BILL FINGER AWARD ANNOUNCED

[MattBrady]

Press Release

New Writing Achievement Award to Honor Bill Finger

The first annual Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing will be given at this summer’s Comic-Con International: San Diego. The award will go to an individual for his or her lifetime contributions to the art of comic book writing.

Jerry Robinson spearheaded creation of the award to honor his friend and co-worker Bill Finger, who wrote the first Batman stories and created much of the Batman mythos in comics’ Golden Age. Robinson will chair the five-person jury that will choose this year’s recipient. The other members of the jury are comics writer and historian Mark Evanier, cartoonist/screenwriter/playwright Jules Feiffer, comics writer/editor Denny O’Neill, and comics writer/editor/historian Roy Thomas. The composition of the jury will change each year.

The first Finger Award recipient will be announced in June, and the award will be presented by Robinson during the Eisner Awards ceremony in San Diego on the evening of July 15. The initial winner will receive a plaque, but plans are for the award to have its own special design in future years. The award will fall under the auspices of Comic-Con International and will be administered by Eisner Awards administrator Jackie Estrada.

The first year of the award will be underwritten by DC Comics; sponsorship will be open to other companies in future years. In supporting the award, DC Publisher Paul Levitz says, “I grew up loving Bill's writing in comics and on TV, without knowing who he was, and then had the privilege of being the person to whom he delivered his very last script. His accomplishments were as oversize as the props he loved to include in his stories."

The jury is currently accepting suggestions for consideration for the award. Any comics writer, living or dead, published in any country, who has produced a significant body of creative comics writing is eligible. Anyone who would like to suggest nominees for the award can e-mail names to Jackie Estrada (jackiee@mindspring.com), who will pass them along to Robinson.

“Unfortunately, Finger died mostly forgotten and unheralded except among his colleagues and comics historians,” says Robinson. “Establishing this award in his name will help remedy that wrong.”

About Bill Finger:
Bill Finger (1914–1974), the unsung hero and co-creator of Batman, scripted the first and many of the best Batman stories during the Golden Age of comic books. He created many of the series’ most notable characters, including the Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and Two-Face, and he made significant refinements to Batman’s concept and persona. Finger wrote the scripts that introduced the Bat Cave, Batmobile, Batplane, and Batsignal. Many terms he created, such as the Dynamic Duo and Gotham City, have become part of our lexicon. Finger was a craftsman, and his Batman’s adventures were carefully plotted, as well as being imbued with humor and sprightly repartee. Above all, he was a visual writer—he knew instinctively what the artist could translate into compelling pictures and sequential narrative.

Finger’s comics writing credits include many other DC characters, including the Green Lantern and Wildcat, and many titles for Quality Comics, Fawcett Publications, and Timely Comics. His television credits include episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, the animated New Adventures of Superman, and the primetime Batman series.

[Ronnieo]

It's about time that some recogintion was given to Bill Finger, who along with Bob Kane created one of my favorite Heroes in comicdom.

[delawarejoel]

I have been reading comics for thirty years but did not know Bill Finger's contribution to Batman. I have been recently reading the hardcover edition of the first four issues of Batman and have been struck by the quality of the writing and the stories. This is an obviously overdue recognition.

This is another one of those cases like "Stan Lee Presents..." where the name "Bob Kane" in the box in the corner doesnt tell anywhere near the whole story. Not to diminish Mr. Kane by any means, his contributions are immense, but all the unsung people who helped create characters that have lasted (and still sell and people still want to make movies about) nearly seven decades need to be accorded their due.

What TV did Bill Finger write for?

[Spider-Man]

I think it's great that Bill Finger is getting this recognition.

But I'm going to have to be a dark cloud here.

Bill should've received credit when he was ALIVE. Not to mention the money he deserved, but that went to Bob Kane, who thought he was God's gift to comic books.

Kane really sickened me when he refused to give Finger the credit he deserved and especially when he used his lawyer to assure money for himself but not for Finger, who CLEARLY had the greater creative output in the creation of the Batman mythos.

As a visual medium, comics demand art. But what's a well-drawn/designed figure without a backstory? A pin-up. Kane was instructed by editiorial to design a character who looked like Superman. He did so and gets all of the credit and money for the creation of The Batman. Finger writes and develops the character so many know and love today. Yet he made NO money from his work.

The Batman Begins credits should say "Based on the DC Comics character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger." Think about that when you go see the film and remember Bill and his work and if you're the praying type, pray for his surviving relatives and friends.

Spidey

[SpyGuy]

At last, the chance to give someone the Finger...

(Hey, someone else would have said it eventually...)

On a serious note, I'm glad to see Bill Finger getting some wide recognition for his accomplishments. I know it'd be nice to see his name in the BATMAN BEGINS opening credits.

[Wolverine]

Its good to see that Finger is being acknowledged. so much more should be done to acknowledge his contribution to Comics. I know it probably wont happen but he should be creidited along side Bob Kane in every Batman issue

[roach04]

I asked Jerry Robinson about the credit Bill Finger was due just this past Saturday in Toronto. Hearing Robinson tell stories about he and Bill sitting in Bob's apartment discussing stories was basically the comic book equivalent of hearing how Moses received the Ten Commandments! When I asked why Kane had not included his good friend and collaborator as the co-creator of Batman, all Jerry could say was that Bob was really a nice man, but that he personally would never forgive him for leaving Bill out.

And, he did talk about going to see Paul Levitz to get this award created, which got a nice round of applause from the comic-knowledgeable crowd. It's sad that every comic fan knows that Bill Finger co-created Batman, but that the general public likely never will.

Matt, if you've got the interest or time, you should get a piece from Jerry. The stories he had to tell were just awe inspiring.

[MichaelC]

Fantastic news. If only Bill were around to see his story finally told and appreciated.

For those of you who don't know, Bob Kane created Batman in that he came up with the name. Bob Kane drew a guy who basically looked like a red Zorro and wanted to call him "Batman."

Bill Finger came up with:
the look of Batman
The name Bruce Wayne (after Bob Kane, whom he admired)
The Batcave
The Joker

And most of what we know of Batman is Finger's work. Yet most people have never heard of him. Why? Because it was in Kane's contract that the first page would always and forever read "Batman created by Bob Kane."

[TRaik]

Originally posted by delawarejoel
What TV did Bill Finger write for?

According to the bio at the end of the initial post, he wrote for 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, the animated New Adventures of Superman, and the primetime Batman series. His Internet Movie Database entry notes only a couple of episodes of the 60s Batman TV show that he wrote; I guess that could be updated if anyone has more specific and confirmable information on which episodes Finger wrote of those other shows.

[Batitude]

This has been a long time coming. I was lucky enough to attend the "5 Bob Kane" panel at Comic-Con a few years back moderated by Mark Evanier and including Arnold Drake who later at the Eisner awards first voiced his desire for the 'Fickle Finger award" to honor Bill.

Unfortunatley even though Bob Kane has passed the contract is still in effect (He has survivors) and since it is unknown if Bill Finger has any surviving family members DC couldn't risk changing the credits at this point or open themselves up to possible litigation.

Kane himself said towards the end of his life that he regretted not giving proper credit to Bill Finger.

The type of contract Bob kane did get (and his parents helped him with) was not uncommon among newspaper strips. He was in effect the first person to get a creator credit on a comic.

[AnimalMan#1-26]

Originally posted by MichaelC

Bill Finger came up with:

The Joker

This is a disputed point-- Jerry Robinson claims the Joker was his creation, but Bob Kane suggests he just designed the original image based on the "The Man Who Laughs" and the rest was Finger.

[Ben Strasser]

Seriously, something should be done about adding Bill Finger's name to the beginning of every Batman comic and the movie. Even if financial agreement isn't part of it, a creator credit should be given. You never hear about or from Steve Ditko in all the hype about the Spider-Man movies, but his name is there where it belongs in the comics and films' credits.

[Johnny Triangles]

Originally posted by delawarejoel

This is another one of those cases like "Stan Lee Presents..." where the name "Bob Kane" in the box in the corner doesnt tell anywhere near the whole story.

How are the two situations anywhere NEAR equivalent? Bob Kane never let Finger's name see the light of day and actively denied ALL of FInger's contributions. "Stan Lee Presents" just indicated Stan Lee's postion as Publisher of the company and was usually followed by a full list of credits.

[Batitude]

Originally posted by Ben Strasser
Seriously, something should be done about adding Bill Finger's name to the beginning of every Batman comic and the movie. Even if financial agreement isn't part of it, a creator credit should be given. You never hear about or from Steve Ditko in all the hype about the Spider-Man movies, but his name is there where it belongs in the comics and films' credits.

Won't Happen. See way back when Kane created his contract as the Sole Creator and for a long time all of the other contibutors worked for him (including Finger) as work for hire, so Kane, and only Kane had claim to ownership of the character and signed that over to DC (Then National). This was a typical setup for comic syndicates in the day which was Kane's ultimate goal. His parents helped him with the contract with DC.

Now if today's DC wanted to enter a "co-created by Bill Finger" as right as everyone agrees that would be , they could litterally lose the rights to the character as Kane is dead and a living blood relative (should the be one out there) of Bill Finger's could then claim ownership of the Character under copywright laws and resind the transfer of copywright. See the current Superman and Captain America battles for more evidence.

I credit DC with doing pretty much what it can at this point. For the first time several articles and books reference Finger as a key contributor and creative force to the Batman mythos.

I'd love to see the man get his deserved credit to but it's not likely to happen anytime soon.

[Regulator]

There's a simple solution to that. I, for one, would like to see Finger get any kind of mention in Batman books that they could get away with, so I would propose adding something simple like "and special thanks to Bill Finger." I would think that would pass any kind of legal or contractual criteria. At any rate, it's nice to see his name attached to an award.

[thebat]

It's great to see Bill Finger get some respect!

[rodolfo leon]

yeah... it's a messy deal that one. i mean, like in regular syndicated comic strips Bob Kane came up with a character IDEA and then hired the best people he could to help'im out in bringing said idea into a more fleshed out concept.

did Finger come up with most of the Batman mythos and concepts in its early years? yup, you betcha. BUT he was not savvy enough to use his ideas for his own gain. in other words, had Jack Kirby been the nephew of Martin Goodman, and NOT Stan Lee... how would history look? or if Jack Kirby had the brass balls (and keen business sense) that Eisner had in going out on his own, would've he had the chance to finish the Fourth World stories at his own pace?

in some ways it's half dumb luck (having parents with some legal background) and half having a good, decent ammount of self-esteem (trying to get what you're worth). i celebrate the contributions Finger has given the comic-book world, but i can't blame Kane for smart ass.

[rodolfo leon]

Originally posted by Regulator
There's a simple solution to that. I, for one, would like to see Finger get any kind of mention in Batman books that they could get away with, so I would propose adding something simple like "and special thanks to Bill Finger." I would think that would pass any kind of legal or contractual criteria. At any rate, it's nice to see his name attached to an award.

thing is, if we REALLY wanne be fair, we would have to add a whole slew of names to that list (and i'm NOT saying it would be a bad thing, y'know?). a lot of people have created new characters for the Batman books, so, if you had the corresponding credits, for let's say the Gotham book that features Hush, Prometheus, Batman and others, so the "special thanks to..." would have to include Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Howard Ported, Bill Finger...

a good idea? well, it is for me, but maybe a slightly impractical one for the big companies.

[thebat]

Bill Finger is the co-creator and writer of Batman

Bob Kane took all the credit. Bob Kane was only the artist

What would Batman have looked like without Bill Finger's Zorro, Dracula and the Bat (1926) silent Gothic horror film influence?

Like Hawkman, Superman and the Lone Ranger

[Regulator]

Originally posted by rodolfo leon
thing is, if we REALLY wanne be fair, we would have to add a whole slew of names to that list (and i'm NOT saying it would be a bad thing, y'know?). a lot of people have created new characters for the Batman books, so, if you had the corresponding credits, for let's say the Gotham book that features Hush, Prometheus, Batman and others, so the "special thanks to..." would have to include Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Howard Ported, Bill Finger...

a good idea? well, it is for me, but maybe a slightly impractical one for the big companies.

Um ... no. We're talking about the credit for Batman, not about Hush or Prometheus. There wouldn't be new characters for Batman if Batman wasn't there in the first place, so your reasoning carries no weight.

[rodolfo leon]

Originally posted by Regulator
Um ... no. We're talking about the credit for Batman, not about Hush or Prometheus. There wouldn't be new characters for Batman if Batman wasn't there in the first place, so your reasoning carries no weight.

ha ha! my reasoning carries no weight? geez, that's kinda harsh!

thing is, maybe all YOU want to refer to is strictly Batman and its creators. i'm looking at another picture entirely, i guess... what i'm looking at is "credit where credit is due". i mean, The Punisher started as a Spider-Man character (if no Spidey, then no Punisher), yet he's been a success in all types of different media completely separated from the Spidey character. should his creators be billed in the comics and movies where he appears? or should they be swept aside just because he's a Spidey-spin-off?

[Dman]

Originally posted by Spider-Man
I think it's great that Bill Finger is getting this recognition.

But I'm going to have to be a dark cloud here.

Bill should've received credit when he was ALIVE. Not to mention the money he deserved, but that went to Bob Kane, who thought he was God's gift to comic books.

Kane really sickened me when he refused to give Finger the credit he deserved and especially when he used his lawyer to assure money for himself but not for Finger, who CLEARLY had the greater creative output in the creation of the Batman mythos.

As a visual medium, comics demand art. But what's a well-drawn/designed figure without a backstory? A pin-up. Kane was instructed by editiorial to design a character who looked like Superman. He did so and gets all of the credit and money for the creation of The Batman. Finger writes and develops the character so many know and love today. Yet he made NO money from his work.

The Batman Begins credits should say "Based on the DC Comics character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger." Think about that when you go see the film and remember Bill and his work and if you're the praying type, pray for his surviving relatives and friends.

Spidey

what he said

[thebat]

Bill Finger said to Bob Kane, "Why not make him look more like a Bat and put a cowl on him with Bat ears (like the Bat (1926) Gothic horror film), a half mask (Zorro like), and take the eyeballs out and just put slits for eyes to make him look more mysterious?", Bill Finger said, "Color the costume dark gray and black to make it look more ominous." Bill Finger said, "Change the stiff Bat wings into a long cape, billowing out behind him, swirling about him (like Dracula with Bela Lugosi), endowing him with an air of mystery."

[JohnnyStacks]

I have many letters written by Bill Finger in 1966 to the Producer of the Batman Tv Series . In the letters you can tell things were not good between Bob Kane and Bill Finger . Bob Kane did not contribute anything to the series , yet his name appeared in the credits . Bill Finger never got any credit there either .It is a shame ..John Stacks

[DrTzinTzin]

It is the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby dynamic all over again. If you watch those god awful interviews with Kevin Smith mentally masturbating Lee on the Spiderman/Daredevil dvds, you'll hear Lee saying "When I created Spiderman/Daredevil, I told Jack what I wanted him to do". Bob Kane, in later life, had the decency to make reference to Bill Finger's contribution. He should be given co-creator rights. D.C. comics top three mainstays should read:

Superman created by Siegel and Shuster.

Batman created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane

Wonder Woman created by William Marston and his Misogyny