Ever since 2015, the year where Bill Finger was given patrial credit for creating Batman, the once unknown Bill Finger has been given more attention and respect than ever before. There was even a Hulu documentary about him, called Batman and Bill, that explained the true story behind Batman's creation.
Batman was created in 1939. Between the years 1939 and 2015, full credit to Batman's creation was given to Bob Kane, an artist who had the initial idea to have a superhero called Batman. It can't be denied that Bob Kane was an essential part to getting Batman made. However, the Batman we know and love didn't come from him. Bob's concept for Batman was a blonde-haired guy in red tights. Just about every aspect of Batman's creation, aside from the initial idea, came from Bill Finger. Bill Finger was brought in to write the Batman comics. Bob was the artist, but Bill was the one who came up with Batman's design.
If Bob hadn't of hired Bill, it seems likely that Batman would have been a blonde-haired vigilante that dressed in red, had superpowers and didn't mind being violent towards his enemies. Batman's came from Bill. Bill was a big fan of mystery stories, so the idea of Batman being a detective was something that came from him.
Bob Kane never wrote a single Batman comic, but his name was the only name listed in the credits. Bill Finger, who wrote the stories and did a majority of the work, was uncredited. Also, the artists who helped Bob do the artwork remained uncredited.
As a kid, I thought that Bob Kane was single-handedly responsible for creating Batman. However, that was not true. You might be asking why Bob Kane got credit for everything for over seven decades. Well, Bob Kane had a contract with the comics company that made sure that he was given sole credit for Batman. Bill Finger was a shy, humble person. While he was paid for his work, he wasn't given as much as he probably deserved.
In the 1960's, Bill Finger made an effort to let his presence known. The fans were eager to learn about Batman's other creator. Sadly, Bob sent out a letter that flat-out lied to his fans. The letter claimed that he was Batman's only creator.
In the late 60's and early 70's, Bill Finger was dealing with a lot of drama in his life. He had health problems that led to him passing away in the 70's. He was buried in an unmarked grave.
As for Bob Kane, he gained a lot of extra attention in 1989, the year that Tim Burton's Batman film came out. Bob Kane did an autobiography and appeared in several interviews. For the first time, Bob finally acknowledged that Bill was an important person that helped him create Batman. He expressed regret for having to big of an ego to share the credit with Bill. Quite frankly, Bob should of revealed the truth decades before he did. However, I believe that it's never too late to change your ways, so I'm grateful that Bob, at the very least, finally started being honest about Bill. Some people have speculated how genuine his apology was. I want to believe in the best of people, so I sincerely hope that Bob had finally changed his ways.
In 1998, Bob Kane passed away. I never thought that I would have to complain about somebody's headstone, but even Bob Kane's headstone disrespected Bill Finger. The headstone claims that God bestowed Bob Kane with the idea of Batman. I don't know who wrote what was put on the headstone, but quite frankly, it comes across as rather tasteless.
Thanks to the hardwork and compassion of Marc Tyler Nobleman and Bill Finger's granddaughter, Athena Finger, Bill was finally given credit in 2015. Before then, Batman comics, shows and movies give Bob full credit for Batman's creation, but nowadays, each piece of Batman media claims that "Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger."
This serves as a big and important step to giving Bill Finger the attention and love that he always deserved. While it is a step in the right direction, I believe that more needs to be done. Because of Bob Kane's contract, the credits might forever remain an exaggeration of the truth. Having the word "with" almost makes Bill Finger sound like an assistant. Bob may have hired Bill and he might have called the shots, but Bill is the one who actually gave us the Batman that's been loved for eight decades. Bill also created a majority of the iconic Batman characters, including most of the classic sidekicks and villains.
Batman is one of the most iconic heroes in all of fiction, so it's an undeniable crime that the creator of Batman was given no recognition during his lifetime. While we can't change the past, we can shape the future. There was a time where it seemed like Bill would never get credit for anything, but nowadays, you can see Bill's name on theatrically-released Batman films, in addition to all of the modern comics and shows. I hope that future Batman stories go out of their way to pay tribute to Bill Finger. As a kid, I remember reading a comic where Bob Kane met Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo thanked Bob for bringing them to life. Obviously, that short hasn't aged well. I truly hope that future works give credit, attention and love to the true creator of Batman.
If there is something to remember from this tale, it's that if you have ever enjoyed a Batman product of any kind, such as a comic, a TV show or a movie, it's important to remember that without Bill Finger, none of that would have been possible.
If you are ever asked who created Batman, the answer should be Bill Finger. You might think I hate Bob Kane, but that is far from the truth. I can't deny that I feel betrayed and upset about what he did, but I don't believe in forgiveness. I sometimes see Batman call Bob Kane a real-life villain, as well as other unflattering terms. I understand why they'd do that, but personally, I don't support it. I genuinely hope that Bob Kane rests in peace. However, I think his name should be taken off of the creation credit, or at the very least, it should read "Batman created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane." The fact that Bob Kane is still billed first rubs me the wrong way, but the fact that Bill got credited is what's important.
I don't know what the future has in-store for Bill Finger's legacy. What I hope for is that as time goes on, more and more people start realizing what a wonderful, important person he was. One day, I hope Bill Finger is as well-known and celebrated as other comics creators, like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Will that ever happen? I don't know. What I do know is that I'll always love and believe in Bill Finger, the true creator of Batman.
Batman was created in 1939. Between the years 1939 and 2015, full credit to Batman's creation was given to Bob Kane, an artist who had the initial idea to have a superhero called Batman. It can't be denied that Bob Kane was an essential part to getting Batman made. However, the Batman we know and love didn't come from him. Bob's concept for Batman was a blonde-haired guy in red tights. Just about every aspect of Batman's creation, aside from the initial idea, came from Bill Finger. Bill Finger was brought in to write the Batman comics. Bob was the artist, but Bill was the one who came up with Batman's design.
If Bob hadn't of hired Bill, it seems likely that Batman would have been a blonde-haired vigilante that dressed in red, had superpowers and didn't mind being violent towards his enemies. Batman's came from Bill. Bill was a big fan of mystery stories, so the idea of Batman being a detective was something that came from him.
Bob Kane never wrote a single Batman comic, but his name was the only name listed in the credits. Bill Finger, who wrote the stories and did a majority of the work, was uncredited. Also, the artists who helped Bob do the artwork remained uncredited.
As a kid, I thought that Bob Kane was single-handedly responsible for creating Batman. However, that was not true. You might be asking why Bob Kane got credit for everything for over seven decades. Well, Bob Kane had a contract with the comics company that made sure that he was given sole credit for Batman. Bill Finger was a shy, humble person. While he was paid for his work, he wasn't given as much as he probably deserved.
In the 1960's, Bill Finger made an effort to let his presence known. The fans were eager to learn about Batman's other creator. Sadly, Bob sent out a letter that flat-out lied to his fans. The letter claimed that he was Batman's only creator.
In the late 60's and early 70's, Bill Finger was dealing with a lot of drama in his life. He had health problems that led to him passing away in the 70's. He was buried in an unmarked grave.
As for Bob Kane, he gained a lot of extra attention in 1989, the year that Tim Burton's Batman film came out. Bob Kane did an autobiography and appeared in several interviews. For the first time, Bob finally acknowledged that Bill was an important person that helped him create Batman. He expressed regret for having to big of an ego to share the credit with Bill. Quite frankly, Bob should of revealed the truth decades before he did. However, I believe that it's never too late to change your ways, so I'm grateful that Bob, at the very least, finally started being honest about Bill. Some people have speculated how genuine his apology was. I want to believe in the best of people, so I sincerely hope that Bob had finally changed his ways.
In 1998, Bob Kane passed away. I never thought that I would have to complain about somebody's headstone, but even Bob Kane's headstone disrespected Bill Finger. The headstone claims that God bestowed Bob Kane with the idea of Batman. I don't know who wrote what was put on the headstone, but quite frankly, it comes across as rather tasteless.
Thanks to the hardwork and compassion of Marc Tyler Nobleman and Bill Finger's granddaughter, Athena Finger, Bill was finally given credit in 2015. Before then, Batman comics, shows and movies give Bob full credit for Batman's creation, but nowadays, each piece of Batman media claims that "Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger."
This serves as a big and important step to giving Bill Finger the attention and love that he always deserved. While it is a step in the right direction, I believe that more needs to be done. Because of Bob Kane's contract, the credits might forever remain an exaggeration of the truth. Having the word "with" almost makes Bill Finger sound like an assistant. Bob may have hired Bill and he might have called the shots, but Bill is the one who actually gave us the Batman that's been loved for eight decades. Bill also created a majority of the iconic Batman characters, including most of the classic sidekicks and villains.
Batman is one of the most iconic heroes in all of fiction, so it's an undeniable crime that the creator of Batman was given no recognition during his lifetime. While we can't change the past, we can shape the future. There was a time where it seemed like Bill would never get credit for anything, but nowadays, you can see Bill's name on theatrically-released Batman films, in addition to all of the modern comics and shows. I hope that future Batman stories go out of their way to pay tribute to Bill Finger. As a kid, I remember reading a comic where Bob Kane met Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo thanked Bob for bringing them to life. Obviously, that short hasn't aged well. I truly hope that future works give credit, attention and love to the true creator of Batman.
If there is something to remember from this tale, it's that if you have ever enjoyed a Batman product of any kind, such as a comic, a TV show or a movie, it's important to remember that without Bill Finger, none of that would have been possible.
If you are ever asked who created Batman, the answer should be Bill Finger. You might think I hate Bob Kane, but that is far from the truth. I can't deny that I feel betrayed and upset about what he did, but I don't believe in forgiveness. I sometimes see Batman call Bob Kane a real-life villain, as well as other unflattering terms. I understand why they'd do that, but personally, I don't support it. I genuinely hope that Bob Kane rests in peace. However, I think his name should be taken off of the creation credit, or at the very least, it should read "Batman created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane." The fact that Bob Kane is still billed first rubs me the wrong way, but the fact that Bill got credited is what's important.
I don't know what the future has in-store for Bill Finger's legacy. What I hope for is that as time goes on, more and more people start realizing what a wonderful, important person he was. One day, I hope Bill Finger is as well-known and celebrated as other comics creators, like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Will that ever happen? I don't know. What I do know is that I'll always love and believe in Bill Finger, the true creator of Batman.
