Tin-Can Tommy
Real Name: Tommy
Identity/Class: Robot
Occupation: Child
Affiliations: Ironsides (robot horse), Babe, Clanky (robot cat)
Enemies: Unknown
Known Relatives: Professor Lee (creator, "father"), unidentified "mother" (Lee's wife), unidentified "brother" (Lee's son, deceased), Babe ("sister", fellow robot)
Aliases: The Clockwork Boy
Base of Operations: Unknown
First Appearance: Beano #1 (DC Thomson, 30th July 1938)
Powers/Abilities: Unknown
History: A year after the death of his son, Professor Lee decides to ease his and his wife's grieving by building a robotic replacement. Using clockwork and springs in his workshop, the Professor contructs Tin-Can Tommy, who proves to be a cheerful and lively creation. In time the Professor assembled further robots, including Babe, a "sister" for Tommy.
Comments: Created by the Dinelli brothers, Tin Can Tommy was originally an Italian reprint, but from Beano #69 (18th November 1939) it taken over by British creators when the Italian creators suddenly went incommunicado, possible victims of Mussilini's fascist regime.
Tommy's strip ran from the first issue of Beano in 1938 until Beano #303 (8th February 1947). In Beano #3185, a 65th Anniversary Special, Tommy briefly returned to encounter Bea the Mini-Menace, the sister of Dennis the Menace.
CLARIFICATIONS: None.
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
Back to General UK Comic Book Heroes.
Back to UK Superheroes Main Page.
All images and characters depicted on this site are copyright their respective holders, and are used for informational purposes only. No infringement is intended and copyrights remain at source.