Librarian and children’s book prophet Mr. Schu (secret identity: John Schumacher) kindly interviewed me about Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, including some of the most fun questions I’ve been asked about the book, including “Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about...”
Oh, Mr. Schu read more books last year than you…and me…and those three other guys…combined. I think he read a complete book just since you have been reading this post.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Superman after Shabbat, Batman on the bimah
The fall of 2012, I was in synagogue a lot. I’m talking beyond the High Holy Days.
On 10/21/12, I spoke about Superman at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD.
On 10/28/12 (as the hurricane Sandy approached), I spoke about Superman and Batman at Adas Israel in Washington DC.
On 11/11/12, I returned to Beth El in Bethesda, MD. In the spring, I had spoken there on Superman. This time it was Batman.
After my Beth Ami talk, a young woman told me she’d recently learned the American Sign Language sign for Superman. It was so cool and something that had never occurred to me. (I also learned that Batman doesn’t have his own.)
My kind host at Adas told me that some of its nursery school kids would wait in front of the electronic bulletin board in the lobby for the Superman/Batman advertisement to come on. Adorkable. (To be clear, I’m the dork. They’re the rest.)
On 10/21/12, I spoke about Superman at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD.
On 10/28/12 (as the hurricane Sandy approached), I spoke about Superman and Batman at Adas Israel in Washington DC.
On 11/11/12, I returned to Beth El in Bethesda, MD. In the spring, I had spoken there on Superman. This time it was Batman.
© Mitchell Solkowitz
After my Beth Ami talk, a young woman told me she’d recently learned the American Sign Language sign for Superman. It was so cool and something that had never occurred to me. (I also learned that Batman doesn’t have his own.)
My kind host at Adas told me that some of its nursery school kids would wait in front of the electronic bulletin board in the lobby for the Superman/Batman advertisement to come on. Adorkable. (To be clear, I’m the dork. They’re the rest.)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Marc into March Into Reading
I was so dedicated to the cause that midway through, I changed my name in honor of it:
It was my first book event in a long time at which I had not met any of the other participating authors before. Of course it’s great to see existing friends but also great to make new ones. The gentleman I spoke with the most was David Biedrzycki, with whom I share an editor.
the authors, staff, and volunteers
Each author spoke at schools three times on Friday, enjoyed a lovely home-cooked dinner at a private home that night, and signed books for the public on Saturday morning.
My favorite student question of the presentation day was from a sixth grader at Cluny School: “Do you hate Bob Kane or do you think there was anything good about him?” (She worded it better but her exact phrasing escapes me.)
I learned of a mystery that has been a centuries-long challenge to solve: the Newport Tower. Calling Joshua Prager, Brad Ricca, or Chris Barton…
TRAVEL TIP: If you forget your phone charger, no need to buy one or scramble to borrow one from a local friend or stranger. Your hotel probably has a selection to choose from; think how often people forget them there.
Thank you to all who helped organize this event, especially to Kitty Rok, Stacey Lyon, and Laura Backman. Hope to March that way again.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
National Museum of American History signing
On 11/9/12, author Larry Tye and I got the old band back together for a joint Superman signing at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC.
No presentations, no panels, apparently no publicity—just us setting up outside the gift shop and taking advantage of the nonstop traffic flow the museum gets.
I was especially curious to see a parent buying a copy of Larry’s book (which is aimed at adults) for an elementary-aged son. It is not that the book is inappropriate for someone that age; in fact I applaud parents who encourage challenging reading. Still, I don’t imagine his attention will be held by some of the more sophisticated aspects.
No presentations, no panels, apparently no publicity—just us setting up outside the gift shop and taking advantage of the nonstop traffic flow the museum gets.
I was especially curious to see a parent buying a copy of Larry’s book (which is aimed at adults) for an elementary-aged son. It is not that the book is inappropriate for someone that age; in fact I applaud parents who encourage challenging reading. Still, I don’t imagine his attention will be held by some of the more sophisticated aspects.
Monday, March 4, 2013
MTN Cartoons 1999-2013
On 11/3/99, I launched my first website.
MTN Cartoons (mtncartoons.com) was devoted mostly to my single panel cartoons (AKA gag cartoons); the page listing the books I had written did only that—list my books. No descriptions, reviews, background. It was almost an aside.
Around 2007, I set out to overhaul the site to reflect that writing had become the primary focus of my career. I bought the (pricy) design software. I bought the Dummies guide. I mapped out what I wanted.
But then in 2008, I launched this blog.
It soon began to serve my objectives in having an online presence and I decided that, at least for the time being, I didn’t need another site.
I let MTN Cartoons linger only because my primary email was through that URL. But eventually my gmail became more convenient.
So on 1/31/13, I canceled my hosting for MTN Cartoons. In a matter of days, the site was down. One of those depressing “placeholder” sites of useless links was up.
I remember being proud that I was one of the first people (let alone first cartoonists) I knew to have a site. And I’m proud that it lasted as long as it did, though I had not updated it since 2005.
I remember asking someone with web design experience about “framing” the cartoons with the blue border I ultimately used along the left side. He said it’s not the way the web works; because screen resolutions differ from computer to computer, you create a site that flows down (vertical) rather than one hindered by horizontal aesthetics.
I remember being happy with the way I showcased my cartoons, though even then it was not the most functional approach. (Of the hundreds of cartoons I’d done, I included only 30, and there was no thumbnail gallery or “view by category.” You simply clicked from one to the random next, though I did think I presented a clever way to skip ahead—three choices of “1-10,” “11-20,” and “21-30.” Ah, simpler, un-savvy days.)
I will continue to sprinkle cartoons throughout this blog, and there are plenty elsewhere online for the googling.
Here are screenshots of most of the pages, a nostalgic romp through.memorial to my contribution to Web 1.0.
MTN Cartoons (mtncartoons.com) was devoted mostly to my single panel cartoons (AKA gag cartoons); the page listing the books I had written did only that—list my books. No descriptions, reviews, background. It was almost an aside.
Around 2007, I set out to overhaul the site to reflect that writing had become the primary focus of my career. I bought the (pricy) design software. I bought the Dummies guide. I mapped out what I wanted.
But then in 2008, I launched this blog.
It soon began to serve my objectives in having an online presence and I decided that, at least for the time being, I didn’t need another site.
I let MTN Cartoons linger only because my primary email was through that URL. But eventually my gmail became more convenient.
So on 1/31/13, I canceled my hosting for MTN Cartoons. In a matter of days, the site was down. One of those depressing “placeholder” sites of useless links was up.
I remember being proud that I was one of the first people (let alone first cartoonists) I knew to have a site. And I’m proud that it lasted as long as it did, though I had not updated it since 2005.
I remember asking someone with web design experience about “framing” the cartoons with the blue border I ultimately used along the left side. He said it’s not the way the web works; because screen resolutions differ from computer to computer, you create a site that flows down (vertical) rather than one hindered by horizontal aesthetics.
I remember being happy with the way I showcased my cartoons, though even then it was not the most functional approach. (Of the hundreds of cartoons I’d done, I included only 30, and there was no thumbnail gallery or “view by category.” You simply clicked from one to the random next, though I did think I presented a clever way to skip ahead—three choices of “1-10,” “11-20,” and “21-30.” Ah, simpler, un-savvy days.)
I will continue to sprinkle cartoons throughout this blog, and there are plenty elsewhere online for the googling.
Here are screenshots of most of the pages, a nostalgic romp through.memorial to my contribution to Web 1.0.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Where Joe Shuster walked (and slept, and drew)
After a talk I gave in Washington DC in November 2011, a woman named Janice Newman came up to me to say that her father had a dental office in the Cleveland building where, in the 1940s, Joe Shuster had his art studio.
I already had a few photos of that building. Naturally I asked if she had more. But who has photos of where his/her dad worked, especially if we’re talking decades ago?
Well, Janice didn’t, but her mom, Renee Siegel (no relation to Jerry) did. Only one (taken in 1984 because the building was going to be razed), and a rather limited view, but still…that could have been the entrance Joe used.
Also, my friend Brad Ricca (author of the upcoming Siegel and Shuster bio Super Boys) dug up another pic of Joe’s apartment building. It made the front page of the newspaper in 1955, and for a reason most unlikely (not to mention tragic).
Who knows how many more photos of these buildings are out there, waiting to be revealed?
In 2009, the city and the fans commemorated the former site of Joe’s apartment building (demolished in 1975) with a fence displaying a blown-up version of the first Superman story.
Though I was not directly involved, I did encourage the decision-makers to incorporate at least one of the two known existing photos of Joe’s apartment building into the memorial. I like what was done, but I must admit (and told them) that I was disappointed they did not take that suggestion. When I make mecca to such a site, I’d prefer to see something rare—something that immerses you in the past—rather than something I can see online. My disappointment lingers but ultimately, I’m thrilled that Joe’s place gets the super treatment.
Jerry’s does, too:
I already had a few photos of that building. Naturally I asked if she had more. But who has photos of where his/her dad worked, especially if we’re talking decades ago?
Well, Janice didn’t, but her mom, Renee Siegel (no relation to Jerry) did. Only one (taken in 1984 because the building was going to be razed), and a rather limited view, but still…that could have been the entrance Joe used.
Also, my friend Brad Ricca (author of the upcoming Siegel and Shuster bio Super Boys) dug up another pic of Joe’s apartment building. It made the front page of the newspaper in 1955, and for a reason most unlikely (not to mention tragic).
Who knows how many more photos of these buildings are out there, waiting to be revealed?
In 2009, the city and the fans commemorated the former site of Joe’s apartment building (demolished in 1975) with a fence displaying a blown-up version of the first Superman story.
AP
Though I was not directly involved, I did encourage the decision-makers to incorporate at least one of the two known existing photos of Joe’s apartment building into the memorial. I like what was done, but I must admit (and told them) that I was disappointed they did not take that suggestion. When I make mecca to such a site, I’d prefer to see something rare—something that immerses you in the past—rather than something I can see online. My disappointment lingers but ultimately, I’m thrilled that Joe’s place gets the super treatment.
Jerry’s does, too:
Caped Wonder
7/4/13 addendum: I was glad to receive the following correction from a gentleman named Eric Bravo, who gave me permission to post it:
My late grandfather, Sam Berkowitz, was also born in 1914 and attended Alexander Hamilton Jr. High with Joe. I’m writing to point out a small mistake when listing the location of the art studio and office Jerry and Joe used on Euclid Avenue. While the location is always described as on Euclid “between E. 101st and E. 105th Street,” this is wrong. Brad Ricca’s book Super Boys notes the studio’s address to be 10609 Euclid, meaning that as addresses on Euclid increase go east, the studio was east of E. 105th Street, between E. 105th and E. 107th Streets. This is supported by the fact that the pictures noting the studio’s building, or a portion of it, all show a Euclid address at the bottom beginning with 105 or 106, followed by two digits. Finally, some of the pictures show a tall building at the extreme right, and this building, which still stands, is at the corner of Euclid and E. 107th. The mistake is common, and even appears at the map you show, created by others, which has the dot for the studio on Euclid to the left of E. 105th, when it should be just to the right of it.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Pop-up Batman
On 10/14/12, I had a double fortune:
The organizers concocted an ingenious way to thank us: a note that combined a signature element of both of our oeuvres.
- being one of two authors of books for young people at the West Virginia Book Festival
- meeting the other, Robert Sabuda, the staggeringly gifted creator of elaborate pop-up books
The organizers concocted an ingenious way to thank us: a note that combined a signature element of both of our oeuvres.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Alyssa the Woman Wonder
My editor for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman was the incomparable Alyssa Mito Pusey at Charlesbridge.
Alyssa is like Batman (without the cave). Like Batman, she championed the underdog, which in this case was this project. Like Batman, she was not afraid, which in this case means she stood by the book—and me—even when concerns about fair use arose. Like Batman, she trusted her partner...Robin.
Alyssa (whom I did not know previously) acquired the manuscript in 2010. Funnily, in 2008, I had written an article about the research I did for the book (an article that morphed into the author’s note). At that time, I was not yet ready to reveal the actual name of Bill’s granddaughter Athena, so I referred to her by a pseudonym: “Alyssa.”
Given the countless alternatives (Amanda, Agatha, Alissa, etc.), that has to be taken as an omen, just as Bruce Wayne took that bat flying through his window as an omen.
One of the most impressive examples of Alyssa’s editorial prowess: in this image, she caught the fact that there was one missing line in the Chinese character for virtue.
That’s some well-calibrated sonar.
In 2/13, Alyssa emailed me two photos documenting her work on the book.
The “before” photo shows all the emails, layouts, legal correspondence, etc., collected during her three years of work on the book.
The “after” photo shows the final archive, after she removed all duplicates, “unnecessary” items, etc.
It took her a full work day to put together that archive. “Now,” she concluded, “it will live down in the Charlesbridge basement forever.”
Maybe she does have a cave after all.
Happy birthday, Alyssa.
Alyssa is like Batman (without the cave). Like Batman, she championed the underdog, which in this case was this project. Like Batman, she was not afraid, which in this case means she stood by the book—and me—even when concerns about fair use arose. Like Batman, she trusted her partner...Robin.
Alyssa (whom I did not know previously) acquired the manuscript in 2010. Funnily, in 2008, I had written an article about the research I did for the book (an article that morphed into the author’s note). At that time, I was not yet ready to reveal the actual name of Bill’s granddaughter Athena, so I referred to her by a pseudonym: “Alyssa.”
Given the countless alternatives (Amanda, Agatha, Alissa, etc.), that has to be taken as an omen, just as Bruce Wayne took that bat flying through his window as an omen.
One of the most impressive examples of Alyssa’s editorial prowess: in this image, she caught the fact that there was one missing line in the Chinese character for virtue.
That’s some well-calibrated sonar.
In 2/13, Alyssa emailed me two photos documenting her work on the book.
The “before” photo shows all the emails, layouts, legal correspondence, etc., collected during her three years of work on the book.
The “after” photo shows the final archive, after she removed all duplicates, “unnecessary” items, etc.
It took her a full work day to put together that archive. “Now,” she concluded, “it will live down in the Charlesbridge basement forever.”
Maybe she does have a cave after all.
Happy birthday, Alyssa.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Ketchup books
I recently broke the story of how a peppy bunch of Colorado teachers asked a trio of authors—Alan Katz, Gordon Korman, and myself—to sign ketchup bottles one evening at a recent reading conference. Note: none of our books is about ketchup, or any other sauces for that matter.
However, I’m all for originality and, even though I was simply riding coattails of the two authors out of the three whom they’d heard of beforehand, I happily obliged.
It turns out that the ketchup saga did not end there.
One of the teachers brought the (squeezable) ketchup bottle into her classroom at Sandrock Elementary in Craig, CO, which shows how brave she is. We all know how much kids like ketchup. They should make ketchup-flavored toothpaste.
She relayed the following: “The kids…are very excited about the ketchup. We showed them…books that the three of you have written. They have started calling all of them ketchup books. When we did a poem for shared read this week they thought that it was much more exciting because of it. I had a boy in my class ask the librarian if she had any of the ketchup books that he could check out.”
She then sent us this wonderful photo, and gave me permission to post it. It is her class holding up not only the three ketchups but also books by we three authors.
I don’t know where this is headed next, but I do know it’s not the end of this condiment caper.
Same-day addendum: Teacher Allison LeWarne shared this post with the kids. She reported back that they were most preoccupied with the notion of ketchup-flavored toothpaste. This inspired a very interesting conversation which ended with the idea of mint-flavored ketchup. You tasted it here first.
However, I’m all for originality and, even though I was simply riding coattails of the two authors out of the three whom they’d heard of beforehand, I happily obliged.
It turns out that the ketchup saga did not end there.
One of the teachers brought the (squeezable) ketchup bottle into her classroom at Sandrock Elementary in Craig, CO, which shows how brave she is. We all know how much kids like ketchup. They should make ketchup-flavored toothpaste.
She relayed the following: “The kids…are very excited about the ketchup. We showed them…books that the three of you have written. They have started calling all of them ketchup books. When we did a poem for shared read this week they thought that it was much more exciting because of it. I had a boy in my class ask the librarian if she had any of the ketchup books that he could check out.”
She then sent us this wonderful photo, and gave me permission to post it. It is her class holding up not only the three ketchups but also books by we three authors.
I don’t know where this is headed next, but I do know it’s not the end of this condiment caper.
Same-day addendum: Teacher Allison LeWarne shared this post with the kids. She reported back that they were most preoccupied with the notion of ketchup-flavored toothpaste. This inspired a very interesting conversation which ended with the idea of mint-flavored ketchup. You tasted it here first.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
“Meet the Author,” Fairfax (VA) schools
On 10/4/12, I was interviewed for a TV show called Meet the Author.
From where I sat, it was called Meet the Students. During the half-hour program, I answered questions from the host and from students in the Fairfax, VA, school system. The students were not in the studio, but their questions were posed live, by Skype.
The set was decked out in honor of Jerry, Joe, and Bill.
Here are select clips from my episode. I especially like the one about the scarab. And here is the whole thing:
The show is uplinked via satellite to Fairfax Network members, broadcast via Cox Cable to over 300,000 sites in Northern Virginia, and webcast to school districts/registrants across the country. It has been running for years and boasts a prestigious list of past participants.
Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman illustrator Ty Templeton was also on TV, in Canada:
For (free) Meet the Author registration, click that link. For more info or help, contact Faithe Smith at FFXNetwork@fcps.edu.
From where I sat, it was called Meet the Students. During the half-hour program, I answered questions from the host and from students in the Fairfax, VA, school system. The students were not in the studio, but their questions were posed live, by Skype.
The set was decked out in honor of Jerry, Joe, and Bill.
Here are select clips from my episode. I especially like the one about the scarab. And here is the whole thing:
The show is uplinked via satellite to Fairfax Network members, broadcast via Cox Cable to over 300,000 sites in Northern Virginia, and webcast to school districts/registrants across the country. It has been running for years and boasts a prestigious list of past participants.
Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman illustrator Ty Templeton was also on TV, in Canada:
For (free) Meet the Author registration, click that link. For more info or help, contact Faithe Smith at FFXNetwork@fcps.edu.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
“Bill the Boy Wonder” second printing, with corrections
In January 2013, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman entered its second printing with a few dents smoothed out.
In the acknowledgments, we…
…deleted a duplicate mention (Bill Schelly)
…added an inexcusable oversight (Robert Porfirio)
…changed “Dave Kraft” to “David Anthony Kraft”
On the endsheet we corrected the last word of the Bill Finger quotation from “story” to...
And on the back cover, we added select review excerpts (as chosen by sales and marketing).
We did not update the ending to say that Bill’s name has officially been added to the Batman credit line...but maybe for the third printing.
In the acknowledgments, we…
…deleted a duplicate mention (Bill Schelly)
…added an inexcusable oversight (Robert Porfirio)
…changed “Dave Kraft” to “David Anthony Kraft”
On the endsheet we corrected the last word of the Bill Finger quotation from “story” to...
And on the back cover, we added select review excerpts (as chosen by sales and marketing).
We did not update the ending to say that Bill’s name has officially been added to the Batman credit line...but maybe for the third printing.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Return to Randolph
In 3/10, I made my first trip to Alabama to speak at Randolph School in Huntsville.
I was honored to be invited back, especially since the school wanted to tie themes of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman into their character development initiatives.
My time at Randolph comprised three talks—two (different) writing workshops and one assembly for grades 5-8. I simply love unfurling the tragic story of Bill Finger to young people because they are fascinated (and often moved) to hear that the life of a figure as popular as Batman was anything but easy.
A highlight of the day was partaking in Randolph’s generosity. Last time, they donated one of the three sessions they were paying for to a nearby school that did not have funds for enrichment. It was the first (and still only) time a school I’ve gone to has done that.
This time, they exceeded that generosity by again donating one of my sessions to an underprivileged school, but this time, they brought some of their own students along. By campus van, my host (and college friend) Jon Bluestein drove me and thirteen fifth graders who are avid readers to University Place Elementary. I ran a writing workshop for this combined group and I was elated to see that the UP kids were also eager to participate. The Randolph kids and the UP kids were even mixed up so each group could get to know the other a bit more (though we admittedly had almost no downtime for that).
Thank you again, Randolph, for this unique experience. I remain hopeful that other schools of means will take Randolph’s lead. It provides a lesson more powerful than a locomotive.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
“Will fascinate” (PLUS: torch singer!)
The Jewish Book Council, whose speaking roster I am on this year, reviewed Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.
I especially appreciated these observations:
“His identity remains unknown—no longer”
“structured around revealed secrets”
“the content, mood and vocabulary will appeal to readers over age 10”
“Nobleman has made a cottage industry of bittersweet revelations about Jewish comic inventors; if he were a singer, he would do torch songs”
“There is a light touch for targeted readers—Finger used puns writing about Batman, and Nobleman uses puns writing about Finger”
“The concluding author’s note is geared too old for young readers but will fascinate their parents”
“Readers will feel proud of their heritage; Finger is a role model who provides a strong, if not happy, life lesson”
I especially appreciated these observations:
“His identity remains unknown—no longer”
“structured around revealed secrets”
“the content, mood and vocabulary will appeal to readers over age 10”
“Nobleman has made a cottage industry of bittersweet revelations about Jewish comic inventors; if he were a singer, he would do torch songs”
“There is a light touch for targeted readers—Finger used puns writing about Batman, and Nobleman uses puns writing about Finger”
“The concluding author’s note is geared too old for young readers but will fascinate their parents”
“Readers will feel proud of their heritage; Finger is a role model who provides a strong, if not happy, life lesson”
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The Very Hungry Caterpillar meets Batman
On 2/16/13, I was honored to return to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, to speak.
Last time was on Superman (no known photos exist of this appearance), this time Batman. I was luckier than Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, who were scheduled for the Saturday prior, which ended up being canceled due to Nemo madness.
But my attempt to get there was not without obstacles.
First, my 5:25 a.m. Super Shuttle pickup was 30 minutes late. I still got to the airport in time—not that it ended up mattering.
My first leg (Washington to Philadelphia), scheduled for a 7:30 departure, did not leave till a bit after 8:30. My second leg (Philadelphia to Hartford) was even more troubled. The plane we were supposed to fly had a mechanical issue so we were put on another. Once seated, we were informed that that plane also had a mechanical issue, so we deplaned and boarded yet another.
This meant we left almost two hours later than planned.
This meant I would be late for my 1 p.m. presentation. It was not a certainty that anyone would notice, but I regretfully let my host know anyway.
Luckily, the Carle, as they call it, is no stranger to travel complications, and they nimbly pushed back the event an hour.
Equally luckily, the people who showed up were flexible, too.
After, I signed books and the Carle guest book; though I could not make out all the signatures, I still knew I was in esteemed company.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Best of the blog 2012
This blog launched on 2/19/08.
Every February 19, I share what I feel have been the best posts of the previous twelve months.
This year's winners:
research
Every February 19, I share what I feel have been the best posts of the previous twelve months.
This year's winners:
research
- the big reveals in Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman
- Bill Finger's first sister is not in Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman
- what else is not in Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman
- delivering Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman to Charles Sinclair and Carmine Infantino, two men who were hugely helpful during research
- why I am now the only known person with a sample of Bill Finger's handwriting
- the only two known surviving letters Bill Finger wrote
- how Bill Finger almost made the credits of the 1989 Batman film
- what Bill Finger did, what Bob Kane did not do
- Bill Finger's death certificate
- Bob Kane's niece doesn't like my Bill Finger story
speaking
promotion
- Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman reviews
- Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman book trailer
- behind Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman book trailer
- NPR's All Things Considered covers Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman
- "Call Bill Finger" (to the tune of "Call Me Maybe")
- giving fans the Finger at Comic-Con International
- winners of contest to describe Bill Finger's legacy in exactly six words
- authors vs. kids beach volleyball at the Martha's Vineyard Children's Book Fair
- will The Dark Knight Rises bring people to Bill the Boy Wonder?
- why I honored my "Batman commitments" the day of The Dark Knight Rises cinema shooting
publishing
miscellaneous
- first assembly at Sandy Hook Elementary after the tragedy
- first picture book author on Easter Island?
- authors dressed as superheroes
- a letter from Destiny
- Boys of Steel vs. Bill the Boy Wonder chart
- comics creators action figures
- Boys of Steel: The Movie?
- the $130 check that bought Superman in the Age of Unenlightment
- Superman = Springsteen, Batman = Bon Jovi
- how might Bill Finger react to DC reinventing one of his characters as gay?
- comic books that stayed with me from youth...and a Boy of Steel surprise
- using Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman in the classroom
- Harry and the Terrible Whatzit
- the closest I came to Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel (without realizing it at first)
- the Sea World reunion I (indirectly) inspired
- a Super Friends voice actor meets his fans for the first time
- a Captain Marvel meets the fans he didn't know he had
Monday, February 18, 2013
Bill, the girls wonder
They say write what you know and know your audience.
I like to write what I don’t know and build my audience.
What I write about starts with a passion (i.e. something I know about) but there’s always more to learn. Research is an education for the author before it is illuminating for anyone else.
And while I do have certain types of people in mind as part of the likely audience for each book, I also work hard to interest people beyond those preconceptions. Why limit yourself?
This may be a roundabout way of saying that I did not write Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman or Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman as “boy books.” I thought of them as “people who like good stories books.” And that, of course, includes girls.
But even so, I was still curious to discover the reaction of a group of fifth graders who heard Bill the Boy Wonder as a read-aloud: “This was a huge hit. The girls, especially, were fired up about the injustices in Bill’s career.”
They say girls mature earlier and/or faster than boys. In this particular fifth grade class, in terms of moral compass calibration, it does seem that the females have a head start on the males. Or is that typical?
The report from the reader, Katie Fitzgerald in Washington DC: “The boys had a million superhero related questions, but the girls all wanted to talk about how unfair life is. They actually fought over who would get to borrow the book.”
I imagine these girls wondered how Bill endured his struggles. How he let this happen. How he felt at the end.
Reacting strongly to injustice suggests empathy. Boys have empathy too, of course, but perhaps at that age, girls are more comfortable sharing emotion.
When I talk about Bill the Boy Wonder during school visits, I have not yet noticed a difference in the ways boys and girls respond to it. But now I’ll be paying closer attention.
I like to write what I don’t know and build my audience.
What I write about starts with a passion (i.e. something I know about) but there’s always more to learn. Research is an education for the author before it is illuminating for anyone else.
And while I do have certain types of people in mind as part of the likely audience for each book, I also work hard to interest people beyond those preconceptions. Why limit yourself?
This may be a roundabout way of saying that I did not write Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman or Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman as “boy books.” I thought of them as “people who like good stories books.” And that, of course, includes girls.
But even so, I was still curious to discover the reaction of a group of fifth graders who heard Bill the Boy Wonder as a read-aloud: “This was a huge hit. The girls, especially, were fired up about the injustices in Bill’s career.”
They say girls mature earlier and/or faster than boys. In this particular fifth grade class, in terms of moral compass calibration, it does seem that the females have a head start on the males. Or is that typical?
The report from the reader, Katie Fitzgerald in Washington DC: “The boys had a million superhero related questions, but the girls all wanted to talk about how unfair life is. They actually fought over who would get to borrow the book.”
I imagine these girls wondered how Bill endured his struggles. How he let this happen. How he felt at the end.
Reacting strongly to injustice suggests empathy. Boys have empathy too, of course, but perhaps at that age, girls are more comfortable sharing emotion.
When I talk about Bill the Boy Wonder during school visits, I have not yet noticed a difference in the ways boys and girls respond to it. But now I’ll be paying closer attention.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sea World superhero skier Mark Gutleben
However, I got to see him recently anyway, via this photo he sent for the holidays.
He’s a really nice guy. I hope that there is another reunion before long and that he gets to go. I think it’d be great for both him and his former skimates.
Addendum: On 12/13/15, Mark passed away. To quote fellow skier Betsy Maher: “I’m sorry he was not able to make it to either reunion. At the 2014 reunion, I was able to have everyone sign a big birthday card for him. He had made a phone call to me on Christmas Day the past few years. I will miss his call this year.”
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Authors love Sandy Hook Elementary, part 2 of 2
Part 1.
After six weeks of helping to plan an unprecedented 17-author variety show for Sandy Hook Elementary School, and while en route from Maryland to Connecticut on 2/10/13, the day before the event, I learned that school had been canceled for the following day.
One thing we had not arranged: a raindate. (Well, snowdate.)
With heavy heart, at 5:31 p.m., I emailed the authors. As the understanding responses came in, I tried to figure out how to proceed. I arrived at only one viable option. At 6:42 p.m., after clearing it with Sandy Hook librarian Yvonne Cech, I went back to the group to ask who could do Tuesday, 2/12.
Originally, eleven of the seventeen authors could. (On Monday afternoon, one dropped out, and Tuesday morning another did, both due to illness.) That number was plenty good enough for me; I worried that if I tried to find yet another date, even fewer would be free. I felt it was Tuesday or never.
So I seized Tuesday.
However, we’d worked out a schedule for seventeen so I scrambled to round up as many A-list pinch-hitters as I could. As before, just about everyone I asked would have liked to participate, but they got all “I’m super busy and generally speaking 24 hours is not enough notice to prepare multiple acts and arrange to travel two hours away.” I kid. They were extremely gracious, supportive, regretful. Most said to keep them in mind if I’m ever involved in another event like it. (I hope I am, just not under such circumstances.)
Sunday night yielded no one. But Monday morning, alas—three signed on: Daniel Kirk, Bruce Degen (who lives in Newtown), and Vincent X. Kirsch. Bless them.
Tuesday morning. Two days shy of two months since the tragedy. I drove the hour from where I was staying to Newtown, arriving at Chalk Hill School (where Sandy Hook is currently housed) at 8:30.
I was looking forward to hugging Yvonne and Isabel (Almeida, my United Way contact).
One of my biggest concerns was punctuality, but I needn’t have worried; all eleven other cast members arrived on time.
I owe each thanks for so many other things and here are one or two per person:
The eight authors who were in the 2/11 lineup but could not do the next day:
We missed you all so very much, as did the kids. The school had made signs for each of us, which (along with our books) were displayed behind the performance space, so you were there in spirit in more ways than one.
First some of the authors visited with the kindergartners and first graders in their classrooms; we were told that these little ones were the most fragile, and not just because of their age. But if you walked in any of the rooms, you’d never know it. They reacted as kids that age do—they laughed, they called out, they got off subject, they were bursting with enthusiasm. They were, simply, precious.
At 10 a.m., we kicked off Sandy Hook’s first assembly since the tragedy—and possibly the first-ever author variety show. It was divided into two parts. Each 45-minute half featured six authors with back-to-back acts of approximately five minutes apiece, with a brief intermission so the audience could swap out (the room could not hold the entire 2nd through 4th grade at once). We kept it moving on schedule…mostly. When the second half ran long, everyone ran right along with us.
It was my first time as emcee. I introduced the show by saying the twelve authors and illustrators on hand had, combined, produced close to 500 books…but not all at the same time. I said we’d come in from four states bringing characters including the Magic School Bus, Batman, Ramona Quimby, Fangbone, Balto the hero dog, and Rocket the reading dog. (One of reasons I was bummed Peter Brown had to bow out at the last minute due to illness: I could’ve then included Chowder the Bouncing Dog. Rule of threes, baby.) I meant to joke that neither snow nor rain would have kept us from coming, but we are apparently not as powerful as postal workers and weather did sabotage Plan A.
I said the kids would see a side of us they might not expect. I suggested they think of it as Authors Got Talent.
I thanked the administration, staff, parents, and kids, and made special mention of my two pillars throughout this endeavor, Isabel and Yvonne. This was a significant group effort. Without their tireless help, it would have remained merely a vision.
I announced our little gift: a bookmark for each student in Newtown. (Imagine it folded in half. And laminated.)
When I was up, I told the kids that it would be AWK-ward if I introduced myself, so I asked for a volunteer. Thank you again, Sam!
The variety show went gangbusters. The first time the kids erupted with laughter, I felt that attempting this had been a [sic] right thing to do.
After the show, we (and staff) enjoyed lunch generously donated by the PTA, signed books, posed for photos, and listened to Principal Donna Page’s touching thank you. She said she chose authors as the first assembly because she wanted the return to some form of normalcy to involve teaching, learning, and reading.
She gifted each of us a bracelet with an angel on it; a kind donor had sent many of these and Donna asked this donor if she could “pay it forward.” The donor agreed.
When Donna teared up, so did many of us, and it was time. I, for one, wanted a moment to let down any sign of a professional façade and be a lump-in-throat human being.
Then we split into three groups of four, bookmarks in hand, and from 2 to 3 p.m., did hourlong assemblies at the other three elementaries in Newtown. After, we regrouped at the lovely Inn at Newtown for a chance to sit, sip, and reflect as a group. Yvonne and several other Sandy Hook staff joined us.
People began to depart around 5 p.m. I was one of them, or so I thought. But then Yvonne, Mike Rex, Meghan McCarthy and I ended up staying. Yvonne opened up to us about what it was like on 12/14. It was hard to hear, but that doesn’t even come close to the edge of how hard it was for her to live through. We were in awe of her bravery and composure.
At 7 p.m., everyone left…but me.
I stayed behind to call my kids and tell them I love them.
Thank you to Rocco Staino, who sensitively covered the show for School Library Journal.
And a similar thank you to the Newtown Bee.
I will never be done singing the praises of Isabel and Yvonne. Both of them had to deliver dispiriting news to me multiple times, but each did it with candor and kindness (not to mention sorrow). Yet it didn’t take long for them to regroup and try to salvage whatever it was that had just (seemingly) fallen apart. Their patience with my persistence was inspiring.
It is to their great credit, and the credit of the superintendent and principal, that this event happened at all. I suspect even I would have declined the offer. Too big. Too soon. Too many bigger priorities.
The bookmark says “Authors Love Sandy Hook Elementary,” but who doesn’t?
En route home, I stopped at a Newtown restaurant for dinner and was still wearing the green/white ribbon the school gave each of us. The owner of the restaurant (who had no idea who I was, of course, or why I was there) came over, pointed to the ribbon, and said "Sandy Hook?" I said yes (without elaborating).
He shook my hand and simply said “Thank you.”
The day was precisely what I pitched it as: upbeat, funny, escapist. Yet for this one moment, I will depart from that tone. I heard the following song the week after the tragedy, and although it is about a romance, it amplified my tears. Listening to the lyrics now (particularly the first verse and the chorus), it seems even more fitting. You’ll hear what I mean.
Sandy Hook, we’d call again anytime, no matter how much planning. No matter how much snow.
No matter anything.
After six weeks of helping to plan an unprecedented 17-author variety show for Sandy Hook Elementary School, and while en route from Maryland to Connecticut on 2/10/13, the day before the event, I learned that school had been canceled for the following day.
One thing we had not arranged: a raindate. (Well, snowdate.)
With heavy heart, at 5:31 p.m., I emailed the authors. As the understanding responses came in, I tried to figure out how to proceed. I arrived at only one viable option. At 6:42 p.m., after clearing it with Sandy Hook librarian Yvonne Cech, I went back to the group to ask who could do Tuesday, 2/12.
Originally, eleven of the seventeen authors could. (On Monday afternoon, one dropped out, and Tuesday morning another did, both due to illness.) That number was plenty good enough for me; I worried that if I tried to find yet another date, even fewer would be free. I felt it was Tuesday or never.
So I seized Tuesday.
However, we’d worked out a schedule for seventeen so I scrambled to round up as many A-list pinch-hitters as I could. As before, just about everyone I asked would have liked to participate, but they got all “I’m super busy and generally speaking 24 hours is not enough notice to prepare multiple acts and arrange to travel two hours away.” I kid. They were extremely gracious, supportive, regretful. Most said to keep them in mind if I’m ever involved in another event like it. (I hope I am, just not under such circumstances.)
Sunday night yielded no one. But Monday morning, alas—three signed on: Daniel Kirk, Bruce Degen (who lives in Newtown), and Vincent X. Kirsch. Bless them.
Tuesday morning. Two days shy of two months since the tragedy. I drove the hour from where I was staying to Newtown, arriving at Chalk Hill School (where Sandy Hook is currently housed) at 8:30.
I was looking forward to hugging Yvonne and Isabel (Almeida, my United Way contact).
One of my biggest concerns was punctuality, but I needn’t have worried; all eleven other cast members arrived on time.
Tad Hills and Bob Shea in the nerve center
Tracy Dockray drawing Ramona
Tad Hills and Duck
I owe each thanks for so many other things and here are one or two per person:
- Katie Davis—For stepping up and going first when the original opening act (Phil Bildner) could not make the rescheduled date, and for podcasting the day.
- Bruce Degen—For stepping in at the last minute, and for being the hometown representative. (When I emailed him the schedule the day before—a schedule most of the rest had been familiar with for two weeks—he wrote back “The schedule is complicated.” He was right.)
- Tracy Dockray—For being a trooper when we determined (just before the show started) that I had not gotten the PowerPoint slides she emailed, and for recommending Vincent.
- Alan Katz—For reassuring me several days before that this was a worthwhile effort, and for making it back in time from a conference in Denver despite Nemo.
- Daniel Kirk—For stepping in at the last minute even though his drive would be one of the longest, and for being the only one of us to play guitar, which I wish I could do.
- Vincent X. Kirsch—For adding one of the most diverse elements to the show—a toy theater—and for jumping on board less than a day before.
- Tad Hills—For being one of my partners at the second school, and for being the first to hug me goodbye. I needed that.
- Susan Hood—For being a cheerleader from the start, flexible and generous, and for being my partner in what was likely to be the most challenging aspect of the day: presenting to the first graders, the group most affected by the tragedy.
- Meghan McCarthy—For rearranging her work schedule more than once, for committing even though she’d be getting back from vacation the day before, and for providing one of the biggest laughs of the show: a YouTube clip of a (fake) flying car.
- Mike Rex—For being a class act through and through, from agreeing to stay an extra night in a hotel when Monday school was canceled to buying me a drink after.
- Bob Shea—For being true to his values, willing to make sacrifices to give a good show, and for closing us out with a wonderful sense of humor.
The eight authors who were in the 2/11 lineup but could not do the next day:
- Phil Bildner
- Sophie Blackall
- Peter Brown
- Brian Floca
- Ross MacDonald
- John Bemelmans Marciano
- Julia Sarcone-Roach
- Lauren Tarshis
We missed you all so very much, as did the kids. The school had made signs for each of us, which (along with our books) were displayed behind the performance space, so you were there in spirit in more ways than one.
First some of the authors visited with the kindergartners and first graders in their classrooms; we were told that these little ones were the most fragile, and not just because of their age. But if you walked in any of the rooms, you’d never know it. They reacted as kids that age do—they laughed, they called out, they got off subject, they were bursting with enthusiasm. They were, simply, precious.
At 10 a.m., we kicked off Sandy Hook’s first assembly since the tragedy—and possibly the first-ever author variety show. It was divided into two parts. Each 45-minute half featured six authors with back-to-back acts of approximately five minutes apiece, with a brief intermission so the audience could swap out (the room could not hold the entire 2nd through 4th grade at once). We kept it moving on schedule…mostly. When the second half ran long, everyone ran right along with us.
It was my first time as emcee. I introduced the show by saying the twelve authors and illustrators on hand had, combined, produced close to 500 books…but not all at the same time. I said we’d come in from four states bringing characters including the Magic School Bus, Batman, Ramona Quimby, Fangbone, Balto the hero dog, and Rocket the reading dog. (One of reasons I was bummed Peter Brown had to bow out at the last minute due to illness: I could’ve then included Chowder the Bouncing Dog. Rule of threes, baby.) I meant to joke that neither snow nor rain would have kept us from coming, but we are apparently not as powerful as postal workers and weather did sabotage Plan A.
I said the kids would see a side of us they might not expect. I suggested they think of it as Authors Got Talent.
I thanked the administration, staff, parents, and kids, and made special mention of my two pillars throughout this endeavor, Isabel and Yvonne. This was a significant group effort. Without their tireless help, it would have remained merely a vision.
Isabel Almeida, lavender shirt, Yvonne Cech
I announced our little gift: a bookmark for each student in Newtown. (Imagine it folded in half. And laminated.)
When I was up, I told the kids that it would be AWK-ward if I introduced myself, so I asked for a volunteer. Thank you again, Sam!
Tad Hills in action
Meghan McCarthy in action
Bob Shea in action
Meghan McCarthy, Daniel Kirk, Susan Hood,
Vincent X. Kirsch, Mike Rex, Rocco Staino
Vincent X. Kirsch, Yvonne Cech, Alan Katz, Bruce Degen,
Meghan McCarthy, Susan Hood
Vincent X. Kirsch, Tad Hills, Rocco Staino, and Daniel Kirk
join the audience
The variety show went gangbusters. The first time the kids erupted with laughter, I felt that attempting this had been a [sic] right thing to do.
After the show, we (and staff) enjoyed lunch generously donated by the PTA, signed books, posed for photos, and listened to Principal Donna Page’s touching thank you. She said she chose authors as the first assembly because she wanted the return to some form of normalcy to involve teaching, learning, and reading.
She gifted each of us a bracelet with an angel on it; a kind donor had sent many of these and Donna asked this donor if she could “pay it forward.” The donor agreed.
When Donna teared up, so did many of us, and it was time. I, for one, wanted a moment to let down any sign of a professional façade and be a lump-in-throat human being.
Katie Davis, Mike Rex, Daniel Kirk
Meghan McCarthy, Marc Tyler Nobleman, Mike Rex, Tracy Dockray
Alan Katz, Marc Tyler Nobleman, Tracy Dockray, Mike Rex,
Meghan McCarthy, Katie Davis
Meghan McCarthy, Katie Davis
People began to depart around 5 p.m. I was one of them, or so I thought. But then Yvonne, Mike Rex, Meghan McCarthy and I ended up staying. Yvonne opened up to us about what it was like on 12/14. It was hard to hear, but that doesn’t even come close to the edge of how hard it was for her to live through. We were in awe of her bravery and composure.
At 7 p.m., everyone left…but me.
I stayed behind to call my kids and tell them I love them.
* *
Thank you to Rocco Staino, who sensitively covered the show for School Library Journal.
And a similar thank you to the Newtown Bee.
I will never be done singing the praises of Isabel and Yvonne. Both of them had to deliver dispiriting news to me multiple times, but each did it with candor and kindness (not to mention sorrow). Yet it didn’t take long for them to regroup and try to salvage whatever it was that had just (seemingly) fallen apart. Their patience with my persistence was inspiring.
It is to their great credit, and the credit of the superintendent and principal, that this event happened at all. I suspect even I would have declined the offer. Too big. Too soon. Too many bigger priorities.
The bookmark says “Authors Love Sandy Hook Elementary,” but who doesn’t?
En route home, I stopped at a Newtown restaurant for dinner and was still wearing the green/white ribbon the school gave each of us. The owner of the restaurant (who had no idea who I was, of course, or why I was there) came over, pointed to the ribbon, and said "Sandy Hook?" I said yes (without elaborating).
He shook my hand and simply said “Thank you.”
The day was precisely what I pitched it as: upbeat, funny, escapist. Yet for this one moment, I will depart from that tone. I heard the following song the week after the tragedy, and although it is about a romance, it amplified my tears. Listening to the lyrics now (particularly the first verse and the chorus), it seems even more fitting. You’ll hear what I mean.
Sandy Hook, we’d call again anytime, no matter how much planning. No matter how much snow.
No matter anything.
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