In 1939, one of the greatest fictional bayani of all time was created. His name was Batman. Batman started appearing in Detective Comics before getting his own comics series. In these comics, only one man's name was listed. That man was Bob Kane.
For the longest time, it seemed like Bob Kane could go no wrong. Creating so many legendary bayani and villains as well as Pagsulat and drawing an entire series of legendary comics sounds like quite the challenge for just one man. However, Bob Kane was the one and only person credited, so it seemed like he had done everything sa pamamagitan ng himself. However, this was not the case.
Bob Kane wanted to create a superhero called Batman, but he didn't have very many ideas. That is why he went to his friend, Bill Finger, for help. Bill Finger came up with the idea to have a superhero that relied on his brain rather than his superpowers. He also came up with the origin, the look of the costume, the supporting cast and the villains in addition to being the writer of most, if not all, of the early Batman comics.
Since Bill Finger did so much work, you might be wondering what Bob Kane did. Bob Kane did come up with the initial ideas for characters like Batman, Robin and some of the villains, but he wasn't the writer. Bob Kane was the artist of the Batman comics. Well, he was one of the artists. There came a point where Bob Kane had other artists draw the comics for him. Despite that, Bob Kane remained the one and only person credited for the comics. Bob Kane even received sole credit on comics that he did little, if any, work on. Granted, the artists knew that ahead of time and they were likely paid for their work. Still, it seems a bit unfair.
However, what's most unfair is the way that Bill Finger was treated. While Bob Kane did pay Bill Finger for his work, Bill Finger didn't get as much money as he deserved. Bob Kane quickly realized that Batman was madami than just a character. Batman was becoming a franchise that was worth tons of fame and money. Because of this, Bob Kane had a contract that would give him sole credit for Batman's creation. Bob Kane knew that Batman was becoming one of the most popular fictional heroes, so he wanted to make sure that he got to shine in the spotlight and receive lots of attention and money.
Bill Finger worked hard Pagsulat Batman as an inspiring role-model for the young readers, while several artists worked hard drawing beautiful artwork. While Bill Finger and the artists were hard at work, Bob Kane had the easy task of putting his signature on the comics. It's sad and ironic that the person that did the least amount of work got the most attention and money.
In the 1960s, rumors started spreading about Batman being created sa pamamagitan ng someone other than Bob Kane. Bill Finger was a very shy person, but he was able to be encouraged into appearing at the first ever Comic-Con. A lot of people in the comics industry secretly knew of Bill Finger's involvement with Batman and wanted him to be acknowledged.
Some fans started wondering if the rumors about Bill Finger were true. Bob Kane decided to respond to these rumors. After over two decades of taking sole credit for Batman's creation, Bob Kane was ibingiay the chance to admit the truth, but he didn't.
Instead, Bob Kane had this to say in a 1965 fanzine:
"The truth is that Bill Finger is taking credit for much madami than he deserves, and I refute much of his statements here in print. The fact is that I conceived the Batman figure and costume entirely sa pamamagitan ng himself."
Bill Finger was going through a lot of hardships. He was having trouble getting work and making enough money to get by. He had only a small number of friends, and the friend that could have helped him the most, Bob Kane, still wouldn't give Bill his fair share of the profits for Batman.
In 1974, one of Bill Finger's mga kaibigan hadn't heard from Bill in a while, so he went to Bill's apartment. He discovered that Bill had passed away. At first, it was believed that Bill was buried in an unmarked grave, but it was later believed Bill's son, Fred, had Bill cremated and spread his ashes on a tabing-dagat in the shape of a bat.
In 1989, Bob Kane was getting madami attention than ever due to the Batman film that was directed sa pamamagitan ng Tim Burton. Bob Kane got to be involved in the production in addition to getting to appear in several interviews. After all these years, Bob Kane seemed to finally be haunted sa pamamagitan ng the guilt of his own lies. What he sinabi about Bill Finger in 1989 was much different than what he sinabi about Bill Finger in 1965.
Bob Kane had this to say in the Comics Interview Batman Super Special and his book Batman & Me:
"Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved."
"Bill Finger was my chief writer - one of the unsung bayani of the Batman. He never got the credit due him - but he was an integral part of the whole Batman mystique, as most of the editors and fans know him today. I give Bill a lot of credit, he was the unsung hero."
"Bill never asked me for it (credit) and I never volunteered - I guess my ego at the time. And I felt badly, really, when he died."
"I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say "I'll put your name on it now. You deserve it.""
Throughout his lifetime, Bill Finger was a humble, modest man that was hidden in the shadows. Like Batman, people didn't know his true identity or the great things that he had done. However, he was able to give generations of fans a hero that they could look up to and get inspired by. To this day, Batman is an important figure in the lives of countless people. All of Batman's positive contributions to the world wouldn't have been possible without the real-life heroics of Bill Finger.
Bob Kane achieved high levels of fame and fortune, but it came at a price. Bob Kane let his craving for the spotlight make him do and say bad things. This led to him being haunted sa pamamagitan ng guilt for not sharing the glory with Bill Finger. He had three decades of chances to step up and help his friend, but instead, he took the riches for himself. This may have benefited Bob Kane at the time, but it led to him being filled with regrets in his later years. It's sad that it took him nearly half a century to give Batman's co-creator the credit that he deserved. However, it's important to remember that it's never too late to change your ways. There's even an episode of Batman called "It's Never Too Late" where Batman helps an aging gangster give up his criminal ways.
I believe that the story of Batman's creators serves as a cautionary tale. In theory, there's nothing wrong with wanting to become famous. However, it's important to remember to not let fame come at the cost of your integrity. If you ever become famous, make sure that you share credit and express gratitude towards the people that helped you become famous.
For the longest time, it seemed like Bob Kane could go no wrong. Creating so many legendary bayani and villains as well as Pagsulat and drawing an entire series of legendary comics sounds like quite the challenge for just one man. However, Bob Kane was the one and only person credited, so it seemed like he had done everything sa pamamagitan ng himself. However, this was not the case.
Bob Kane wanted to create a superhero called Batman, but he didn't have very many ideas. That is why he went to his friend, Bill Finger, for help. Bill Finger came up with the idea to have a superhero that relied on his brain rather than his superpowers. He also came up with the origin, the look of the costume, the supporting cast and the villains in addition to being the writer of most, if not all, of the early Batman comics.
Since Bill Finger did so much work, you might be wondering what Bob Kane did. Bob Kane did come up with the initial ideas for characters like Batman, Robin and some of the villains, but he wasn't the writer. Bob Kane was the artist of the Batman comics. Well, he was one of the artists. There came a point where Bob Kane had other artists draw the comics for him. Despite that, Bob Kane remained the one and only person credited for the comics. Bob Kane even received sole credit on comics that he did little, if any, work on. Granted, the artists knew that ahead of time and they were likely paid for their work. Still, it seems a bit unfair.
However, what's most unfair is the way that Bill Finger was treated. While Bob Kane did pay Bill Finger for his work, Bill Finger didn't get as much money as he deserved. Bob Kane quickly realized that Batman was madami than just a character. Batman was becoming a franchise that was worth tons of fame and money. Because of this, Bob Kane had a contract that would give him sole credit for Batman's creation. Bob Kane knew that Batman was becoming one of the most popular fictional heroes, so he wanted to make sure that he got to shine in the spotlight and receive lots of attention and money.
Bill Finger worked hard Pagsulat Batman as an inspiring role-model for the young readers, while several artists worked hard drawing beautiful artwork. While Bill Finger and the artists were hard at work, Bob Kane had the easy task of putting his signature on the comics. It's sad and ironic that the person that did the least amount of work got the most attention and money.
In the 1960s, rumors started spreading about Batman being created sa pamamagitan ng someone other than Bob Kane. Bill Finger was a very shy person, but he was able to be encouraged into appearing at the first ever Comic-Con. A lot of people in the comics industry secretly knew of Bill Finger's involvement with Batman and wanted him to be acknowledged.
Some fans started wondering if the rumors about Bill Finger were true. Bob Kane decided to respond to these rumors. After over two decades of taking sole credit for Batman's creation, Bob Kane was ibingiay the chance to admit the truth, but he didn't.
Instead, Bob Kane had this to say in a 1965 fanzine:
"The truth is that Bill Finger is taking credit for much madami than he deserves, and I refute much of his statements here in print. The fact is that I conceived the Batman figure and costume entirely sa pamamagitan ng himself."
Bill Finger was going through a lot of hardships. He was having trouble getting work and making enough money to get by. He had only a small number of friends, and the friend that could have helped him the most, Bob Kane, still wouldn't give Bill his fair share of the profits for Batman.
In 1974, one of Bill Finger's mga kaibigan hadn't heard from Bill in a while, so he went to Bill's apartment. He discovered that Bill had passed away. At first, it was believed that Bill was buried in an unmarked grave, but it was later believed Bill's son, Fred, had Bill cremated and spread his ashes on a tabing-dagat in the shape of a bat.
In 1989, Bob Kane was getting madami attention than ever due to the Batman film that was directed sa pamamagitan ng Tim Burton. Bob Kane got to be involved in the production in addition to getting to appear in several interviews. After all these years, Bob Kane seemed to finally be haunted sa pamamagitan ng the guilt of his own lies. What he sinabi about Bill Finger in 1989 was much different than what he sinabi about Bill Finger in 1965.
Bob Kane had this to say in the Comics Interview Batman Super Special and his book Batman & Me:
"Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved."
"Bill Finger was my chief writer - one of the unsung bayani of the Batman. He never got the credit due him - but he was an integral part of the whole Batman mystique, as most of the editors and fans know him today. I give Bill a lot of credit, he was the unsung hero."
"Bill never asked me for it (credit) and I never volunteered - I guess my ego at the time. And I felt badly, really, when he died."
"I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say "I'll put your name on it now. You deserve it.""
Throughout his lifetime, Bill Finger was a humble, modest man that was hidden in the shadows. Like Batman, people didn't know his true identity or the great things that he had done. However, he was able to give generations of fans a hero that they could look up to and get inspired by. To this day, Batman is an important figure in the lives of countless people. All of Batman's positive contributions to the world wouldn't have been possible without the real-life heroics of Bill Finger.
Bob Kane achieved high levels of fame and fortune, but it came at a price. Bob Kane let his craving for the spotlight make him do and say bad things. This led to him being haunted sa pamamagitan ng guilt for not sharing the glory with Bill Finger. He had three decades of chances to step up and help his friend, but instead, he took the riches for himself. This may have benefited Bob Kane at the time, but it led to him being filled with regrets in his later years. It's sad that it took him nearly half a century to give Batman's co-creator the credit that he deserved. However, it's important to remember that it's never too late to change your ways. There's even an episode of Batman called "It's Never Too Late" where Batman helps an aging gangster give up his criminal ways.
I believe that the story of Batman's creators serves as a cautionary tale. In theory, there's nothing wrong with wanting to become famous. However, it's important to remember to not let fame come at the cost of your integrity. If you ever become famous, make sure that you share credit and express gratitude towards the people that helped you become famous.
