| Bill Finger | |
|---|---|
 Finger in 1945 | |
| Born | Milton Finger February 8, 1914 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | c. January 18, 1974 (aged 59) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer |
Notable works | Batman Detective Comics Green Lantern |
| Awards |
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| Spouse(s) | Ethel "Portia" Finger (née Epstein; 1943–1950s) Lyn Simmons (about 1968–1971) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914[1] – c. January 18, 1974)[2][3] was an American comic book writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world builder and illustration architect, Finger (like other creators of his era) was often relegated to ghostwriter status on many comics—including those featuring Batman, and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott.
While Kane privately admitted in a 1980s audio interview with his autobiographer that Finger was responsible for "50–75% of all the creativity in Batman," he publicly denied Finger had been anything more than a subcontractor executing Kane's ideas for decades. As a result, Finger died in obscurity and poverty while the Batman brand, and Kane, amassed international fame and wealth.[4] In the 2000s, Finger biographer Marc Tyler Nobleman's research uncovered previously unknown heirs. At the urging of Nobleman, the online comics fan community and others, Finger's granddaughter revived the fight to restore his lost legacy, which continued for years. In 2015, DC Comics's parent company conditionally agreed to recognize Finger's intellectual property claim as co-creator of the Batman characters and mythos, officially adding his name, going forward, to the "created by" credit line Kane had been contractually guaranteed in 1939.[5]
- ^ Infantino, Carmine (w). "Last February, The Batman lost a father." Famous First Edition, no. F-6, p. inside front cover (March 1975). DC Comics.
- ^ Finger, Dwight. "Bill Finger". FINGAR and FINGER Family Genealogy. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
Some researchers have put his birth in New York, but the 1920 U.S. Census along with other evidence shows he was born in Denver, Colorado.
- ^ Nobleman, Marc Tyler (2012). Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Creator of Batman. Charlesbridge Publishing. p. 32 (unnumbered). ISBN 978-1580892896.
- ^ Argott, Don and Joyce, Sheena M. (co-directors) (2017). Batman & Bill (Motion picture). United States: 9.14 Pictures and Thruline Entertainment.
- ^ McMillan, Graeme (September 18, 2015). "DC Entertainment To Give Classic Batman Writer Credit in 'Gotham' and 'Batman v Superman' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.