Thursday, September 19, 2013

Bill Finger catch phrases

Here are phrases I find myself saying again and again when describing Bill Finger and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (some of which appear in the book itself):

  • Batman’s biggest secret is not Bruce Wayne.
  • Bill brought out the detective in Batman, and then in me.
  • The lone, previously unknown heir is in the unique position to go to bat for Bill.
  • Bill died in 1974. He had no obituary. No funeral. No gravestone. No kidding.
  • Bill created one of our greatest champions for justice. It’s time for justice for Bill himself.
  • If youre a Batman fan, youre a Bill Finger fan.
  • Bill wrote hundreds of Batman stories over 25 yearsincluding his heartbreaking (and groundbreaking) originand even designed the costume, but his name did not appear in the credit line a single time. Bob drew only the first few stories and did not write a single Batman story in his life, but his name has appeared as the sole credit since 1939. 
  • We don’t relate to Batman only because he has no powers. We relate to him because he has no parents. 
  • Siegel and Shuster is a David and Goliath story. Kane and Finger is a Cain and Abel story—down to both having a Cain/Kane.
  • Batman supports the underdog so lets support the underdog behind Batman. 
  • A Finger had a hand in it, too. 
  • Justice has no expiration date. 

after the credit announcement:

  • A story 76 years in the unmaking.
  • Bill Finger made history. We corrected history. 
  • The story of a writer doing a solid for another writer whom he will never meet.


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