Bill Finger's ashes

On 3/7/07, I got good news about a bad situation.

Bonnie Burrell, ex-wife of Bill Finger’s son Fred Finger, told me what really happened to Bill after he died. Prior to that, the only info I could find about Bill’s final resting place was this: he was buried in a potter’s field (AKA a pauper’s grave). 

Seemed plausible. But turned out to be merely a rumor, one whose source I didn’t trace (if that’s even possible). 

Bonnie said that Fred went to the beach in Manzanita, an Oregon coastal town within driving distance of Portland, and spread Bill’s ashes at the shoreline in the shape of a bat.

Poignant, visually striking—and relieving. The thought of Bill Finger ending up in a potter’s field after his hard life was heartbreaking.  

Since then, at least two others have independently verified the ashes story—or at least their memory of it. But since it’s so specific, I believe it has only two possible explanations: either Fred (or someone else) made it up after Bill’s death and the false story spread, or it is true. I see no incentive to make up something like that, especially because Bill was hardly known to the public, so I have considered the story to be true from the moment I heard it.

It took me years to be able to describe the scene to audiences without choking up a bit.

It was first depicted five years later, in Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, courtesy of Ty Templeton:

It next appeared, animated, in the documentary Batman & Bill:

Then it was interpreted for a Brazilian graphic biography, Bill Finger—A verdadeira história do Cavaleiro das Trevas:

It was most recently seen in Bill Finger, dans l'ombre du mythe, a French-language graphic memoir illustrated by Erez Zadok:

This was such a fabled image in my mind from the moment I learned of it, and it’s been a moving experience to see each new interpretation. It’s also been surreal because for years, the scene existed only in memory and imagination. 

"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

From dispiriting to uplifting: a tale of two school assemblies that mention a gay man

I’ve been on a good streak. 

It’s been many months since a school administrator has come up to me after my presentation for grades 3-5 to gently chide me for indicating that someone in my story is gay. (This has happened about five times in my many hundreds of assemblies over the past 10 years—a tiny percentage, yet still too high.) 

The concern is almost always the same: it’s not about the well-being of the kids, it’s about the risk of offending certain parents.

My school presentation is an emotional, twist-filled true story that I’m so fortunate to be able to share. It generates gasps, tears, and cheers from audiences as young as third grade. Three glimpses of feedback:

“In 30 years of hosting best-selling authors, Marc’s presentation was the best I have ever witnessed. Judging from the student response, he transformed what it means to be a writer.”
—Karen Palko, teacher, International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“Consummate professional. Very animated, humorous, and respectful. The kids were riveted throughout. As our head of school said, ‘He speaks kid.’ One teacher said it’s one of the very best author assemblies she’s seen in her 25 years here.”
—Cynthia Millman, library co-director, Town School, New York, NY

“My principal and almost every teacher said this was the best assembly they have ever attended. Educational value? 5 out of 5 stars. Entertainment value? 5 out of 5 stars. Marc’s amazing story kept an entire room of 3-5 grade students and teachers enthralled for an hour with no special effects or tricks.”
—Jamie Harris, librarian, Smalley Elementary, Las Vegas, NV

Yet in those rare instances, the benefit of the other 59 minutes, 55 seconds of my hourlong talk is overshadowed by the one sentence when I restate a fact that is in a book that is typically already in the school’s library, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.

Alas, what follows is the story that broke my streak. But like the last such story recounted here (which involved intolerance but not an administrator’s attempt at censorship), this ends on a high note…

The set-up

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at 10 schools in Michigan, two a day for five days in a row. As I always do, even during assemblies in highly conservative communities, I said that Batman co-creator Bill Finger’s son Fred was gay. 

It is not a random fact. (His favorite baseball team? That’s a random fact. So random I don’t know what it was.) Rather it was a critical turning point in the research. Those who have read Bill the Boy Wonder, heard my talk, or seen the documentary Batman & Bill know just how significant that detail is. 

School #1

At the Wednesday morning school (fifth school of the week), during the Q&A, a student asked how Fred died. As I always do, I answered that question honestly: I said that he had a disease called AIDS, which used to be fatal but is now treatable. In the few seconds that took, the principal and another staffer in the back of the room were frantically giving me the throat slash gesture. 

After, the principal complimented me on the presentation, then when the kids that were thronging around me left, she said she didn’t feel it was necessary for me to mention Fred’s sexual orientation (which, of course, is different than mentioning sex). I respectfully disagreed. She said she agreed with me on tolerance, but was worried about getting angry calls from parents.

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say you’re tolerant but at the same time ask a presenter who was clearly sensitive and age-appropriate not to say “gay” or “AIDS.” 

She also said that their library has books with gay characters, which should have prevented our conversation. I asked if they check with the parents before their child checks out of any of those books. I was so furious that I don’t remember her answer.

Further, she suggested that in the future I advise schools in advance about the content of my talk. I said it’s all there in my books. But more to the point, I said if I did announce in advance that I will say the word “gay,” some schools would ask me not to—and I will not agree to that.

When she reiterated that it’s not her belief but rather an objection of certain parents, I said this is precisely why we must destigmatize this topic. If kids are not exposed to diversity at home, it is our moral imperative to do our part at school when opportunity presents itself. This gives certain kids a fighting chance to reject prejudices they unwittingly absorbed from their parents. Introducing kids to the many facets of the world is the very purpose of education.

She said it is up to parents to decide what their kids are taught, but, of course, parents do not go through every line of curriculum to sign off on it; if they did, no unit would get unanimous consent and therefore nothing would be approved anywhere. We send our kids to a school that we trust to make educational and behavioral decisions in their best interest.

I said mentioning a gay relationship is no different than mentioning a straight relationship—neither is about sex. Both are about love. I don’t recall a response to that.

(It should go without saying that same-sex marriage is legal in this country. Hardly a secret.)

School #2

Still steaming, I headed to the afternoon school. Moments before starting my first talk there, the principal (principal #2) told me that the principal at the previous school (principal #1) had emailed her about my “content.” I was not surprised. 

Principal #2 said she is new this year and is committed to building tolerance, but feels that with her population, the process has to be gradual. I told her that my assembly has ignited a conversation that has worked wonders in that regard. 

The way to normalize a lifestyle or belief different than the majority is to mention it without judgment in everyday conservation. Obviously sexual orientation is not the focus of my presentation and is mentioned only once five minutes before the end, by which point I’ve long won over the kids, at which point they are more likely to listen in an open-minded way. And sure enough, they do (see “thronging” above). 

Respect kids’ intelligence and capacity for empathy, and they rise to the occasion.

Principal #2 seemed heartened. She also revealed that her daughter is dating a woman, which I felt flipped this situation on its head. I said I didn’t want to overstep, but I felt for her daughter and all others who may be struggling for acceptance in their community, it is our obligation to carry on as planned. She said she agreed and trusted me to exercise my best judgment. I said I always do (at least with respect to assemblies; not so much with fashion or choice of dessert).

In the presentation, I said “gay” without incident. 

But sure enough, as if scripted, the first student question was “What is gay?” A few kids tittered, which I firmly said is not okay, and I could feel some staff members stiffen.

I said “Gay describes a person who falls in love with someone of the same gender, so a woman loves a woman and a man loves a man.” Then I asked them to look around the room and tell me if everyone looked the same. They said no. I asked if everyone in the room acted the same. They said no. I asked if everyone in the room has the same favorite flavor of ice cream. They screamed no. I said that’s a good thing. Our differences make our world complexly beautiful.

Then the magic happened.

Of the dozens of kids raising hands in a room of 200, I happened to call upon a boy who said “First, my moms are lesbians.” 

No laughing that time.

There was also a subsequent question, but I don’t remember it because it was so inconsequential compared to the comment.

The courage that took. Possibly the first time he felt comfortable enough to discuss this in front of classmates. In front of three grades, no less.

But even if not, even if he has mentioned it many times before, I was so proud of him. His four words said with pride validated my point in a way nothing I could say could do. 

After the assembly, principal #2 thanked me for being so professional and said it was amazing, citing the boy who mentioned his moms with the same overflowing heart I felt for him. I thanked her for her leadership and for taking a leap of faith on a stranger. I left feeling the school is in good hands.

Coda

Though it turned out that principal #1 notified all of the other schools I would visit the rest of week (again, not surprised), none tried to censor me. (Just as none of the four principals from the Monday and Tuesday schools—nor any of the librarians all week—had said a cautionary peep to me about this.)

It’s this simple: amid all the different kinds of negativity, violence, and disrespect kids are exposed to from the news and entertainment (oh, how many Deadpool shirts I see at elementary assemblies), shouldn’t we revel in the opportunity to tell them about different kinds of love? 

Mentioning sexual orientation during an author presentation, part 2

A librarian who heard me keynote a conference (in which I tell the Bill Finger story) asked to book me for her Virginia school.

With one request:

In an effort to avoid potential parental objections, we are requesting that the [sexual] orientation [of Bill Finger's son Fred] be left out. Before reading your blog, the concern didn't occur to me, but given the response from the administrator at one particular school, I am trying to be proactive. It is my understanding that this is not how you prefer to give this presentation, nor is it how we prefer it to be presented, however, we have to consider the sensitivity of our diverse community. I don't want any negative talk to take away from the great message and experience that the students are going to have. I hope you can appreciate and understand our request.

My reply:

The purpose of that blog post is the opposite of this request. I am glad that omitting mention of a person's sexual orientation is not how your school wants to present itself because I will not omit the fact that Fred Finger was gay. It is a part of life, it is in the book, it is integral to the story, and omitting it would be disrespectful to the family (and beyond). The value of my presentation far outweighs the risk of an intolerant parent voicing a concern.

Gay marriage is legal in this country. The authors/illustrators of many books in your school library are gay. Surely some of the students in your diverse community are gay, even if they don't yet know it. Perhaps some of their parents are in same-sex relationships. Would those parents be allowed in your school the same as any others?

Part of teaching our kids to treat all as equals and to embrace diversity is acknowledging same-sex relationships as openly as we discuss male-female relationships. Love is love.

I look forward to our time together!

Her reply:

I wanted to apologize if my last communication was offensive in any way as it was not my intention. I agree with your stance wholeheartedly in that it is an integral part of the story. Love is love is love.

The assembly proceeded as planned.

Lessons here:

• Be civil.
• Stand up for others.
• Give people a chance.

In other words, no new lessons here.

The problem with mentioning sexual orientation in an elementary assembly

In my hourlong author presentation for grades 3 and up, I say that Bill Finger's only son Fred was gay.

It is an essential point in the story because it misdirected researchers for years into thinking Bill had no living heirs after Fred died in 1992.

It is a part of life and always has been.

And as of 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, it is a legally sanctioned part of life in the United States.

Yet unfortunately, none of this means that all accept it as part of life. 

This month, I spoke at eight elementary schools in multiple Illinois towns and, as usual, had a blast. The audiences rode the emotional roller coaster of a story the whole time, laughing, getting angry, and getting sad on cue. The principals, teachers, and librarians said kind things. A local paper wrote a nice piece on one of the visits.

Then I got an email from the principal of one of the schools (not the one in the article), who copied the superintendent, assistant superintendent for early childhood and elementary education, and that school's library media specialist. Here it is, anonymized:

I wanted to share a concern from a parent about the presentation you gave to our students. As you were sharing your story about meeting the son of one of the creators, there were comments made about his sexual orientation. This parent's daughter was very uncomfortable about the comments and the parent expressed her displeasure at this being included in a school assembly for 1st-5th graders.

I wanted to make you aware. As a building administrator I want to have information about the content of presentations and I want assurance that the content is suitable for the audience. You were recommended to us through the school system. Prior to the assembly I reviewed your website and was excited about the connections we would make to encourage reading. I didn't have reason to be concerned, however this parent's concern has increased my resolve to ask direct questions and avoid potential issues.

Thank you again for your time at [our school].

In my seven years of telling some form of this story to students from kindergartners to high school seniors in more than half the 50 states and almost a dozen countries, there have been ignorant and disrespectful reactions from audience members (which I immediately tamp down on), but this is the first time I have heard from an administrator. 

But then, of course, I'm not really hearing from an administrator. The principal is passing along a parent's concern. I want to believe that the principal does not agree with the parent. (After one of my talks at this school, this principal paid me a compliment, though I don't remember if it was the assembly in which I mentioned Fred's sexual orientation.) Because the principal is not asking for any action from me, and because the principal copied top-level administrators, it seems clear that the principal is simply covering for him/herself. Otherwise, now that the assembly is over, there would be no reason to involve me.

This is not the appropriate response to this situation. 

The only appropriate response is to address the problem.

The problem is not that an author mentioned a person's sexual orientation to students but rather that a parent reported the topic as inappropriate.

There was a time when mentioning sexual orientation to elementary students would have been provocative…but it never would have been inappropriate because it never would have been inappropriate to mention that a man loves a woman or a woman loves a man. 

There is so much to criticize and combat in this world, but when any two people love each other is not one of them.

After my talks, most school staff say nothing about my mention of Fred's sexuality. As I said, it's part of life. And some have commented to the contrary of what some in their community believe. One librarian in a southern state told me "They need to hear about this."

I would hope that this is what a principal would say to a concerned parent.

To address specific points in the principal's email:

• "comments made about his sexual orientation": As already explained, it was comment, singular, a simple statement of fact: Fred was gay. For the people who were not at the assembly but who were copied on the email, this phrasing could imply I was soapboxing or even going into detail that would indeed be inappropriate for the age of the audience. But referencing sexual orientation is not referencing sex.
• "This parent's daughter was very uncomfortable": The child was uncomfortable because the parent—whether through modeling or explicit instruction—taught her to be. Children are not born intolerant.
• "school assembly for 1st-5th graders": I did not mention Fred's sexual orientation (or Fred) to grades 1 and 2—but only because I cut out a lot of the detective story for kids that age. It's purely logistical. I'd happily address homosexuality (and the nuances of other points I omit) in an age-appropriate way to kids of any age, but presenters always have to weigh the value of including a point versus the time it will take to sensitively explain it when compared against other points we want to make.
• "I reviewed your website and was excited about the connections we would make to encourage reading": Yet the principal did not indicate to the administrators that this is precisely what the kids got. (See the last line of the article above.)
• "increased my resolve to ask direct questions and avoid potential issues": I hope this does not mean that the principal will be asking potential future presenters in advance if they will mention a person's sexual orientation (or religion, or race, or...). Denying kids the benefit of a good author talk because of one issue that the unenlightened may object to (and that is not the main topic of the talk) is a colossal disservice to our future leaders, and to ourselves as well. 

In short: it's prejudiced. 

Every adult has a responsibility to model empathy for every child.

There may be kids at this school who have an openly gay parent or two gay parents. There are definitely kids at this school who are gay themselves, even though they may not know it yet. I am equal parts disappointed and enraged that they are in a school system where simply mentioning this aspect of themselves could be a "potential issue." But based on my experiences in schools in all parts of the country, I am confident in the ability of 21st century youth to be proud of who they are and to speak up against injustice.

Still, when doing so, they need the support of adults.

I debated replying to the principal and others copied on the email with some form of the above. But ultimately I decided that short is best. The point here is not the one point one person disliked (an opinion that probably won't change no matter what I say) but rather the merit of the experience as a whole for the majority. So this was my reply:

Thank you again for having me at your school. I had a lovely time; the kids were enthusiastic and engaged. In case you missed this, here is how the local paper covered my visit. [hyperlinked]

What did you and your staff think of my presentation?

As of this writing, I have not heard back.

But if I do, and the response is along the same lines as the initial email, I will direct the person responding to this post.

9/27/17 addendum: I directed the principal and the principal's colleagues to this post. The principal thanked me. That was it.

Only known video of Bill Finger's son Fred

In 2011, halfway between the time I sold the manuscript for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (2010) and the time the book came out (2012), someone posted a most interesting comment on my blog…under my first-ever post about Bill Finger (2008).

This kind soul said Fred Finger was interviewed for a TV show in the late 1980s.

I was not trying to find Fred Finger footage because it never occurred to me that there would be any.

Think of the multiple levels of luck required for this to happen.

This person had to...

a) watch this BBC show
b) remember it 22 years later
c) happen upon my blog
d) take the time not only to tell me about the show but to find and include a link

And I still don't know who he is.

The clip is part of the 6/15/89 episode of a BBC show called The Late Show, which ran about 40 minutes and aired a week shy of the debut of Tim Burton's Batman.

Fantastic as it was to hear Fred's voice, and as articulate as he was, nothing he said led to a change in what I'd already written. However, a clip of me first showing this clip to Fred's daughter Athena made it into Batman & Bill. Though the already short clip is seen/heard only in passing in the doc, it's one of my favorite scenes.

Fred's appearance in full:

Three boroughs/four records offices in one summer’s day

On 8/17/06 (a decade ago today), I was a human pinball. I made a hot mad dash around New York City in search of various vital records of Bill Finger’s family.

It felt like I did an inhuman amount in one day, and looking back, I was surprised to see that I didn’t even get started on the intensive portion till midday. The timeline:

9 a.m. Leonard Grossman’s apartment to watch short video of a 1950s DC Comics holiday party to see if Bill made an appearance, Leonard’s father was cartoonist Rube Grossman, who amassed quite a collection of Golden Age comics art

11 a.m. short meeting at Nickelodeon (where I was freelancing at the time)

11:30 Midtown Comics

12 p.m. Manhattan City Clerk to look for the marriage certificate of Bill and his first wife Portia, but they search only three years for $15 and I have a larger range, 1940-1948, so I planned to find out more and come back

2 p.m. Queens Surrogate’s Court to look for the will of Bill’s father Louis, but it was not there; according to the Death Index, Louis died in Queens, but according to Social Security, he died in Brooklyn, so I shot over (via LIRR and subway) to…

3:15 p.m. Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court to look for the wills of both Louis and Bill’s son Fred, who died in 1992 (the most recent of all Finger deaths); however, Louis’s was not there, either; on the court’s computer, I tried “Frederic Finger”—no hits; then “Fred Finger”—no hits; finally just “Finger” (what possessed me, I don’t know)…and he finally turned up; it was not a will but rather a seemingly similar document called a settlement of estate, only two pages; the person to whom Fred bequeathed his possessions was new to me: Charles Dennis Shaheen; I was lucky that (a) Fred left this document, (b) I found this document, (c) it had a name, (d) the name was not so common, which makes it easier to search for online; more this fall on Fred’s will...

4 p.m. Manhattan Surrogate’s Court to look for the wills of Bill or his first wife Portia; I figured neither would be there and I was right

5 p.m. back to Brooklyn to go to Fred’s (and Charles’s) last known address, 388 Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens; first called information but Charles’s number was unlisted at the customer’s request; I took that as a sign that Charles was still alive and still in Brooklyn; got to the brownstone on a lovely street and could not see a name on the door; I asked two young smokers next door if they knew if a “Charles” lived here and they said yes; when I asked a couple more questions they directed me to his restaurant (another good sign—Fred was a chef), around the corner; they asked if I am with the IRS; sign at restaurant read “Gone Fishing” so I went back to the brownstone; then I learned the Charles there is not Charles Shaheen; this was pre-iPhone, so I had to wait till I was home to search online, at which point I learned that Shaheen had died in 2002

The day’s travels, in sum:

Manhattan
Queens
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Brooklyn
Manhattan

(Told you I was a pinball.)

The differences among the various offices in accessing vital records were baffling.

Related: at the Queens and Brooklyn courts, they held my voice recorder, but not at the Manhattan court.

But the important thing: learning that Shaheen was dead meant I was inadvertently on the track to helping Bill’s granddaughter receive Batman royalties. Except I did not yet know Bill had a granddaughter...

The Everest of school visits

On the first day of 2016, I flew to India for third time within a year for my third stint at the American School of Bombay. I taught creative writing three times a day for five days, and capped it with a most unusual and unexpected speaking gig.

I’d stayed the week at a Sofitel hotel and on my first day, a restaurant manager struck up a conversation. When I said I am a writer, he asked if I’d present to the staff about my work. (On his list of suggested topics I could cover: calligraphy. I quickly disabused him of the notion that I had any knowledge of that.) I said I’d be happy to but questioned if anyone would be interested. He assured me that people would and he was right:

I learned this was part of the hotel’s monthly “voices” program which revolves around a different speaker each time—sometimes guests, sometimes locals.

On 1/9/16, I was off to a first for me: Nepal, to speak at two international schools in Kathmandu—Lincoln School and the British School.

The country is still reeling from the earthquake (and aftershocks) of 2015. Evidence of it is visible fairly often, but it’s far from a city of rubble. In some cases what I took for quake damage was actually new construction in progress. (Neither school had lost any staff or students in the quake, though both, I believe, lost a significant number afterward, due to urgent relocation.)

At one point, a Nepali I was with indicated a man on the street near us and said “He’s a rich man. He has an ax.”

Glimpses of my Nepal, starting with my first step there:

The airport:

Earthquake damage:

Due to fallout from the quake, some people ride the bus like this:

Small shops are rampant, this one on the scenic drive up a mountain to a spot called Nagarkot, where Everest could be visible if weather cooperates:

The Mount Everest Youth Club:

A five-star resort with a great view...but, since the quake, a drop in guests:

Two of my kind hosts, Lincoln School elementary school principal Ken Fernandez and his wife Cri:

If not for clouds, you would see Mount Everest behind me:

Great view of the Himalayas on this postcard of my hotel, Hotel Greenwich Village...but not in real life:

To go on an hourlong Mount Everest fly-by, I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. Since the quake, Nepal is enduring load-shedding, meaning times when the power is cut to conserve. Currently it is for six hours a day but there is talk it will increase to eighteen.

We were supposed to be at the airport by 5:45 for a 6:45 departure...
 

...but were instead in for a parade of delays:

Named for one of the biggest myths, one of the tiniest gift shops:

 

The plane finally took off...at 11 a.m. It seats about 20.

The air sickness bag leaves as little to the imagination as vomiting does to the stomach:

View of Everest from the cockpit...

...and from my seat:

(It is the one to the left of the peak that looks like it is smoking.)

At Pashupatinath Temple, a holy site for Hindus, bodies from the four castes are cremated steadily. It takes a male body 2.5 hours to burn fully, a female three. Then the ashes are set adrift in the river. Among family of the deceased, crying is not allowed. After the quake, the site could not keep up with the need, forcing mass cremations. The men who perform the ritual are professionals:

The hospice on site:

Holy men live here:

It will be hard to spot me here:

Bouddhanath Stupa, a sacred Buddhist (and UNESCO World Heritage) site, which was damaged in the quake (“stupa” refers to the domelike structure):

At Lincoln, the time to change classes is announced by a handheld gong:

One class greeted me with a cool sign (complete with credit to Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman artist Ty Templeton) and bats with every student:

Part of the garden behind Ken and Cri’s house:

A charming bakery that would also be right at home in Soho:

I have not seen tangles of wires and cables like this:

A new friend, midair:

Music, movies...and moos:

Another cow:

Jeremiah O’Sullivan, the risk-taking Lincoln librarian who brought me in, bore an uncanny resemblance to Bill Finger’s son Fred, and was game to pose like him: 

Less than a year earlier at the British School, on this spot stood another author...by name of J.K. Rowling:

 The Cinema Times

My kind librarian host at the British School, Sunita Chitrakar:

The oldest high school in Nepal:

Good marketing on this brand of Himalayan bottled water:

One of the days I was in Kathmandu, elsewhere in the city a leopard walked into someone’s house. Just walked in:
 

Fires in the street represent hope in the future for this lovely country.