After 75 years DC Comics will finally be putting Bill Fingers name on the cover of a Batman comic. For those who didn’t know, Bill Finger is the co-creator of Batman, Robin, Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Penquin, Commissioner Gordon, Gotham City, Alfred Pennyworth, The Batcave, The Batmobile, Batgirl, Clock King, Catman, Clayface, Killer Moth, Mad Hatter, Calendar Man, Two Face, Scarecrow, Bat-Mite, The Batplane, The Batarang, Utility Belt, Hugo Strange, Ace the Bathound, Wildcat, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), “The Dark Knight” and contributed to the Superman mythos by co-creating Lana Lang. He wrote over 600 issues for DC Comics with over 150 of those for Batman, He also wrote for Quality, Fawcett and Timely comics.
On Wednesday, July 23rd DC Comics will be releasing a free special 75th anniversary edition of Detective Comics #27. The issue will feature The Dark Knights first adventure from 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, as well as two tales from the New 52 Detective Comics #27 Brad Meltzer and Bryan Hitch’s “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate” and Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s “Twenty Seven”. The issue will also feature new material from Bat-fan Chip Kidd and cover by current Bat-artist Greg Capullo.
This issue marks the first time Bill Finger’s name will appear on a Batman Comic, but as a writer not as a co-creator. In DC’s defense they didn’t know Finger existed till well after Kane made his deal, but when they found out about Bill they hired him direct! DC Comics cannot legally credit Finger as co-creator, as per Kane’s contract. Bob Kane was quoted in his 1989 autobiography “Batman and Me” as saying “Now that my longtime friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero. Because he came into the strip after I had created Batman, he did not get a by-line… I never thought of giving him a by-line and he never asked for one. I often tell my wife “If I could go back 15 years, before he died, I would like to say “I’ll put your name on it now, you deserve it.” Bob Kane passed away on November 3, 1998 at the age of 83, nearly ten years after the above statement was made. Kane never made an effort to share creator credit with his “friend and collaborator”. Unfortunately Bob Kane’s legacy will always be tarnished by this injustice, which makes the inscription on his gravestone all the more infuriating!
“Hand of God”? … I don’t know about that, but I do know there was a Finger involved!
Source: Batman and Me, www.batman75.com, Newsarama
