..."
- Issue #11, "The Adventures of Finieous Fingers: The Curse of the Liche"