In May of 1939, in the pages of Detective Comics #27, a pulp detective and anthology series, a new character made his debut appearance. His name was The Bat-Man (later just Batman). A lot of the work involved in terms of the characterization and backstory were the contribution of writer Bill Finger, and was co-created by artist Bob Kane, who had the original idea for the character. Like any creator, such as William Shakespeare or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bill Finger had created a character that would become as iconic as any in the great pantheon of fictional characters, without knowing they were doing so. However, while Bob Kane’s name is nearly as synonymous with Batman as Stan Lee’s is with Spider-Man due to the creator credit he receives over every Batman adaptation in other media, Bill Finger suffered a fate similar to original Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko: obscurity.
Kane signed a deal with National Comics (later DC) forgoing ownership of Batman in exchange for a creator byline on all future comics and adaptations. Finger, however, was not in on the deal, and as such his name has only been included occasionally at the behest of whoever is editor at present. Around the time of Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, 15 years after Finger’s death, Kane was quoted saying, “Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero… I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say, ‘I’ll put your name on it now. You deserve it.'”
And he does deserve it. Some would argue he deserves it more than Kane. According to at least two of the pair’s contemporaries, Finger’s contributions outweigh those of Kane. Batman series penciller, Jerry Robinson said, “[Bill] had more to do with the molding of Batman than Bob. He just did so many things at the beginning… creating almost all the other characters… the whole persona, the whole temper.” Inker and letterer on the Batman series George Roussos said, “Bob Kane had ideas while Bill sort of organized them.”
After over 75 years, Bill Finger will finally receive the credit he is due in full measure. A new deal has been worked out with Finger’s estate and DC Comics giving Bill the same creator credit Kane has received in future adaptations. This will start with a credit on future episodes of Gotham and Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, it still remains to be confirmed if Finger’s name will appear in future Batman films, as so far only Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice is mentioned, though I can’t imagine DC not doing so moving forward. Another question that arises is whether or not Finger will be included along with Kane in the mandatory creator byline of future Batman comics, as that is also not mentioned. Hopefully, this starts a trend for forgotten creators of other characters in comics getting their dues on the large screen. I’ll feel slightly better about the Spider-Man reboot in 2017 if Steve Ditko gets some recognition.
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