Bill Finger had hand in creating Batman

By Matthew Price

Published: July 18, 2008

In every "Batman” comic book, in the credits to the 1960s TV show, even in the credits to this weekend's "The Dark Knight” are the words "Batman created by Bob Kane.” While Kane is the only one officially credited with the character, writer Bill Finger is considered by most to have had a large input in bringing Batman to life.

Writer Alan J. Porter contributed the essay "The Dubious Origins of Batman” to the nonfiction book "Batman Unauthorized,” featuring essays about the Dark Knight. Porter is at work on a biography of Kane and Finger.

Batman didn't come in a flash of inspiration, Porter said, but was developed when an editor asked Kane to come up with "another Superman.” The success of the Man of Steel in the 1930s had publishers eager to exploit this new idea.

"Bill Finger was a friend of cartoonist Bob Kane's and often helped Bob by writing stories for the various comic strips he produced,” Porter said. "When Bob presented his first sketch of what would become Batman to his editor, the editor mentioned it needed a story to go with the visual. Bob naturally turned to his writer friend Bill Finger for help.”

Finger suggested changes to Bob Kane's original design, adding the cowl mask and the cape resembling bat wings. Finger named the characters of Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon in the original Batman story. Finger created more of the elements of the Batman legend as Batman continued, including naming Gotham City and creating Catwoman.

But Finger never received credit. Part of that had to do with the system in place — in newspaper strips at the time, comic strips were often produced by a studio, but appeared with only the original creator's name. The nascent art of comic books didn't have procedures in place for recognizing creative talent.

"Simply put, Bob Kane's editor asked him to come up with a character and a story to go with it, and that's what Bob Kane did,” Porter said. "The editor was seemingly unaware that Bob had help. The comic book company came up with a contract for Bob to continue producing Batman stories, and that's what Bob continued to do – using an increasing roster of ghost writers and artists.”

Meanwhile, Finger today receives more credit than he ever did in life. (Finger died in 1974.) Comic-Con International, the largest comic book and popular arts event in the United States, gives the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic-Book Writing.

And while Finger's name never appeared on his Batman stories while he was alive, he now receives writing credit when his stories are reprinted by DC Comics.

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