Finger Readin’ Good

Some time ago I posted some of my thoughts on the long-time controversy surrounding the creation of Batman, specifically how much credit Bob Kane really deserves and how much credit writers and artists like Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson should be given. This is hardly a new topic. Kane was a bit of a polarizing figure, and his iron-clad grip on the credit as the creator of Batman has rankled many over the years who know that Bill Finger came up with much of the backstory, mythos and elements that make Batman the enduring character he is.

Writer extraordinaire Mark Evanier has recently written a couple of insightful posts on the topic that are well worth reading. Actually everything on Mark’s blog is well worth reading, but if this issue interests you then these articles are especially worthwhile. Few in the world of comics can speak with the kind of knowledge and authority Mark can, and he has some interesting points concerning standard industry practices at the times that can make you understand why this situation happened… if not condone the rectifying of it today. Read that post here.

I never met Bob Kane or Bill Finger, but I have talked with many people who have met both. I’ve been painted many different pictures of Kane as a person, and not too many of them are very flattering. The common thread among them is that he had a lot more interest in being rich and famous than he did doing any actual creating. Hard to fault anyone for that I guess, but to then demand respect as a creator is a lot to ask. That’s all second hand information, of course. I really don’t know what kind of guy Kane was, but I have never heard anyone dispute that Bill Finger deserves a lot more credit for the creation of Batman than he got, including (according to Mark on his blog), Bob Kane.