Monday, February 25, 2019

"Batman & Bill" makes a timeline of Batman milestones

As we Batusi deeper into the yearlong revelry that is Batman's 80th anniversary, I was thrilled to see Bill Finger make a prominent appearance in a special publication celebrating the Dark Knight's history and influence.


Not only did Bill get a full page to himself (a far cry from previous such tributes, where he typically made little more than a cameo)...


...but he also appears on the publication's Bat-timeline three times…one of which is Batman & Bill (final entry).



(One criticism: as has happened many times online, this magazine used a photo of fellow writer Robert Kanigher for Bill.)

The page about Bill kindly mentions both the doc and Bill the Boy Wonder. I believe this is the first time a print publication has acknowledged my Bill Finger efforts without interviewing me first—in other words, this was a total and surreal surprise.

5/13/24 addendum: A similar magazine available in 2024 (Batman's 85th anniversary) did not mention the documentary but did mention me.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Speaking at Gettysburg College

On 11/3/18, I had the privilege of speaking at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, as part of a comic convention called LincCon (clever). Thanks to all who turned out and to the motivated students who made it possible for me to be there.


There's always one.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Batman, Bill, and Brigham Young

On 2/20/19, I had the pleasure of speaking at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where your backdrop is this:


I was invited by the Copyright Licensing Office. The topic was Bill Finger framed through the lens of copyright. The talk was open to anyone on campus. The turnout exceeded my expectations—surely in part due to the extensive marketing (which included free pizza).



A touch I especially appreciated: attendees filed in to a mix of songs (including "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John) that had all been the focus of a copyright claim. (I did not hear the two I knew of offhand, "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News vs. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. or "One Fine Day" by the Chiffons vs. "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison.)

After, I gave a 30-minute interview to Julie Rose for Top of Mind, the daily BYU radio program (also available on other services including SiriusXM).

Thank you again to Peter Midgley for making this happen and Julie for your interest.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

"Thirty Minutes Over Oregon" an ALSC Notable Children's Books 2019

Thank you to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) for including Thirty Minutes Over Oregon on your 2019 list of "the best of the best in children's books."



Congrats to all others honored!