Conservative 
Search
Trending
Current News
We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.
It has been nearly a decade since DC Comics finally decided to officially give their Golden Age scribe, Bill Finger, co-creator credit for his work on Batman. This was only after a dark journey that started over seven decades prior to that long-overdue recognition. An entire human life cycle full of pain, despair, betrayal, abandonment, poverty, and death affected not only Bill but his family as well. His story is one of the greatest tragedies in the comic world, the miscarriages of justice, and most certainly one of its ugliest kept secrets.
When Bill Finger was working on those first issues of Detective Comics in 1939, and forming his deep foundations, there was no way he could foresee the affluent future that awaited the character. He just stuck to writing the stories while his partner/artist, Bob Kane, handled the business side of things. That agreement did not work in Bill’s favor because Bob took full credit for creating The Batman, and then sealed his claim with an iron fist, wrapped in miles of legal red tape.
Finger would continue writing (on and off with Batman) until the 1970s, but never got the credit he deserved. While his partner would accumulate a vast amount of wealth off of the character he helped him create, Bill died from occlusive coronary atherosclerosis in 1974 at the age of 59, penniless and forgotten. In 1989, Bob Kane confessed that Bill was an “unsung hero” of Batman’s beginnings, but he really downplayed the fact that he was personally responsible for this. Coming clean about it fifteen years after the person dies is about as useful as nipples on a Batsuit.
For the longest time, people thought that Bill’s lifeless body was tossed into a Pauper’s Grave, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. His son, Fred (born December 1948), honored his father’s wishes to be cremated and then spread his ashes into the shape of a bat across a beach in Oregon. It was then that Fred would begin his lone battle to avenge the wrong done to his father and try to restore the family legacy. Unfortunately, he would not live to see this. Fred Finger died from AIDS-related complications in February of 1992 at 43. The fight would eventually pass down to his daughter, Athena, and she would be the one who finally made this dream come to fruition in 2015.
The moment was bittersweet for Ms. Finger. Wrongs were righted, credit was given, and justice was finally served, but the memories remain. Nothing will ever erase what her father, and grandfather had to endure throughout their lives, nor will anything relieve the heavy hearts both men took with them in the end. This is a weight that she carries on her shoulders, along with the effect it has had on her own life.
She does so with a smile that rivals The Joker but without the mass-murdering. It has been a long road for Athena Finger, but almost every great hero’s story begins with tragedy. After attending the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for Batman last September, she has made it her mission to get her grandpa a star next to his caped creation, and his old ‘pal’ Bob Kane (who got his in 2015). That’s why she has set up a GoFundMe campaign to make it a reality.
I had the honor of talking with Ms. Finger over the phone to get more information about the campaign, and to also hear her experience with living in the shadow of a bat. We now go live to the conversation that’s already in progress…
Dante Aaricks: No, I’m serious! If you flip a can of Red Dog beer upside down, the top part of the inverted logo shows Batman on Catwoman.
Athena Finger: It’s not that I don’t believe you, I just don’t care.
DA: So, Athena…at what age did you find out about the massive hand Bill Finger had in creating The Dark Knight, and the equally dark world that he inhabits?
AF: I was very young when I became aware of the fact that my grandfather was the co-creator of Batman. My father was very vocal about his father’s story.
DA: That’s one hell of a boast to have in your back pocket, and it must have been impossible to resist reaching for it as a kid. Did you go around telling everybody, or did your father make you swear to keep Bill’s identity a secret?
AF: Well…when I was in the third grade, we had to write a short story about ourselves, and our family for a class project. When I got to the part about Bill, it was immediately questioned by my fellow students. Again, this was the 80s. We didn’t have Google or anything to verify what I was saying. So, I wouldn’t really talk about it after that because I didn’t want to have to keep explaining the entire story.
DA: Batman has been one of most celebrated comic book characters, and pop culture icons for the past 85 years. Merchandise can be found in almost every store around the planet with his symbol, and/or likeness slapped across it. Was it easy for you and your family to ignore that while out in public, or was it like constantly getting salt in a wound that wouldn’t close?
AF: For a long time, it was a bitter reminder of something that needed to be resolved.
DA: Highly understandable. How do you feel now that it has been resolved?
AF: I feel that it’s important that people know the role Bill played in the comic book industry’s early days. He was like the Jack Kirby [at DC Comics], and the one everyone went to for ideas when they were stuck with their own storyline. Because when it came down to it, Bill was a storyteller who wanted to entertain readers with the best stories possible. That’s what he truly cared about.
DA: I know how he feels, or at least I know how he felt. Was your father a comic book fan? That household sounds like paradise to the modern nerd, but times were different back then, and superheroes weren’t as celebrated.
AF: I guess he was a comic book fan. Bill would use his input while fleshing out stories, and this also helped him with maintaining a better understanding of his core readers, which at the time were mostly kids around my dad’s age. After all, this was the 1950s and 60s. They (comic book writers) weren’t writing for adults like they often do now.
DA: When did DC first reach out to you?
AF: When my father passed away, I received some signed limited series books they had put out along with a letter (from the offices of DC) stating that they appreciate the contributions Bill made to the creation of Batman, and other DC characters while on the ground floor of comic book’s Golden Age. They’d already known about me because of my father who, like I said before, was very vocal about getting his father the credit he deserved.
DA: Right.
AF: So, it’s not like they didn’t know who I am, it’s just that they were never forced to rectify the situation. I was a minor at the time, and I didn’t have anyone to help me navigate the legal system to see what my options were, but then I was very discouraged from pursuing the case after my father passed, especially after he had been trying for so long.
DA: Many years pass and Marc Tyler Nobleman tracked you down while working on Bill’s biography (published in 2012). This would lead to you reigniting the legal battle with DC over co-creator credit, and it ended with you being victorious. Considering the deep, multi-generational torrent of emotions connected to Batman, did it take a lot of convincing for you to re-open that old, bitter door?
AF: When Marc came into the situation (in 2007), I wasn’t thinking about it at all. I didn’t even watch Batman Begins when it came out, or anything, and I fell out of the loop while living my own life. I was raising a child, I was married, I was in school, and I was trying to build a career. I had all of these things going on, and Batman was the furthest from my mind. When Marc got in touch with me, it was like a giant reminder of this important thing that needs to be dealt with. This whole other side of my family that I disregarded for almost fifteen years that still needed to be addressed, and Marc really pushed me in that direction. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would’ve continued focusing on my world outside of all that.
DA: Why walk into a dark room if you don’t need to?
AF: Exactly! At first, I was hesitant about pursuing it (the legal case). I had my own personal, emotional attachments to the character. Not only because of how things ended for my grandfather, but my father fought to set things right for him, and he died without it being resolved. The whole thing was just one big emotional mess for me. So, it took a little persuasion to even get me involved in the process, but I’m obviously glad that I did. We got Bill’s co-creator credit, and now his name is attached to Batman in every form of media, where it has always belonged.
DA: Did your relationship with them (DC Comics) change when that all started? Seeing as how they were still inviting you to the premiere of every Batman film during the entire legal battle, did it feel like the temperature would drop several degrees when you ran into them at these public events?
AF: The relationship I have with DC is the relationship I have with DC, and that’s it. We have a mutual understanding of what our roles are in everything. I really can’t speak too much on the matter, but I’m doing what I can to ensure that Bill Finger’s legacy stays in place. That’s why I’m currently running a GoFundMe to get him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He didn’t just write for Batman or comics, but he also wrote the screenplays for a few Science Fiction movies, and he…
DA: Heck yeah! The Green Slime was my jam as a kid!
AF: …and he wrote for television. Including a two-parter episode of the 1966 Batman series (“The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes” / “The Clock King Gets Crowned”). He deserves to have his name, and his own star next to Batman, Bob Kane, Adam West, and Burt Ward. That’s why I started the crowdfunding campaign. Unfortunately, it costs $75,000 to put a star on the Walk of Fame, but I’m confident that the Bat Fans will come together to help achieve this part of the Bat history.
DA: Bob Kane got a star back in 2015. Did anyone at DC even mention Bill’s name when that happened?
AF: Nope.
DA: And when they invited you to attend the Batman ceremony back in September? Anything?
AF: First of all, I wasn’t even invited by DC. I had to ask to go.
DA: What?
AF: They also didn’t ask me if I wanted to participate in unveiling the star for Batman, nor did they ask me to speak. Apparently, they didn’t show me on camera either when they said I was there, and I stood up out of my seat, but I’m glad that I went either way. Someone connected to the Golden Age had to be there for it, and I was the only one in attendance.
DA: Are you serious? The only one?
AF: The rest were voice actors, a few people within the comic book industry, and Jim Lee. Everyone else there was not a part of Batman’s history whatsoever.
DA: That is so messed up.
AF: That is the reality of the situation. I don’t understand why there is such a persistent disregard for those who helped create a character they’ve been profiting from for nearly a century, and their unwillingness to help create something positive out of a story with such a negative history behind it. It’s a real missed opportunity for them. Let’s face it, the comic book industry isn’t a good place right now, and they need all the good PR they can get. It’s so easy for them to spin it into a positive, and I think the fans will respond to it.
DA: You regularly attend the biggest annual comic conventions in the country. What got you into that racket?
AF: In 2014, I became the PR face for the Bill Finger estate. My friend, psychologist/author Travis Langley, brought me into the scene, and that’s how I got involved with the convention circuit. Up until then, I was not part of the comic industry or even the fandom. Not that I ever had anything against it, I just didn’t naturally gravitate towards it. Being the 75th anniversary of Batman, and knowing I was about to start my case for Bill, I felt it was important to start navigating the culture. Luckily, it has been an amazing experience so far. My first one was Wizard World 2014, and I went to the San Diego Comic-Con right after that where I’ve been presenting the Bill Finger Award for writing every year since.
DA: As a non-reader, what was it like to tread those strange waters for the first time?
AF: I was a little nervous coming in because I didn’t read comics, and I wasn’t too familiar with the Batman mythos at that point, but the fans didn’t seem to care.
DA: Well, it would’ve been foolish of them to gatekeep comic book royalty.
AF: I think they just wanted to have that certain part of history to connect with, and over the years I’ve learned that this is part of the role I have to play in the grand scheme of things. To be that link between the fans, and the origin of a character that has resonated with them for the past 85 years. Not only has Batman’s story become a beacon for those trying to overcome deep trauma, but it’s also been a vast spectrum of influence for people who continue to persevere through their own lives, and struggles. It’s a forever learning experience that never ceases to impress me.
If any fellow Bat Fans have the extra coin this holiday season, here’s a link to the campaign.
More About:Comic Books Movies TV Shows
