Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 - January 18, 1974) was an American comic book writer and the primary contributor in the creation of Batman. Finger was hired by Bob Kane as a ghostwriter to create the Bruce Wayne identity and flesh out his backstory. Finger along with Gardner Fox created most of the core identifiable elements of the Batman brand while Jerry Robinson and Sheldon Moldoff established some of the early visual designs.
History[]
Early life[]
Finger was born at Mercy Hospital in Denver, Colorado in 1914. Mercy Hospital was demolished in 1966. Finger's childhood home was demolished sometime before 1980. Finger was proud of his heritage and Denver roots, particularly that the Hungarian word Denever means Bat. an omen of his greatest creation.
Developing the Bruce Wayne mythology[]
Finger wrote hundreds of Batman stories, including the very first, The Case of the Chemical Syndicate. Finger's primary influence was Walter B. Gibson's work on The Shadow magazines. Finger created many Batman storylines and characters very often without the Editor of Batman, Bob Kane contributing any ideas at all. Finger also created the Dark Knight moniker, the most iconic sobriquet used in some of the most successful future projects in the Batman franchise.
However, during Finger's lifetime, he was only credited with two Batman storylines. These were two episodes of the 1960's Batman show: The Clock King's Crazy Crimes and The Clock King Gets Crowned which he co-wrote with Charles Sinclair.
Legacy[]
Finger's son Fred, spoke on his behalf in the BBC2 Late Show: Batman Special in 1989.
In the 2000's, a grassroots campaign was spearheaded by Marc Tyler Nobleman, Finger's biographer, to have Finger's creator status recognized. Once finding Finger's granddaughter and heir, he convinced her to fight to honor his legacy. Batman & Bill, a book and documentary was produced about the legal crusade to get his name attached to Batman. Pressured by this and nine years of growing public support, in 2015, DC formally recognized Bill Finger's creative role in the creation of Batman, and would credit his name on any Batman media going forward.
Creation[]
Heroes/Allies[]
- Bruce Thomas Wayne/Batman (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Richard John "Dick" Grayson/Robin (co-created with Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson)
- James Worthington "Jim" Gordon, Senior (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Ace the Bat-Hound co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Mary Elizabeth Kane/Bat-Girl (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Bat-Mite (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Victoria "Vicki" Vale (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Martha Wayne (co-created with Bob Kane and Gardner Fox)
- Dr. Thomas Wayne (co-created with Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and Gardner Fox)
- Mary Grayson (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- John Grayson (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- C.C. Haly (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
Villains[]
- The Joker (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- Selina Kyle/Catwoman (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- Edward Nigma/The Riddler (co-created with Dick Sprang)
- Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/The Penguin (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Harvey Kent/Two-Face (some characterization not creation)
- Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- Julian Gregory Day/Calendar Man (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Basil Karlo/Clayface (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Matthew "Matt" Hagen/Clayface (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Dr. Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Dr. Hugo Strange (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- Cameron van Cleer/Killer Moth (co-created with Lew Schwartz and Dick Sprang)
- Thomas Blake/Catman (co-created with Jim Mooney)
- Professor Achilles Milo (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Lewis "Lew" Moxon (co-created with Sheldon Moldoff)
- Salvatore "Sal" Vincent "The Boss" Maroni (co-created with Bob Kane)
- Anthony "Tony" Zucco (co-created with Jerry Robinson)
- The Mugger (later called Joe Chill) (co-created with Bob Kane)
Objects and Curiosities[]
- Window Bat
- Dr. Wayne's Bat-Costume
- Dr. Wayne's Diary
- Giant Penny
- Batmobile/Batplane
- Fear Dust/Spray Pistol
Location Names[]
- Gotham City
- Moxon Sky-Hi Advertising
- Ace Chemical Processing Plant
- Monarch Playing Card Company
- Penguin Club
- Wayne Manor
- Haly's Circus
- Dinosaur Island
Gallery[]
Letters & Documents[]
Memorial tributes[]
Videos[]
