(PCM) Batman is a word that just about everyone you ask knows a little something about. Batman has been a cultural phenomenon for a very longtime. The character and his logo can be seen on just about everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to toothbrushes. Batman is a brand all in itself, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that the creation of Batman has been shrouded in mystery every since his creation.
The fictional character was first published in 1939 by National Comics Publications which would overtime turn into DC Comics. Mainly due to the financial success of Superman the company waned more superheroes for its publication. In response to the need for more heroes creator Bob Kane and his friend Bill Finger created the Batman. But what a lot of people failed to realize is that the creation of Batman was a team effort and that Bob Kane took most of the credit for the creation of the beloved superhero.
Bob Kane’s name has appeared solo as the creator of Batman since the beginning. Bob Kane gained fame and fortune over the creation of Batman and denied for years and years about just how much influence his friend Bill Finger had in the creation process of Batman. Bill Finger never had the fame or fortune that his friend had. The fact is Bill Finger died alone and penniless in New York City in 1974.
Bill Finger can be credited for many of Batman’s features including his cowl instead of the domino mask that Bob Kane originally wanted to do in his drawing’s. Finger also added a a cape instead of stiff wings which again Kane wanted to include. Finger wrote both the initial script for Batman’s debut in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) and the character’s second appearance, while Kane provided art. Batman proved a breakout hit, and Finger went on to write many of the early Batman stories, including making major contributions to the Joker. Finger decided to have Robin’s ( Batman’s sidekick) parents circus performers murdered while performing their trapeze act, Finger mentioned in interviews later.
How all this could have happened is a mystery. Two men created one of the most beloved characters in American history and only one man took the credit. A lot of what happened could be attributed to the way Bob Kane negotiated the contract back when Batman was first published. Bob Kane has went on record in later years and stated that Bill Finger was responsible for about 60 to 75 percent of the creation of the character.
Through a long and overdue process Bill Finger’s family eventually got to see his name alongside Bob Kane’s, but the journey was long and overdue. For a better understanding of the mystery behind the creation of Batman please be sure to check out the movie Batman and Bill. The trailer is below.
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