The late Bill Finger may have been denied credit for his work as co-creator of Batman in life, but now New York City is honoring the man who helped bring the Caped Crusader to life.
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According to information from the New York City Council, a street sign designating Bill Finger Way will be unveiled in the Bronx in December. The sign will be located at East 192nd Street and the Grand Concourse — right by Poe Park which is where Finger and Bob Kane originally came up with the idea for Batman.
While Kane’s name is closely associated with the creation of Batman, for decades Finger’s was not, leading to Finger often being referred to as the “unsung hero” of the Batman character. Kane and Finger hashed out the details of the Kane’s idea for “the Bat-Man.” According to Finger, Kane had a general idea of the character, but it looked more like Superman with wings. Finger helped Kane flesh out the concept and even wrote many of the character’s early stories, including the debut, while Kane provided art. However, Kane’s deal with the company that would become DC Comics, National Comics, in 1939 signed away ownership of the character and gave Kane a sole byline on all Batman comics.
While Finger would receive some limited credit over the years — mostly limited to acknowledgement of his efforts in creating other Batman-related characters such as the Riddler — it wasn’t until 2015 that the Finger family was able to come to an agreement with DC Entertainment that gave Finger credit on 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the second season of Fox’s Gotham acknowledging him as the co-creator of the character. Finger also received his first formal credit for his work on Batman on 2015’s Batman and Robin Eternal #3 and Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis #3 comic books with the character acknowledgment appearing as “Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.”
As for the street named in his honor, an official city ceremony will take place on December 8, 2017 at 10 a.m. Finger’s granddaughter, Athena Finger, as well as Finger biographer Marc Tyler Nobleman and local city councilmen will speak at the ceremony.
[ H/T: 13th Dimension ]
