Comics on Infinite Minds

For every kid who would eventually get into comics, the first one he remembers owning is his equivalent of Action Comics #1—a seismic shift in his personal pop culture ecosystem. I remember mine—the otherwise unremarkable Superman Family #196 (7-8/79).

 

Then there are other comics that, while not my first, are still lodged in the nostalgia lobe. I remember staring at the cover of Flash #269 (1/79), with Kid Flash and dinosaurs, on the magazine rack within the old-fashioned pharmacy-luncheonette my dad ran in New Haven.

 

I remember the first issue that came in the mail of the only comic I ever had a subscription to: Super Friends (#32, 5/80). (The comic in general was actually quite a bit more sophisticated than the Saturday morning cartoon it was based on; it featured many and sometimes obscure guest stars including TNT with Dan the Dyna-Mite and Black Orchid.)

 

And I remember each of the first issues I bought of what would become my three favorite series: Justice League of America (#189, 4/81), The Brave and the Bold (#178, with the Creeper; 9/81), and DC Comics Presents (#38, with the Flash; 10/81). 




Soon began my ongoing hunt for back issues, which in the eBay age now seems quaint. Kids going forward won’t know quite the same thrill when finding The Brave and the Bold #139 (with Hawkman and Commissioner Gordon) among a random assortment strewn on a table in a small bookstore or stumbling upon DC Comics Presents #17, co-starring an electrifying (or, more precisely, transmogrifying) new character, Firestorm, in a back issue bin.



Yet forced to choose the title that impacted me the most, I must revisit a period of massive disruption in the time-space continuum (and not just because it was the year of my bar mitzvah). Not one but two blockbusters that came out in 1985 became my all-time favorites. One was Back to the Future, which for this purpose doesn’t count. The other was Crisis on Infinite Earths.

 

Given the various series I mentioned above, most of which were team-up or just plan team titles, this would seem consistent. Except there’d never been a gathering of characters like what Crisis delivered. The lineup on the first cover, a wraparound, was an invigorating jolt. Among those appearing: Geo-Force. John Stewart Green Lantern. Killer Frost. Obsidian. Solovar. Who the heck was Psimon? And where was (Earth-One) Superman? Wonder Woman? Batman? (I believe the guy in the blue cape tucked away on the back, small, and facing away from the camera is Owlman.)

The combinations of heroes and villains within was irresistible. I’d loved to see the permutations when the Justice League or even the Super Friends would split up (why didn’t Batman and Robin ever pair off with Hawkman and Hawkgirl?), and this was on a far grander scale. Leave it to me to bring up a game-changer like Crisis but focus on something as minor as grouping.

The action felt cinematic and the emotion felt real. Even at the often-indifferent age of 13, I was moved by little details in the cosmic epic—sometimes multiple details within the same scene: The way Superman screamed when Supergirl died. The way he positioned his hands when kneeling before her cape-wrapped corpse. The way a few plaintive tufts of snow flung out behind him when he launched to carry her to the stars. The heavens, rather,

I was even inspired to create my own Crisis comic book. Alas, I did not save it. However, I do remember the characters I included in the first scene: Batgirl, Eclipso, and the Wonder Twins. On second thought, perhaps it’s better that I didn’t save it…

Then came the break-up. In 1987, at the 7-Eleven in my Connecticut hometown, I noticed Justice League #1 on the lowest tier of the magazine rack.

 

It featured heroes who’d never been in the League before; I was especially intrigued by the inclusion of Captain Marvel, Dr. Fate, and Mr. Miracle. But I was a freshman in high school and I think I thought comics and I should start seeing other people, so I didn’t buy it. And this began a comics drought that lasted until 1993.

One last comic from my formative year that remains special is yet another team book: Batman and the Outsiders #24 (8/85).

 

In case you didn’t immediately recall the connection, yes, that issue contained a letter by yours truly. I don’t remember if it was the only time I’d written to a comic, but I know for sure it was the only time a comic printed my letter.

 
Today I call it my first DC writing credit.

Thank you to Rob Kelly of the Aquaman Shrine for granting me permission to post this, a version of which would later appear in one of his labors of love.

“Bill the Boy Wonder” book giveaway—win in six words!

It’s about two weeks till July 1, the official release date of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. (Amazon, however, has been shipping it for at least a month—earliest I heard from someone who’d received it was 5/16/12.)

So let’s count down with a contest.

It’s very simple.

In the comments section below, describe Bill Finger’s legacy…in exactly six words. (Speaking of credit, thank you, Smith Magazine.)

For example: “Add Finger’s name. Bill Bob Kane.”

I will give away signed copies of the book to the three people whose responses I like the best. (Get your random drawings elsewhere.)

Anything other than six words is ineligible. Important: Please either include your e-mail address or e-mail me separately (my e-mail is at top right) repeating your entry; if I cannot reach you, you cannot win!

If you are competitive, please spread the word!

The deadline is June 30, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Winners will be announced here on July 1.

Books will be sent the following week.

And hopefully Bill’s story will be shared forevermore.

7/1/12 addendum: the winners.

Only known surviving note that Bill Finger wrote

Much has been made (by me, anyway) about how few photos of himself Bill Finger (uncredited co-creator of Batman) left behind upon his death in 1974.

Early on, I realized something that was even scarcer: Bill’s handwriting. We have plenty of Bill’s writing, of course, but almost all of it is fictional (and typed).

But what would a personal note that he wrote reveal?

The only sample of his handwriting I’d seen was his signature on a 1963 note that Mike Catron had posted:

 
I’m no handwriting analyst so I can’t say what the curvature of his penmanship suggests about his character. Still, it was exciting to see it…until I learned of something better. Far better.

In 2006, early Batman ghost artist and Joker co-creator Jerry Robinson told me that he still has a guest book from an apartment he shared with other comic book artists in the 1940s. He said it’s filled with comments (and sketches!) by an A-list who’s who of the Golden Age (my phrasing, not his). And he said that includes Bill Finger.

On 8/12/06, when I went to Jerry’s to talk more about Bill, I asked to see the guest book. It is a peerless trove of off-the-grid comics history that would give whiplash to any fanboys with a sense of posterity. Some of the pages were loose and I urged Jerry (not that he needed a reminder) to continue to keep it safe so one day a copy of it might be shared with fandom.

Jerry generously allowed me to copy Bill’s page. I won’t yet say more about what Bill wrote because the page appears in its entirety on the last page of my book.

 
What I can say is how glad I am that I copied it when I did.

In 2010, I asked Jerry if I could re-copy the page because we needed a more high-res scan for reproduction (when I first copied it in 2006, I had not yet written the book and was so excited to get permission to copy the guest book page that I didn’t think of print quality).

I was aghast to learn that the guest book had since gone missing.

Later that year, the book resurfaced…but Bill’s page was still missing.

I suspected the book had been sent out to be scanned for Jerry’s autobiography (which came out in 2010) but couldn’t believe anyone involved could have been careless enough to let this happen. (And ultimately the Bill page did not appear in the autobiography.)

In any case, this unfortunate fluke made me the only known person in the world with a copy of this note. And as far as I know, I still am.

Incidentally, I have also dug up some personal (but typed) correspondence of Bill’s, featuring not only more signatures but some fantastic, previously unknown insight into Bill’s personality—including a Bob Kane moment that will make fans cheer. But this, too, will have to wait until my book comes out—one of those letters is quoted there, and the rest I will post here.

12/5/16 addendum: what else Bill Finger left behind.

"Bill the Boy Wonder" ads in PW Comics World

The 6/12/12 edition of the PW Comics World e-letter contains a barrage of ads for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, each cool in a different way. In order of appearance:






Thank you, Charlesbridge!

Types of book titles I avoid using

Writers want their prose and their plots to be memorable. Why would it be different with their titles?

Below are a few types of titles I avoid in my writing. Regarding the examples I give, my criticism refers only to the titles, not the books/movies/TV shows/songs themselves, many of which are wonderful if not classics. And there are exceptions within my own work, such as Vanished: True Stories of the Missing—though I didn’t choose that title!

single words

reason: “Rosebud” aside, a single word is most likely not memorable, or even original. Search any word on Amazon and most have probably already been the title of a book.
note: This category also includes single words with “the” (The Goats—great book, by the way).
exceptions: Made-up words like Dinotopia or “Sussudio” because those are something we haven’t heard before.

two names

examples: Hondo and Fabian, Franny and Zoey, Laverne & Shirley, Lilo & Stitch.
exceptions: None really, but at least the names in the above examples are atypical.
reason: Names alone don’t reveal character—or anything about a story.

common phrases

examples: “No Way Out,” “Home Sweet Home,” “Time for Bed,” every song title on Bryan Adams’s album Into the Fire.
reason: Same as for “single words.”

"The Man/Woman/Boy/Girl Who…"

examples: The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Woman Who Wasn't There, The Boy Who Changed the World, The Girl Who Played with Fire.
reason: The character trait or accomplishment such titles single out usually seems more universal than the author may have intended. In other words, there are many boys who changed the world. I’d rather see a title that captures the essence of a person in a more specific way, or at least one that presents a fresh turn of a phrase, however inscrutable at first.

Lest it seem that I’m only being critical, think of it this way: by pointing out these types of titles, I’m also saying that the majority of titles do win points with me—namely, everything but the above.

"Biographer of Underdogs"

That is the title of the podcast episode I recorded with "The Book of Life" in Miami in February 2012. I love it, especially since the underdogs that podcaster Heidi Rabinowitz Estrin are referring to are creators of the opposite of underdog—superheroes.

Pitching a Batman book to places named Gotham

Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman tells a true story that took place in Cleveland. I contacted hotels there to pitch the book as part of a hometown pride package deal, and there was interest.

Now I'm doing the same with Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, except the venue has changed. That one took place in New York—probably the most challenging city in America to organize anything like this.

Still, I try, and here are the venues I approached:

Gotham Bar and Grill

Gotham Hall

Gotham Hotel

Gotham Comedy Club

(This Gotham Hall is in Los Angeles.)

If you know of any other venues with "Gotham" in the name, no matter where they are, please let me know. And check back to see if any say yes...

The ones that didn't get away

I’ve blogged about the frustration of certain people dying before they’ve been interviewed about a subject on which they are an authority.

Here’s the flip side.

I began researching Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman in 2006. A priority was to talk with the people who knew Bill Finger personally, especially people who had never been interviewed about him.

I found more than I was expecting. And because Bill was born in 1914, most of his surviving contemporaries were in their eighties.

As to be expected, some who knew Bill well had died before I started the book—indeed, some before I was an author at all. And eerily, one—George Kashdan—died the very week in 2006 that it was suggested I reach out to him.

As of this writing, five more integral to preserving Bill’s legacy have passed away after helping with my research. And what an illustrious group:

Jerry Bails (died 2006)
Arnold Drake (2007)
Tom Fagan (2008)
Alvin Schwartz (2011)
Jerry Robinson (2011)

Others I talked to who have also since passed away include Martin Nodell (2006), Lew Sayre Schwartz (2011), and Sheldon Moldoff (2012).

I wish these gentlemen—especially the Jerrys—could have lived to see their old friend and colleague further honored in the form of my book. I was immensely grateful for the time they all devoted, and happy that I got to capture a bit of each of them not only for Bill’s sake but for posterity in general.

Thank you, Ty Templeton

Bob Kane had Bill Finger.

Batman had Robin.

I had Ty Templeton.

We all lucked out.

Technically, the above is not a seamless parallel; Ty was not my anonymous contributor nor my sidekick, but rather my always-reliable partner in creating Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.

(Batman has actually had multiple "work partners"—Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl, Nightwing, Ace the Bat-Hound, to name a few—and I did, too; all of them are thanked in the book and some will be thanked again here.)

But back to Ty...

I first e-mailed him on 3/11/10 to tell him that I was looking for an illustrator for the project and that he was on my short list. An excerpt from his kind reply: "You couldn't find a more sympathetic soul for the plight of Finger's legacy than myself."

If that (plus talent) wouldn't sell you, nothing would.

(To be clear, the illustrator decision was not mine alone, but it did not take much convincing.)

As of this writing, Ty and I have not met in person or even talked on the phone. The vagaries of illustrated publishing...

Here is a photo I lifted from Ty's blog. I hope to be able to post a similar photo but with me as well, before long.

A public thank you, Ty, for acing this book.

"Children's Galleys to Grab: BEA 2012"

Publishers Weekly included Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman on its list of "Children's Galleys to Grab" at BookExpo America 2012.

PW: "[The book] unmasks Bill Finger, the unsung writer who helped dream up the caped crusader."

Special deliveries in Brooklyn and Batmanhattan

On 6/3/12, six years to the month that I “found” the esteemed Charles Sinclair, longtime friend and writing partner of Bill Finger, I hand-delivered a copy of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman to him at his Brooklyn home. Charles was the first person I found in my research and is now the first of three people in the dedication.

Charles is standing in front of a desk which, I only then learned, was once Bill’s. When I asked why Charles didn’t mention that before, he said with a chuckle, “You didn’t ask.” Sounds like I now have to walk around his house and inquire about literally every object.

The same day, in Manhattan, I also delivered a copy to comics legend (in part for being the first artist of the “New Look” Batman in 1964) Carmine Infantino. As has become standard whenever I talk with Carmine, I was treated to a bit of comics history.

Both men are so gracious and so entertaining. It was important to me to give them their copies of the book in the flesh.

I made one more stop in Manhattan, again to pay tribute—but that time, not to a person. I went to the building on East 51st Street where Bill lived at the end of his life—in fact, the building in which he died.

Coincidentally, I’d stood in front of that very building a year and a day ago when we were filming the documentary.

"Comics Interview Super Special: Batman—Real Origins of the Dark Knight"

This 1989 edition of David Anthony Kraft’s magazine comprises a meaty collection of material that alternately bolsters and insults Bill Finger.

Here are a few examples, most from the Bob Kane interview:

• The names of all the main players are bolded—except Bill Finger’s. Surely only an oversight, but a disappointing (and odd) one.
• Bob did not even know when his onetime partner died: “I guess in the ‘60s.” (Correct answer: 1974.)
• Bob: “I’m a very honest person with a lot of integrity” (Correct answer: No, you weren’t.)
• Shockingly, 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. I came up with the Riddler and the Joker. Maybe Penguin was mine—time erodes the memory.” He uncharacteristically credited Bill with creating Penguin and Catwoman but then slipped back into his familiar refrains—and even took back what he just gave.

In one respect, Bob is right—time does erode memory. However, that’s a convenient cover. Bob had been laying claim to most everything Batman all along, so this vagueness seems even more insincere than usual.

Elsewhere between the same covers is the lone print interview with Bill’s son Fred; in it, Fred relays the story he’d been told of how his dad (and mom!) created the Penguin. Jerry Robinson has credited Bill with creating all of the classic villains except the Joker (see next paragraph); in any case, there is no question that Bill wrote the first Joker story. And no less reputable a source than editor Julius Schwartz gave Bill sole credit for the Riddler.

Later in the issue is an anecdote about Bill telling DC Comics writer/editor/continuity guru E. Nelson Bridwell that he recalled when an excited Jerry Robinson told him (Bill) about a new character called the Joker. Bill liked the idea but not the playing-card-styled drawing and produced a photo of Conrad Veidt in the 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs—which does strongly resemble the Joker as he looked in his debut and subsequent early appearances.

Given Bridwell’s legendary encyclopedic comics knowledge and what seems like a reputation for integrity, this seems like a particularly reliable account of this oft-disputed creation story.

"Bill the Boy Wonder" reveals…

…Bill’s given first name and why he changed it
…the only known note in Bill’s handwriting, reproduced in its entirety
...who received Batman royalties for Bill’s work
…two Bill quotations from private correspondence (with more to come on this blog)
…Bill’s yearbook photo!
…other previously unpublished photos (with more to come on this blog)
…exactly when and how Bill died

…a persistent rumor about Bill’s remains is wrong…and the truth is visually chilling

...Bill had a second wife
…the only known mainstream press mention of Bill in his lifetime (The New Yorker)
…the only known time between 1939 and 1963 that Bill’s name appeared in a Batman comic…sort of…
…more than one example of entries from Bill’s famed “gimmick books” (Alvin Schwartz mentioned one online but the others come from Bill’s longtime friend Charles Sinclair)
…one strategy Bill employed to generate ideas
…Bill’s endearing nickname for his son Fred
…what Bill liked to eat late at night
…what Bill kept on his desk (more on that here)

And most startling of all:

…the lone and previously unknown heir to Bill Finger…and therefore Batman: how I found her and who she is

And for all of above, my book is the only print source.

Not only what Finger did, what Kane did NOT do

To those who would argue anything other than Bill Finger’s name first is the only proper Batman credit, we must remind ourselves not only of what Finger did (design the costume, write the first story, dream up the groundbreaking origin, build the bat-motif, write the debuts of Robin, Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, and others) but also what Bob Kane did not do (write a single Batman story).

Artist Jerry Robinson, who (professionally) went as far back with Finger and Kane as possible, said that Finger “had more to do with the molding of Batman than Bob.” But you don’t need to take even his word for it since Kane himself admitted as much in his 1989 autobiography.

And this quotation (which I have posted here before but which bears much repeating) from Finger friend and fellow Golden Age writer Alvin Schwartz is perhaps even more telling: “Without Bill Finger, there wouldn’t have been any Bob Kane.”

Bill Finger and a potentially gay Green Lantern

Recently DC Comics announced that one of their top-tier male properties, previously heterosexual, would be reintroduced as gay. Comics press speculation points heavily toward Alan Scott, AKA the original Green Lantern, whose original writer was Bill Finger.

1941 Alan Scott debut

2012 Alan Scott re-debut

Just because it’s proving to be an effective PR hook doesn’t mean there wasn’t an organic reason for going this route. As always, what matters most is the story: it must be good.

What would Bill Finger think of one of his creations coming out? Because he died in 1974, we will never know.

However, I suspect he would have been more at peace with it than many of his generation (born 1914) at least in part because Bill’s only child, Fred, was gay, and his first wife Portia had a strong connection to the gay community.

I have been told that Bill did struggle with Fred’s homosexuality to some degree, but I don’t know if it was ongoing or only for a period immediately after Bill found out. Despite some indications of semi-estrangement, I do believe that ultimately, the relationship between Bill and Fred was one of mutual respect.

If the character in question does prove to be Alan Scott, it will mean that two of Bill Finger’s sons were gay. Of course Bill didn’t choose the sexual orientation for either, but somehow it still makes him seem progressive, like so much else about his work.

Siegel and Shuster action figures (mail-in bonus: Bill Finger!)

Over the last fifteen years, the range of action figures produced has diversified in wild ways, in part thanks to companies like McFarlane Toys, NECA, and Accoutrements. It's not just G.I. Joe and Star Wars anymore:



Because of this, and because of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, I was inspired to pitch the idea of superhero creator action figures, starting, of course, with Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Bill Finger. Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde got the nod, so why not some 20th century creatives with significant cultural impact?

Action figures are traditionally a province of superheroes, so it’s a no-brainer both thematically and strategically to give creators of some of these characters the same treatment. Plus such figures could be put to good use beyond pleasing fanboys.

Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and their families have been involved in litigation over Superman on and off since 1947; Bill Finger never got that far. A portion of proceeds of figures made of them could go toward legal fees or simply into a fund for the heirs. Would not be big money, but every little bit helps.

What do you think?

“Short Interviews with Interesting People”

Checkpoint, a new site that promotes “Short Interviews with Interesting People,” kindly interviewed me about Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.

Extra points for titling it “NobleBatman.”

An excerpt:

What prompted you to write your latest book, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman?

As a lifelong superhero fan, the chance to write professionally about Batman (like Superman before him) was in the “dream come true” neighborhood. As an author, the chance to write a story about a subject well known in one respect but completely mysterious in another was an exhilarating challenge. As a marketing person, the chance to write a nonfiction book on a subject that hasn’t been the focus of its own book before was strategically appealing.

"...so memorable...will make the lasting impression he deserves"

The first official review!

Kirkus Reviews 5/15/12

It turns out that Batman—the orphaned, shadowy, well-heeled defender of an embattled Gotham—had another embarrassment of riches: two fathers.

Spend any time with Batman in DC Comics and you will have seen it: “Created by Bob Kane.” Only half true. Cartoonist Bob did come up with a prototype, but it was writer Bill Finger who fashioned Batman into the night-tripping, class-and-trash, hero-and-villain intimidator in the pointy-eared cowl whom we have come to love, the superhero without superpowers. This testament to credit due from Nobleman is seriously researched—as the six-page author’s note attests—yet light on its feet, and the artwork from Templeton has all the lush, emotive brushwork one expects from Batman. But what makes this sketch of Finger so memorable is its intimacy with the characters, the way in which it coaxes out an engaging vulnerability in Finger and, by association, with Batman. “Bob’s greatest talent may have been the ability to recognize other talent. His greatest flaw may have been the inability to honor that talent. Bill’s greatest flaw may have been the inability to defend his talent. His greatest talent was the ability to forge legends.”

Though Finger has been a known commodity to comics cognoscenti for years, this salute in his own format will make the lasting impression he deserves. (Graphic biography. 8 & up)

[Emphases mine.]

Reactions to my Nevada Reading Week keynote and workshops

On 2/11/12, I spoke three times at my third Nevada Reading Week Conference in Reno. The theme was “Make a Date with History,” and I felt right at home because I do that for a living.

After, the organizers of the conference send the presenters feedback from the attendees; it comes anonymously on thin handwritten slips.

This year, I gave a diverse, hourlong keynote; a small part of it was my story of trying to publish a story I’m particularly passionate about.

Of all the topics I covered, I was thrilled to see that many people enthusiastically singled out that story, Thirty Minutes Over Oregon.

Here are some of my favorite comments about the book-to-hopefully-be:

Selected transcriptions (Thirty Minutes Over Oregon):

"Very interesting—this is great history no one knows about. I hope it will be published soon."

"I am interested in Thirty Minutes Over Oregon. Hopefully it will be published."

"Want to read Thirty Minutes Over Oregon."

"Especially poignant was the publishing process story of the Japanese [pilot] who bombed Oregon."

"The Japanese bomber story was amazing."

"Hope the Oregon book goes public."

"Loved his story about Thirty Minutes Over Oregon and hope it gets published."

"Interesting Oregon bombing story!"

"The sad story of a great story not yet finding a publisher."

This round bodes as well as the first in assuring me that a sizable and eager audience does indeed exist for this story.

The other keynote feedback I was fortunate to receive was as humbling; a selection:

Selected transcriptions (keynote):

"Wow—Marc was awesome...he has done some awesome research to share with the world."

"Great stories. Human side of writers. Humble. Caring. Genuine."

"Second time I've seen him—just as good as the first! Superheroes are not my thing but Marc made them so interesting."

"Great speaker! What a charming story."

"Great storyteller! Can't wait to read his books!"

"Interesting, inspiring, thorough, and clever."

"Riveting keynote!"

"He is funny! Great presenter!"

"Marc so naturally brought forth his passion...also he certainly show[ed] how caring for others brings satisfaction."

"Terrific comic book and superhero historian."

"Very entertaining. Great details. Interesting information. Very thorough."

"It made me want to buy his books. His humor was fun."

"Loved the show of emotion."

"Quite an entertaining talk!"

"I enjoyed his passion."

"Wonderful humor."

"He was real and used material that was important and relevant to students."

"Excellent. Very interesting!"

"Loved his honesty as a writer."

"Very funny and entertaining...also very passionate."

"Overall terrific presentation."

"Extremely interesting."

Selected feedback on my workshops:

Selected transcriptions (workshops):

"Another excellent presentation by Marc Tyler Nobleman."

"Engaging speaker. Great stories."

"Energizing and delightful."

"Very enjoyable. Will be looking at his blog!"

"Encouraging and creative ideas to use nonfiction in the classroom."

"Marc gives great, specific details. Wonderful presenter!"

Thank you again for having me, NRW. You know I will come back anytime.

Celebrity doppelgangers

Authors’ public presence is usually low-watt compared to other entertainers such as actors and musicians. Most authors do not get recognized on the street. Certainly not this one:
 But at some point, most of us hear that we look like someone famous. Over the years, I’ve gotten a broad range. While I was flattered by most of these impressions, frankly, I didn’t see it with any of them beforehand.

According to camp friends in 1987:

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick)

Don’t always remember who said it, but have gotten most of these multiple times (coincidentally, all are comedians):

Bob Saget

Ben Stiller

Jerry Seinfeld

Seth Meyers

Will Arnett

B.J. Novak

Paul Rudd

According to kids at schools I’ve spoken at since 2008:

Tom Cavanaugh

Steve Nash

 

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman; I’m laughing, too;
granted I don’t shave every day, but still…)

Superman (yes, laughing again, 
but at the same time, honored)

According to a four-year-old I know:

Sean Hopper (Huey Lewis and the News)

According to a TSA agent in Dallas, 5/6/15:

Doug Flutie

According to the publicity department at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 5/5/17:

Hank Azaria

And still more:

Walton Goggins

 Rick Springfield

Oh, to be completist, a high school friend said the guy at the end of this commercial reminded her of me: