Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman

I received Bill the Boy Wonder through Librarything's Early Readers program that gives members the chance to win a free book before publication in return for a review.
Honestly I was surprised when this arrived as I thought I'd won it because the website's program chose me based on the books in my library on pulp and comic book history. It turns out that this is really a kids picture book.
I'm sure that this is the sort of book that I'd have devoured at the age of six or seven.
While the book is mainly about how Bill Finger was really the main writer and creator of Batman and how Bob Kane took all the credit for himself, there's lots of material about the creation of Batman and Robin and the development of those characters in the show more golden and silver ages.
For the grown up me, however, the best part of the book was the author's note at the end. It is essentially a terrific fanzine article about his search for information about Finger and what he found.
He also includes many never-before-seen photos. Or at least all the ones he was able to find.
This author's note is packed with new and interesting information.
Nobleman should also be thanked for finding Finger's granddaughter and helping to see that Finger's residuals from DC Comics were redirected to her.
I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the whole package though. It's half kids picture book and half serious comic book scholarship for adults.
I think that this would have been a better project if it were split into a kids picture book about the entire history and development of Batman and all the folks who helped create it and a lengthy book for adults detailing the creative side of DC comics over the years.
Nobleman obviously has the research chops to do justice to a still-shrouded part of comic book history.
His author's note was so interesting that I'd love to see what he could do with a chapter on Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nickolson, one on Donenfeld and Liebowitz, a look at the Siegel and Schuster story, Marsten, and all the other creators, particularly the less well-known or recognized ones, the hook-up between National and All-American, and the Captain Marvel and Wonder Man lawsuits. There has to be a lot more buried stories and Nobleman seems to have a knack for digging them up. It'd be nice to see him try. show less

Bill the Boy Wonder, written by Marc Tyler Nobleman and illustrated by Ty Templeton, is a fantastic picture book biography of Bill Fingerman, the “secret co-creator of Batman.” Templeton’s illustrations are diverse enough to capture both historical accounts and colorful recreations from classic comics. It’s a handsomely produced work, with its text captions and blocking resembling comic book panels. This is truly an all-ages book in that adults interested in comic book history are likely to get more out to the book from kids, but it’s still enjoyable and engaging enough for younger readers.

This is a well-researched book, too, with an extensive author’s note at the end detailing all the research that went into writing it. show more While a great emphasis of the book is about how Fingerman was cheated out of receiving credit for his role in Batman, it also covers his inspirations and creative process, and it‘s fascinating to think of all the things that culminated in some of pop-culture‘s most famous images.

The book is actually more positive towards Bob Kane than other books I’ve read, and it really emphasizes more on the positive of Fingerman‘s life, which I think is the better approach to make. The authorship of comics, especially in terms of who created a creator, is complicated because it often involves a team working for a company, and it is likely that the company holds the creative control over the character. This can lead to many writers, artists, or their heirs not seeing a cent of the millions a company makes from comics, merchandise, and movies featuring their characters and storylines. I hope with books like this and researchers like Marc Tyler Nobleman, creators will get the recognition they’ve earned for helping shape our culture and imaginations. show less

Comics professionals have known for a while that Bill Finger was not just an early uncredited writer of Batman stories, but the character's co-creator. Bob Kane's contract ensured that he was always listed as the sole creator, but this brief biography of Finger in comics format gives him the credit he deserves. The text afterword, on the author's research and attempts to find photographs of Finger and people who remembered him, was fascinating.

Bill the Boy Wonder is an odd book. It sort of promises to be a biography of Bill Finger, the man who created Batman along with Bill Kane and wrote many, many of his early stories. But it seems that we don't really know all that much about Bill Finger. Much of the book ends up focusing on the credit dispute between Finger and Kane-- if "dispute" is the right word, given that Kane always asserted that he solely created Batman and Finger rarely said anything to contradict that. It's appalling the extent to which Bill Finger's role in the creation of the Bat-Man has been elided, but I don't know if a children's picture book is the place for that dispute to be played out.

It's immaculately researched, though, as the Author's Note at the end show more makes clear, and it seems unlikely that we'll ever known enough about Finger to create a full-length biography of the man. So this is a nice little tribute, and I'm glad I read it, even if I'm uncertain as to what to do with it beyond that. Ty Templeton's illustrations are great. I've only encountered his art sporadically, but I've always liked it when I've seen it. show less

Bill the Boy Wonder is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the story of Bill Finger, who had helped create the comic superhero Batman. The book's simple language and comic panel design illustrations work well to relate the story of Bill, from his early life, growing up in the Depression, to his silent partnership with Bob Kane and the Batman fans who worked diligently to get him the recognition he deserves. The last section of the book discusses author Nobleman's work in researching Bill's life, which is as interesting as the story itself and gives a little extra for children (and their parents) who want to learn more. There is also a bibliography for the reader that wants to do his own research.

Having just read Larry show more Tye's book on Superman and his creators, I had a good idea about the time period, the politics at (what would eventually become) DC comics, and the unfairness suffered by artists and writers in the comics industry. Bill the Boy Wonder was a refreshing change of pace. It tells the story chronologically and helps young readers understand the need creators have for truth and recognition. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Batman or comic book history, and it is a good story for children regarding the importance of truth and fairness. show less

Just my favorite kind of picture book biography (one that features an unsung figure) and one done extremely well. Bill Finger was an almost completely uncredited writer and co-creator of the Batman comic books. This picture-book biography, illustrated with comic-like pictures, was the result of years of detailed sleuthing on the part of the author. The text and images work extremely well together and a substantive author's note explains how he ferreted out the details of Bill Finger's brief life. Highly recommended for comic book fans!

Batman. Who doesn’t know Batman in one format or another? The 1960s TV show, the incredibly popular Dark Knight movie series, cartoons, and of course, the original comic books which first appeared in 1939, bearing the name of Batman creator, Bob Kane.

"Every Batman story is marked with the words “Batman created by Bob Kane.”
For almost thirty years, fans did not suspect otherwise. But that is not the whole truth. Bob Kane himself said so.
A Finger had a hand in it, too."

Bill the Boy Wonder is the story of that Finger, Bill Finger, the co-creator and long-time writer of Batman.

First forced to hide his identity as a Jew (his real name was Milton) to obtain work during the Great Depression, later writing in obscurity while Batman show more illustrator, Bob Kane, rose to fame, and finally working (if only half-heartedly) to gain his duly deserved recognition, Nobleman chooses to present Bill, The Boy Wonder as a story with three parts, "Secret Identity 1 – Bill," "Secret Identity 2 – Writer of Batman," and "Secret Identity 3 – Co-creator of Batman." This well-sourced and researched biography is as fascinating as it is entertaining,

"Bill liked to ride through the city to think. As the bus picked up passengers, Bill picked up plots from street scenes and daydreams.

He recorded stray facts – the boiling point of mercury, the Chinese character for virtue, what happens when a dog’s nose gets cold – in what he called his “gimmick book.” He routinely skimmed it for a spark that might ignite a story. In time he had a library of gimmick books at his Fingertips. He even let other writers – his competitors – hunt for story ideas in them."

Though brimming with details and quotes, Nobleman moves the story along with the talent of a comic book writer. A six-page Author’s Note adds details and period photographs.

Ty Templeton, a Batman artist himself, was the perfect choice to illustrate this fascinating look at Bill Finger’s work and the work of other talented artists, writers and fans who struggled to garner for him the credit he deserved. The end papers are dramatic and inspired, and the illustrations are done, of course, in comic book style with white text box insets.


Even if you’re not a Batmanian, you’ll love this book. It's clear that it was a labor of love for the author.

more links and video @ http://www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2012/07/bill-boy-wonder-review.html show less