By Ian T. Wilson
Rating: G (suitable for all audiences)
Word Count: 311
Summary: A brief biography of the real hero of Batman
Good afternoon, people of the internet! This is Ian Wilson, Fellowship and Fairydust’s comic and superhero expert, welcoming you once again to Superhero Sunday. This week, I wanna talk about a hero we all know and love; Batman.
So you all know who Batman is, right? The intrepid crimefighter of Gotham City. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. After watching his parents die at the hands of a robber, he resolves to become Gotham City’s vigilante. We all know the story. But here’s what you may not know.
It was common knowledge that Batman was created by Bob Kane, a comic artist and writer who first published Batman with the company that would eventually become DC Comics. But that is only half the truth. Bob Kane did in fact create a character named Batman, who was… completely lame.The guy wore a red suit and a little black mask with hang-gliding bat-wings on his back. He showed the character to a man named Bill Finger, who made some suggestions on changes to the character, including making his costume all black and adding the cape and cowl.
Bob Kane and Bill Finger formed a partnership; Bill finger would do the artwork and some of the writing for Batman and Bob Kane would basically get all the credit. This went on through much of the 1940’s. Finger was a rather shy person and didn’t really care about the attention. It wasn’t until later when he realized his enormous mistake.
The sad truth is that Bill Finger died in a low rent apartment in 1974, almost entirely unknown but for a few close friends and relatives. It was through the work of dedicated fans and Finger’s surviving daughter that we now know about the accomplishments of Bill Finger. He is recognized today as the co-creator of Batman and a number of Batman villains.