“The Nobleman Cause”

I’m only now learning of a lovely article about my work that was published in Comic Book Creator #14 in 2017: “The Nobleman Cause” by Richard J. Arndt.

Belated thank you, Richard!

"Zack Snyder's Justice League" creator credits

I'm not here to weigh in on this four-hour grimdark Justice League (though I kind of just did) except in three non-spoiler ways:

1. On one level I think it's great that the voices of fans carry so much weight and helped get this movie made. At the same time I hope if this film is a success, it doesn't further prioritize commerce over art.
2. I was disappointed (but of course not surprised) that we did not get to see a backup team of Lois Lane, Commissioner Gordon, Mera, Iris West, Silas Stone, and the ghost of Steve Trevor, with Alfred as Oracle. 
3. As always with DC movies, I'm almost as interested in the creator credits as the film itself. Here they are for ZSJL:

Notes:

1. BILL FINGER.
2. Similarly, three other names should be in the Wonder Woman credit line: Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Olive Byrne, and H.G. Peter. That's a Finger-level injustice that should be corrected.
3. Aquaman and Cyborg both receive creator credit in comic books that those characters headline, but not here. Aquaman was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger (though for some reason only Norris is in the official credit line). Cyborg was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. All four of those creator names are on the "Special Thanks" list, but I don't know why they weren't credited specifically for their characters the way the creators of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were. 
4. I also don't know why there is a huge gap between the credits for Justice League of America, Batman, and Wonder Woman and the credit for Fourth World. Yes, the former three are household names, but I don't recall such odd spacing in other DC film credits.
5. So nice to see the names Jerry Robinson (co-creator of Dick Grayson/Robin and the Joker) and Carmine Infantino (co-creator of Barry Allen/Flash), both of whom were heroes of my Bill Finger research and neither of whom are officially credited in print.
6. In print, the awkward "By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family" line immediately follows "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster." In this film, Superman is the only character whose creators are listed in the opening credits, and while I don't like the "arrangement" line, it seems even weirder so removed from its usual partner.

"10 Real Life Heroes Who Helped Bill Finger Get Credit" (Screen Rant)

On Screen Rant, Tim Davis has posted an unranked list of people who helped Batman co-creator Bill Finger receive official credit in 2015 (41 years after Bill died and 76 years after Batman debuted). 

The list:

11. (honorable mention) Bob Kane (with a nod to Thomas Andrae); mention is fine, honorable doesn't track

10. the one I live with (see below)

 9. Jerry Bails

 8. Michael Uslan

 7. Jerry Robinson/Carmine Infantino

 6. Lyn Simmons

 5. Charles Sinclair

 4. Travis Langley

 3. Alethia Mariotta

 2. Fred Finger

 1. Athena Finger

1990 Bill Finger co-creator credit…in Brazil

Eduardo Pereira, the director of a public library of comics in Brazil who is working on a book about Bill Finger, kindly called to my attention a 1990 Brazilian reprint of the 1988 DC Comics limited series Cosmic Odyssey.

I don’t speak Portuguese but I do speak Bill Finger, and there’s his name on the title page…as Batman co-creator. (“Criado por” = “created by.”) Not only that, but it says “and” (not “with”) Bill Finger.

Bill had received equal billing in DC Comics publications before this—the earliest I have found is from 1969—but not, to my knowledge, on a title page as an “official” credit.

Thank you again, Eduardo!

Pointing the Finger at "Batman: The Definitive History"

Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond is a beautiful beast of a book written by Andrew Farago and Gina McIntyre and released this year to align with Batman’s 80th anniversary.

Clearly a staggering amount of work went into it, a publishing equivalent of the regimen Bruce Wayne imposed on himself to become the character the book celebrates. 

Andrew is a longtime respected colleague. When researching the book, he interviewed me on my little corner of Batman-related knowledge, namely Bill Finger. When the book came out, he kindly had a copy sent to me.

I shared one disappointment with Andrew, friend to friend, writer to writer, comics advocate to comics advocate: the book is the first DC-authorized Batman history since Bill Finger received official credit...yet the book does not indicate that Bill got credit. 

It’s hard to say for sure (because I haven’t yet had chance to read it in full and because it doesn’t have an index), and I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t believe Bill is mentioned after the first few pages. On page 16, it’s explained that Bill began as an uncredited writer, but the book doesn’t take it full circle and later indicate that he finally got official credit in 2015. 

I consider it a significant oversight for a book with “definitive” in the subtitle to omit this correction, which is not only a victory for creators’ rights but also an unprecedented turn of events in comics history. The hard-earned credit change has made timelines like this and other upcoming books I’ve been consulted on.

It’s unfortunate that a book that some will consider the authoritative work on Batman’s cultural impact does not include a fact so fundamental to the character in the real world...and to what he represents in fiction: the pursuit of justice and the preservation of legacy.

If the book had not addressed the talent at all, I might not have volunteered my unsolicited opinion. But the beginning of the book does introduce Bill and Bob Kane and covers Batman’s genesis (and other creators are mentioned throughout), which is why I feel including the credit change would be consistent and fair, not to mention of special interest to the righteous multitude that are Batfans. (On that subject, listen to Kevin Smith’s eloquent comments in Batman & Bill and skim this sizable number of tweets from the public.)

Andrew thanked me for the input and said that he has the utmost respect for Bill Finger, which I did not and do not doubt. I am thrilled and not surprised that Andrew is looking into the possibility of an update for future editions. He allowed me to quote him: “bit by bit, Bill by Bill, we’ll get this perfect.”

Passing the Bat-on: advocating for Bill Finger from the 1960s to today

When people thank me for my efforts to get Bill Finger credited on Batman, I thank them right back, and also make clear that it was not a solo effort, nor was I the one who got the ball rolling.

I often say “Without Jerry Bails, there’d be no me.” He did not formally pass the baton after he introduced Bill to fandom in 1965, but others in scattershot formation picked it up where it lay.

Below are those whom I consider the VIPs in the decades-long push to officially acknowledge Bill Finger. (So many more have championed Bill; the people on this list took on the challenge in a particularly concrete way, i.e. writing about Bill.) They are in loose chronological order and rather than describe each again here, I’ve linked to a previous post about him or her. (If deceased, the year of passing is in parentheses.)

• Jerry Bails (2006)
• Julie Schwartz (2004); he publicly credited Bill a year before Jerry, but Jerry was the one who made it a cause célèbre
• Tom Fagan (2008)
• Jim Steranko
• Robert Porfirio (2014)
• Mike W. Barr
• Tom Andrae
• Lyn Simmons (2018)
• Jerry Robinson (2011)
• Athena Finger
• Derek Wolfford
• Dave Hernando
• Travis Langley
• Roberto Williams
• Lenny Schwartz
• Alethia Mariotta

First official Batman-related credit for Jerry Robinson

The Joker is not the first Batman antagonist to headline a standalone live-action movie. (Catwoman beat him by 15 years.)

Yet Joker, which opened today, does have a significant first up its sleeve: Jerry Robinson, early Batman ghost artist and co-creator of not only the Joker but Robin, is finally credited—and on equal footing with Bob Kane and Bill Finger. No "with"!

Four years ago today, history was corrected

Four years ago today, three words corrected a 76-year-long injustice when DC Comics added them to the Batman credit line: "with Bill Finger."

One big step for Bill Finger, one giant leap (I hope) for creators' rights.

"Bill the Boy Wonder" updated (post-credit change) edition

Six years ago this month, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman released. It ended on a tragic yet hopeful note, wondering if Bill Finger's name would ever be added to every Batman story.

Three years later, that happened.

At first I wanted the book to remain as is, a time capsule of pre-2015. But then I agreed to update it: we added only a blurb (teasing the credit change and mentioning the documentary Batman & Bill) to the cover and two sentences (explicitly stating the credit change) to the author's note.

This post-credit edition is available now.

"Bill Finger getting his due" on list "15 Times Fans Changed Comic Book History"

(The list is chronological, not ranked; #1 is the most recent.)

Thank you, Brian Cronin and Comic Book Resources!

Batman credit line changed from "with Bill Finger" to "and Bill Finger"

At least as far back as December 2016, in snuck a change that only a certain elite would notice, a change at once startling and straightforward. 

Here are examples as pointed out in posts on the Bill Finger Appreciation Group Facebook page:

 Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series

Justice League Dark (2017 animated film)

Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics: 

Justice League, Volume 2 

When the "Batman created by Bob Kane" credit was changed in October 2015, it read "Batman created by Bob Kane WITH Bill Finger." As you can see above, these publications and films list the Batman credit as "Bob Kane AND Bill Finger" [emphasis mine, wish come true many].

The first time I came upon this, I assumed it was simply an inadvertent, isolated break from protocol. But now that there have been multiple sightings, it seems that this is instead the CORRECTED version of the corrected credit.

Once is a fluke. Thrice is a new normal.

That said, I have not yet seen it in monthly comics nor was it in the most recent first-run episode of Gotham ("Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies," aired 1/30/17). But unless we learn otherwise, I will presume that it is being rolled out across the board.

I'm told it was not as a result of any recent conversation between the Finger family and DC Comics. So until we learn who at DC lobbied for it, we can chalk it up to that old Bat magic...

As I've said numerous times, no matter the wording, I'm just thankful Bill's name is there...

...but yeah, "and" beats "with," big time.

Response to one belief that Bill Finger should NOT be credited for Batman

In his article "The Man Behind the Mask: On the Creation of Batman—and Rewriting Authorship Itself" (posted on 11/18/16), writer Sean P. Carlin explains why he feels that adding Bill Finger's name to the Batman credit line after 76 years is unjust.

See this tweet in its natural habitat.

No surprise, I disagree. My reasons why, counterpoint by point (key parts bolded):

SPC: In 1939, illustrator Bob Kane (1915-1998) was tasked by DC Comics editor Vin Sullivan to devise a character for Detective Comics that could complement—and ideally capitalize on the success of—the costumed hero who had the year earlier made his debut in the pages of Action Comics: Superman.

MTN: Batman was not a work-for-hire, though you may not be implying that he was. Upon learning how much the Superman co-creators were making, Bob boasted to Vin that for that kind of money, he could come up with a new superhero over the weekend.

"When I created the Batman," admitted Bob Kane, "I wasn't thinking of story. I was thinking, I have to come up with a character who's different"

Bob did not write a single Batman story in his life.

built on anecdotal evidence at best—i.e., conflicting and contradictory recollections, some of them secondhand, and most issued years after the fact. We can speculate all we like, but we don't really know who created what; even for DC's in-house historian, "delineating specific contributions has become increasingly difficult" (Susan Karlin, "Who Really Created Batman? A DC Comics Historian Weighs in on the Controversy," FastCo.Create, July 21, 2014). 

Hardly anecdotal, and not at all conflicting. That's something that struck me during my research for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman—though at first the story seems controversial, when you take a step back it actually isn't because there is virtually no dispute over any of the contributions that have been ascribed (partially or fully) to Bill. Even Bob himself credited Bill for a significant amount of the mythos (even the costume); see his autobiography Batman & Me.

But Bob, of course, had a history of being an unreliable source; therefore, when he DID give credit to someone other than himself, it carries more weight.

In 2006, I individually interviewed eight creators from the Golden Age who all knew Bill and Bob personally (Jerry Robinson, Shelly Moldoff, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Alvin Schwartz, Joe Kubert, Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino, Irwin Hasen). All of their accounts of who did what aligned, and none had anything to gain by lying. (All, sadly, have since died.) You can read those interviews (plus a few more) here.

Incidentally, I commented on that Susan Karlin article within a day or two of it posting; both my comments and statements made by DC Comics historian Steve Korté have since been removed—but not before I documented them on my blog. It seems safe to say that DC requested the removal of Steve's statements because DC recognized that those statements were incorrect. 

The only proof-positive documentation we have is Kane's contract with DC, which names him sole creator. 

Since we know of no one outside of DC Comics top brass who has seen this contract, it cannot be considered "proof-positive." 

folkloric characters like Batman are influenced by and evolved through the creative input of untold artists

Of course every character that endures long enough to be written/drawn by anyone other than its creator(s) will be reinterpreted on some level. However, a character is CREATED only once, by the person or persons who were in the room on day 1. In this case, that is Bill Finger and Bob Kane.

back in the early days, credit attribution didn't necessarily mean a whole lot

This was true for many but not all; obviously credit meant a lot to Bob Kane. 

"I think it sets a bad precedent," I finally answered.

The 2015 Bill Finger announcement was the biggest case of a comics creator receiving belated or posthumous credit, but it was not the first. At least as far back as the early 2000s, DC comic books began to include previously unidentified creators of certain superheroes (for example, Paul Norris was credited for Aquaman for the first time in #7 of his 2003 series, issue dated 8/03). Some if not all of these changes were likely due to behind-closed-door negotiations between DC and creators or their heirs. These negotiations were not publicized so as not to embolden other creators or heirs who had not yet pursued equal treatment. Shortly before his death in 2007, Arnold Drake (Deadman, Doom Patrol, Beast Boy) told me that this had happened with him. In 2011, Carmine Infantino told me of a similar situation (and died two years later).

Success breeds resentment, and there may have been people that appreciably augmented the Batman mythos who maybe felt, as the years went on, they were entitled to a bigger piece of that multibillion-dollar pie.

If Bill Finger was one of them, he didn't explicitly confirm this in any of his four known interviews (Bails 1965, Fagan 1965, Steranko 1970, Porfirio 1972). It is telling that Bill did not out himself—fan-turned-detective-turned-crusader Jerry Bails did, in 1965. (By the way, this is both a compliment to and a criticism of Bill, but that's another story.)

And we have no more proof now as to what Finger contributed—no heretofore undisclosed records or testimony have been newly presented for consideration—and it's like DC got harangued into crediting him despite the explicit stipulations of the contract they had with Kane, right or wrong.

We need "no more"—what is already documented is enough. See Bob's book, the aforementioned four interviews with Bill, the interviews with the Golden Agers who worked with both, 1960s letter column comments by editor Julie Schwartz, and numerous other instances in DC publications—for starters. Again, aside from Bob taking credit for ideas and characters that even he later credited Bill for, no one else I know of (and I consulted 200+ people in comics, Bill's family, etc.) has disputed Bill's contributions to Batman. The issue has not been "who did what" since before 1965.

And what I find troubling about that is it treats creatorship credit like it's open to interpretation—like if enough fanboys in enough comic stores say it enough times, it becomes fact. And we don't know the facts—those have been, regrettably, either muddled by time or lost to history. … We have conflicting statements from the people involved, many if not most of them now deceased. 

Again, aside from Bob contradicting himself over years, I found no conflicting statements either in print or in the original interviews I conducted in 2006. Fanboys were not repeating falsehoods.

DC puts Finger's name next to Kane's after seventy-five years, and they open the floodgates for the heirs of other artists to make similar claims on a given IP. 

Again, that's been happening for years. So because it's now happened for Bill—by far the most high profile of such cases—speaks to the viability of the matter. DC would not add Bill's name to Batman simply to appease fanboys, not least of which because it may well have prompted other heirs who didn't know about the quieter cases like Arnold Drake's to file a claim. The company credited Bill because pressure was finally applied resting on proof that had been present for decades.

We don't deny Maquet's contributions to those lasting works, just as we don't deny Finger's on Batman, but a deal was a deal, and it's not our place to reconsider—and even rewrite—the terms of a creative contract long after those who entered into it have left this earth. 

Contracts in every industry are renegotiated all the time. Just because something was once signed does not mean it is valid forevermore—otherwise, as but one example, slavery would still be legal in the United States.

DC posthumously breached its contractual agreement with Kane based on "hotly disputed" hearsay, to borrow the phrasing of one of Bill Finger's supporters, something any creator of content should regard as cause for alarm, not celebration.

Again, since said contract has not been publicly shared, it cannot be said that DC breached it. I am the supporter you refer to, and the "hotly disputed" phrase refers specifically to the Joker, and previously to Robin—not to Bill's role overall. (As I say in my book, Bob said he and Bill created the Joker, Jerry Robinson said HE and Bill created the Joker…so the constant is Bill. That is all I meant by "disputed.")

The resolution to the Kane/Finger dispute isn't justice; quite the opposite, in fact. 

This is subjective, of course, but to me and legions of fans (not to mention legions more who are not Batman fans but have been won over by this story through my talks across four continents and twice as many years), this is most certainly justice. Perhaps even Bob's family thinks so; as you noted, they've made no public statement in the 14 months since the announcement. 

But even if not, the Bill Finger credit resolution exemplifies the essence of what Batman himself stands for—defending the underdog, even if he is no longer here to benefit from it, but more importantly, and quite simply, righting a wrong.

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I give thanks for Bill, thanks to you for listening, and thanks for a country in which a dialogue like the above is possible.

2/22/22 addendum: Several years after Bill the Boy Wonder was published, I realized I could not trace the original source for the oft-cited allegation that Bob Kane’s contract included that he and he alone be credited as the creator of Batman. (Sure sounds like him, but still need proof.) Today I stumbled upon a possible answer that I first saw years ago, but did not reflect on deeply at the time. 

In a 1966 issue of fan publication Batmania that covered a comic convention called Con-Cave that was held that summer, Tom Fagan paraphrased no less an authority than legendary editor Julius Schwartz (who appeared on a panel) as saying that Bob’s contract with National (now DC Comics) might stipulate that Bob’s name appear on Batman stories because Bob was the originator. (Note that Fagan did not quote Schwartz as saying Bob’s name alone must appear, but I infer that is what Schwartz meant even if he didn’t explicitly say it or if Fagan didn’t accurately quote it.) Schwartz said that checking the contract could confirm or deny this—but obviously that didn’t happen at the con (if ever, as far as the fans have heard). 

I can’t imagine that this topic would have come up publicly much before this incident; the first “official” con (i.e. the first con where pros participated) was only the year before. But again, I can’t say with certainty that this is where the infamous claim took root…or if it’s true.

Bill Finger in "New York Times" crossword…sort of

A year ago today, Bill Finger was first officially credited as co-creator in a Batman comic book.

(Also a year ago today, Bob Kane received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.)

And today, the New York Times crossword acknowledges that there is a Bill. See 14 down.

Bill Finger's official credit: the one-year anniversary

Yesterday was Batman Day (third annual). Today is Bill Finger Day—one year since he got official credit. To paraphrase Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, this Bill is no longer past due.

It has been an exhilarating and sometimes bewildering 365 days.

Thank you to Ross Pearsall at Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues for helping me mark this first anniversary in such a memorable way. 

9/19/16 addendum from Ross: "The cover has been up only a day and stats indicate it is already the second-most-clicked [behind a Justice League of America/Spider-Man cover that was used in a YouTube video] in the blog's history."

Jim Steranko tweets

Only four known people interviewed Bill Finger: Jerry Bails in 1965, Tom Fagan in 1965, Jim Steranko circa 1969 or 1970 (for his History of Comics), and Robert Porfirio in 1972. (Bill was also quoted in a 1965 New Yorker piece.)

Bails spread word of what he learned in his interview via a two-page piece he distributed via mail to his personal network. Fagan also wrote an article that was not formally published, but others did see it. Fewer (perhaps almost nobody) knew of Porfirio's interview till much later. Given that some of Steranko's interview was incorporated in a book, it reached the widest audience of the bunch.

During my research for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, I was fortunate to communicate with three of the four men, all of whom were helpful. The other one is the only one still alive—Jim Steranko.

So you can imagine how honored I was to see this:

• Bails died in 2006—mere months after I interviewed him (and, sadly, six years before the book would come out). Without Jerry Bails, we might not know about Bill Finger.
• Fagan died in 2008. The article he wrote based on his interview with Bill ("Bill Finger—Man Behind a Legend") was "lost" but resurfaced in 2009.
• Porfirio died in 2014. His 28-minute interview was recorded on audio and was also "lost," rediscovered in 2008. It is transcribed in Tom Andrae's Creators of the Superheroes.

"Batman v Superman": Dawn of More Articles about Bill Finger's Credit

In the days leading up to the first live-action film to feature both Superman and Batman, the fact that this would be the first Batman film to include Bill Finger's name made news around the world. Some of the most notable coverage:

• Globe and Mail (largest-circulation national newspaper in Canada)
• Times of London (one of the two largest-circulation British "quality"—i.e. non-tabloid—newspapers; subscription required but screen grabs of article are below)
• O Estado de S. Paulo (one of the largest-circulation newspapers in Brazil; how's your Portuguese?)
• Uproxx

 

The Times of London piece (in choppy PDFs):

 

 

I will say only two things about the film itself.

1. Producer Michael Uslan handed out buttons at the premiere.

2. My favorite part was this:

Making the case that Bill Finger deserved co-creator status

What a year.

As anyone with a Gotham stamp in his passport knows, September brought big Batman news.

Eight years have passed since I discovered that Bill Finger had a grandchild born two years after he died, Athena. When she decided to challenge the “Batman created by Bob Kane” credit line, I pulled information from my research that I thought could be relevant to the mission:

• “Now that my longtime friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero. Because he came into the strip after I had created Batman, he did not get a by-line... I never thought of giving him a by-line and he never asked for one. I often tell my wife ‘If I could go back 15 years, before he died, I would like to say “I’ll put your name on it now, you deserve it.”’”—Bob Kane, Batman & Me, 1989
• “Legally, nothing has to be done. Morally, I think something should be done, and we will do it out of compassion.”—Jay Emmett, Executive VP of Warner Communications, parent company of National Periodical Publications, on giving Superman creators Siegel and Shuster compensation and credit, October 1975
• Bill named as Batman co-creator in DC-authorized publications by present and past DC professionals in good standing
• instances where DC has credited Bill for writing Batman’s origin (of course, one of the most significant aspects of the character)
• Jerry Robinson in 2006: “[Bill] created most everything for [Bob]. He definitely was a full co-creator. I think he had more to do with the molding of Batman than Bob. He just did so many things at the beginning. As an artist, I can appreciate what goes into that. Aside from creating almost all the other characters, creating the whole persona, the whole temper, the history, origin of Batman. Everything. It made it a success from the beginning.”
• in Alter Ego #39 (1/03), Jerry Robinson said he is “positive” Robin was Bill’s idea
• in Batman #169 (2/65), longtime DC editor Julius Schwartz gave Bill creator sole credit for the Riddler
• in Comics Interview Super Special: Batman—Real Origins of the Dark Knight (1989), Bob is quoted as saying this: “Bill Finger created some of the villains: I believe he created Penguin. Catwoman, I think he came up with”; NOTE: he also then claims he (Bob) came up with Joker and Riddler, both of whom are almost always credited partially or fully to Bill
• in Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (1988), published by DC, Bill credited as “creator or co-creator” of Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face, and a “host of other elements”
• in Batman & Me, page 44, Bob says Bill named Gotham City
• Bill’s second wife Lyn Simmons almost getting Bill’s name in credits of first Batman movie, 1989 (particularly significant: the textual evidence that Warner Bros. almost agreed)
• one of DC’s most acclaimed writers, Grant Morrison, made a bold statement in Playboy (2012)—and still works for DC: “Created by: Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane (disputed)”
• If Bob had a contract with DC at the start of Batman, but Bob was not producing the ideas he was getting credited for, can the person who was secretly producing them make a legal claim to them?
• personal letter Bill wrote in 1965: “I phoned Bob Kane moment I got your copy of the fantastic letter [in which Bob claimed Bill was lying about his role in Batman]; after a few minutes of conversation in which I quite angrily spoke my mind and jogged Bob’s fading memory, he agreed to ‘revise’ the letter, in fact asked me to have dinner with him”
• on DC’s “75th anniversary of Batman” chronological milestone poster, the first nine elements (and 12 of the first 14) listed came solely or mostly from Bill
• simply comparing what Bill is credited for vs. what Bob is credited for makes it indisputably clear that Bill is the dominant creative force
• Tom Fagan’s 1965 article based on interview with Bill, “The Man Behind the Legend” (last line calls Bill “the” creator of Batman)
• signs indicate that DC does believe Bill deserves more; legally, they can’t say so themselves, but they didn’t stop me from saying so, which almost seems like a way to endorse the truth of the matter

Top 10 pop culture moments of 2015

#10: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story on 9/18/15.

#9: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

 The first credit appeared in an ad for 

Dark Knight Universe Presents: The Atom #1, 10/10/15.

#8: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

  The first televised credit appeared in 

Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship,

aired first thing 10/19/15.

#7: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

  One of the first three in-comic credits appeared in 

Batman & Robin Eternal #3, released 10/21/15.

#6: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

  One of the first three in-comic credits appeared in

Batman: Arkham Knight—Genesis #3,

released 10/21/15.

#5: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

   One of the first three in-comic credits appeared in

Gotham Academy #11, released 10/21/15.

#4: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

 Gotham, aired 10/19/15.

#3: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice TV ad,

aired 11/30/15.

#2: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

Batman #46, released 11/11/15.

#1: Bill Finger finally credited as co-creator of Batman.

Detective Comics #46, 

released 11/4/15.

The title in which Batman began...