| Tailspin Tommy | |
|---|---|
 Hal Forrest's Tailspin Tommy (June 26, 1938) | |
| Author(s) | Glenn Chaffin (1928–1933) Hal Forrest (1933–1942) |
| Illustrator(s) | Hal Forrest (1928–1942) (inks) Reynold Brown (1936–1942) |
| Current status/schedule | Concluded; reruns |
| Launch date | May 21, 1928 |
| End date | March 15, 1942 |
| Syndicate(s) | Bell Syndicate (1928–1940) United Feature Syndicate (1940–1942) |
| Publisher(s) | Stephen Slesinger Inc. Eastern Color Printing Dell Comics |
| Genre(s) | Aviation-adventure |
Tailspin Tommy was an aviation-adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, "Tailspin" Tommy Tomkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins). Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Neville Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate, the strip had a 14-year run from May 21, 1928 to March 15, 1942.[1]
In the wake of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight across the Atlantic, the public's fascination with aviation escalated. Tailspin Tommy was the first aviation-based comic strip to appear as a result of this heightened interest. The strip's 1928 launch was followed by others, notably Skyroads (1929-1942), Scorchy Smith (1930-1961), The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1933-1973) and Flyin' Jenny (1939-1946).[2]
- ^ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 374. ISBN 9780472117567.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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