Bill Finger finally receives credit for co-creating Batman...

[The Laughing Fish]

...albeit only for TV and film at the moment.

One of Batman's earliest writers, and contributor to many important aspects of his mythos, Bill Finger, is finally getting his due credit.

In a statement released Friday by DC Entertainment (via Heat Vision), Finger will receive a creative credit in both the Fox TV series Gotham, where versions of characters he created, such as Catwoman, appear, as well as the upcoming film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

While Finger, who passed away in 1974, has been recognized as one of the main architects of Batman's mythos behind the scenes for some time, it's only in recent memory that DC has begun acknowledging Finger as a co-creator, along with Bob Kane, of the dark knight.

"Bill Finger was instrumental in developing many of the key creative elements that enrich the Batman universe, and we look forward to building on our acknowledgement of his significant role in DC Comics' history," stated Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment.  "As part of our acknowledgement of those contributions, we are pleased to confirm today that Bill Finger will be receiving credit in the Warner Bros. television series Gotham beginning later this season, and in the forthcoming motion picture Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

DC did not reveal what Finger's specific credit would be, or if it would extend to DC's comic books.

Gotham season 2 premieres September 21 on Fox, while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters March 25, 2016.

Source: http://www.newsarama.com/25963-bill-finger-to-receive-batman-film-credit.html

[Catwoman]

Only took 76 years. It's hard to find facts about this stuff online, usually it's one opinion one way and one opinion another way about who said who did what or didn't do what who said they did, can someone give me the straight up answer why Bill never got credit? And how involved was he or is that another he said, he said dealio?

[The Laughing Fish]

This is what I've found online. It sounds like Kane took the initiative to secure the ownership rights, but never asked Finger if he wanted to share it. But there is still a bit of finger pointing going on underneath:

Kane signed away ownership in the character in exchange for, among other compensation, a mandatory byline on all Batman comics. This byline did not originally say "Batman created by Bob Kane"; his name was simply written on the title page of each story. The name disappeared from the comic book in the mid-1960s, replaced by credits for each story's actual writer and artists. In the late 1970s, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster began receiving a "created by" credit on the Superman titles, along with William Moulton Marston being given the byline for creating Wonder Woman, Batman stories began saying "Created by Bob Kane" in addition to the other credits.

Finger did not receive the same recognition. While he had received credit for other DC work since the 1940s, he began, in the 1960s, to receive limited acknowledgment for his Batman writing; in the letters page of Batman #169 (February 1965) for example, editor Julius Schwartz names him as the creator of the Riddler, one of Batman's recurring villains. However, Finger's contract left him only with his writing page rate and no byline. Kane wrote, "Bill was disheartened by the lack of major accomplishments in his career. He felt that he had not used his creative potential to its fullest and that success had passed him by." At the time of Finger's death in 1974, DC had not officially credited Finger as Batman co-creator.

Jerry Robinson, who also worked with Finger and Kane on the strip at this time, has criticized Kane for failing to share the credit. He recalled Finger resenting his position, stating in a 2005 interview with The Comics Journal:

Bob made him more insecure, because while he slaved working on Batman, he wasn't sharing in any of the glory or the money that Bob began to make, which is why... [he was] going to leave [Kane's employ]. ... [Kane] should have credited Bill as co-creator, because I know; I was there. ... That was one thing I would never forgive Bob for, was not to take care of Bill or recognize his vital role in the creation of Batman. As with Siegel and Shuster, it should have been the same, the same co-creator credit in the strip, writer, and artist.

Although Kane initially rebutted Finger's claims at having created the character, writing in a 1965 open letter to fans that "it seemed to me that Bill Finger has given out the impression that he and not myself created the ''Batman, t' [sic] as well as Robin and all the other leading villains and characters. This statement is fraudulent and entirely untrue." Kane himself also commented on Finger's lack of credit. "The trouble with being a 'ghost' writer or artist is that you must remain rather anonymously without 'credit'. However, if one wants the 'credit', then one has to cease being a 'ghost' or follower and become a leader or innovator."

In 1989, Kane revisited Finger's situation, recalling in an interview,

In those days it was like, one artist and he had his name over it [the comic strip] — the policy of DC in the comic books was, if you can't write it, obtain other writers, but their names would never appear on the comic book in the finished version. So Bill never asked me for it [the byline] and I never volunteered — I guess my ego at that time. And I felt badly, really, when he [Finger] died.

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=bymmUqU7_S8C&pg=PA429&lpg=PA429&dq=In+those+days#v=onepage&q=In%20those%20days&f=false

[Edd Grayson]

May both Bill Finger and Bob Kane rest in peace. I wish fans would stop denigrating Kane now.

[johnnygobbs]

May both Bill Finger and Bob Kane rest in peace. I wish fans would stop denigrating Kane now.

Both men should be celebrated since they brought so much joy to us here.

That said, I can partly understand why the late Bob Kane has so many critics.  I do wish Kane had fought for Bill Finger to receive a credit instead of effectively dismissing his colleague's important contributions.

That said, any true Batman fan should honour and cherish both men because they were both instrumental in bringing the character to life.

[Paul (ral)]

I believe there will be a dedication in print too.

[Catwoman]

This is what I've found online. It sounds like Kane took the initiative to secure the ownership rights, but never asked Finger if he wanted to share it. But there is still a bit of finger pointing going on underneath:

Kane signed away ownership in the character in exchange for, among other compensation, a mandatory byline on all Batman comics. This byline did not originally say "Batman created by Bob Kane"; his name was simply written on the title page of each story. The name disappeared from the comic book in the mid-1960s, replaced by credits for each story's actual writer and artists. In the late 1970s, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster began receiving a "created by" credit on the Superman titles, along with William Moulton Marston being given the byline for creating Wonder Woman, Batman stories began saying "Created by Bob Kane" in addition to the other credits.

Finger did not receive the same recognition. While he had received credit for other DC work since the 1940s, he began, in the 1960s, to receive limited acknowledgment for his Batman writing; in the letters page of Batman #169 (February 1965) for example, editor Julius Schwartz names him as the creator of the Riddler, one of Batman's recurring villains. However, Finger's contract left him only with his writing page rate and no byline. Kane wrote, "Bill was disheartened by the lack of major accomplishments in his career. He felt that he had not used his creative potential to its fullest and that success had passed him by." At the time of Finger's death in 1974, DC had not officially credited Finger as Batman co-creator.

Jerry Robinson, who also worked with Finger and Kane on the strip at this time, has criticized Kane for failing to share the credit. He recalled Finger resenting his position, stating in a 2005 interview with The Comics Journal:

Bob made him more insecure, because while he slaved working on Batman, he wasn't sharing in any of the glory or the money that Bob began to make, which is why... [he was] going to leave [Kane's employ]. ... [Kane] should have credited Bill as co-creator, because I know; I was there. ... That was one thing I would never forgive Bob for, was not to take care of Bill or recognize his vital role in the creation of Batman. As with Siegel and Shuster, it should have been the same, the same co-creator credit in the strip, writer, and artist.

Although Kane initially rebutted Finger's claims at having created the character, writing in a 1965 open letter to fans that "it seemed to me that Bill Finger has given out the impression that he and not myself created the ''Batman, t' [sic] as well as Robin and all the other leading villains and characters. This statement is fraudulent and entirely untrue." Kane himself also commented on Finger's lack of credit. "The trouble with being a 'ghost' writer or artist is that you must remain rather anonymously without 'credit'. However, if one wants the 'credit', then one has to cease being a 'ghost' or follower and become a leader or innovator."

In 1989, Kane revisited Finger's situation, recalling in an interview,

In those days it was like, one artist and he had his name over it [the comic strip] — the policy of DC in the comic books was, if you can't write it, obtain other writers, but their names would never appear on the comic book in the finished version. So Bill never asked me for it [the byline] and I never volunteered — I guess my ego at that time. And I felt badly, really, when he [Finger] died.

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=bymmUqU7_S8C&pg=PA429&lpg=PA429&dq=In+those+days#v=onepage&q=In%20those%20days&f=false

Interesting stuff. Thanks hun.