Books Boys Can’t Resist

I was honored to stumble onto the star-studded lineup of authors who presented at the weeklong 27th Annual Children’s Literature Conference at Shenandoah University in Virginia.

It was a stretch to tie my books Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman into the theme of “Books Boys Can’t Resist,” but I managed.

Author presentation slots were staggered so only a couple of us were on site on any given day. Mine was 6/28/12 but the fun began the night before when I had dinner with a lively group including our kind host Karen Huff and an author I’ve corresponded with but not met before: the inexhaustible and inspiring Phil Bildner.

A highlight: it was the first time I can recall that my name has been on a mug.

Two weeks earlier, my name had been on a T-shirt. I’m hoping bagel slicer is next.

The bathrooms were decked out with quotations from authors of books for young people.


They didn’t miss a spot.

In case you can’t make out all the other names on the mug above, here is who besides Phil and me were down Shenandoah way to give a presentation at this well-run event:

Avi
Danny Brassell
Sneed Collard
Ralph Fletcher
Brian Floca
Daniel Kirk
Jarrett Krosoczka
Melinda Long
Gary Schmidt
Bob Shea
Charles Smith, Jr.
Dan Yaccarino





Each author was treated to a large and striking painting inspired by one of our books. Mine was soaring. I was stunned to learn that all of them were done by a single artist.


And they sold some serious book.






After, I was humbled to discover a blog post by an attendee; here’s an excerpt:

Today’s authors (I’m sure) will become two of my favorites. Marc Tyler Nobleman inspired me with his dedication and passion. His attention to detail and his desire to right the wrongs of the world (at least the world of Superman and Batman) are honorable and inspiring. I didn’t know there were people out there like him. Boys of Steel, a story about the creators of Superman will grab my boys! He gives me a great entry into interesting non-fiction. The story about Oregon in World War II, Thirty Minutes Over Oregon, has to be published. I am amazed that the story exists and we don’t know about it. That’s what I mean, his passion is contagious.

(Her next paragraph sings the praises of the other author, Phil Bildner.)

This is officially a Conference Authors Can’t Resist.

Comics Cube interview: "What sets your book apart?"

The Comics Cube ran five Bill Finger questions by Ty and myself. An excerpt:

In your opinion, if you were doling out percentages, how much of Batman is Kane and how much is Finger?

Marc: Creatively, 97% Bill. He designed the costume, wrote the first story, wrote the first stories of most of the supporting characters (Robin, Joker, Catwoman, etc.), wrote Batman’s groundbreaking origin, developed the bat-motif (Batmobile, Batcave, etc.), named Gotham City/Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson…whereas Bob did not write a single Batman story in his lifetime and farmed out so much of the art to ghosts. Some believe Bob didn’t even choose the name “Batman.” Yet Bob chose Bill to work on Batman. So in that sense, maybe Bob does deserve a higher percentage…

Cyn-sational coverage

The all-helping and most kind author Cynthia Leitich Smith invited me to guest blog for Cynsations. I revealed three of the crazier tactics I tried while researching Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman and Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman:

• staking out a New York City apartment building on the hunt for the resident who dated back the longest
• ping-ponging between three New York City surrogate's courts on the hunt for a will that may not even have existed
  
• going through hundreds of archival photos at three locations on the hunt for a photograph that almost certainly did not even exist

All took time but all yielded something worthwhile...two jackpots and three fun stories to recount.

Plus: contest to win a signed book!

Goodies in the Picnic Basket

Deborah Sloan’s blog The Picnic Basket sends 25 copies of a new book to the first 25 who request it; in exchange, she asks that those people post a review.

Recently, she kindly offered Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.

Of the 25 copies sent, 13 people so far have come back to post a review. I am more than humbled by every one of them.

Excerpts:

I love nonfiction biographies and this book is one of the best! Nobleman is a skilled writer … It will be the rare reader who closes the book without being “wowed.” Nobleman’s Author’s Note allows the reader to glimpse his research process and it reads like a darn good mystery. … What a tribute! What a story! What a book! 5 (out of 5) stars

The story was so interesting that I couldn’t stop without reading the whole book and I would think students would feel the same way. 5 (out of 5) stars

Absolutely outstanding in all respects! Sure bet to get the attention of the most reluctant reader. Definitely a 5++++++!

The prose is beautifully written, the pictures are lovely, and the underlying themes of justice and redemption are compelling. … This is a must-have book for every elementary and middle-school library that will be gobbled up by avid and reluctant readers alike. 5 (out of 5) stars

This book is simply amazing. To think I’d actually be glued to a book about the creator—sorry, co-creator—of Batman! … completely captivating. Nobleman is a very skilled writer and knows how to find obscure stories and make them completely fascinating. This book deserves nothing less than a 5.

From the end papers to the text type to everything in between the cover and the author’s note, this falls nothing short of an exemplar model of juvenile literature. The potential for critical discourse around this book are endless. By the end of the author’s note a tear of sadness at the unfairness of it all fell from my eye to the phrase “he just didn’t live long enough.” And then I started right back at the beginning again, admiring the cover, and reading it from top to bottom. … I can only imagine how much Milton would have loved this book. 5 (out of 5) stars

I asked one of my 5th grade students who loves superheroes and graphic novels, and is an inspiring illustrator, to read it. Almost 40 minutes later he came to me and replied, “Milton Finger deserves credit.” His four words were powerful and insightful. Reading this book changed him a little bit, gave him something he didn’t have before, the same way I felt.

Great book with many uses for YA readers. … (I had this book and had to share and did not get it back until today. Too good not to pass along.)

I felt privileged to share this book with my students and uncover this special secret with them. I read this biography to my second graders in two sessions. They were mesmerized. The activity guide and discussion questions were a great resource, but I easily fit some of the themes of this book into my current curriculum/lessons that very day! 5 (out of 5) stars

I love how not one but two people almost affectionately call Bill by his given name, Milton (though he would have hated it).

MTV Geek on “Bill the Boy Wonder”: “fiendishly clever”

Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman was reviewed on a division of MTV.com.

As a member of the first generation to grow up with MTV, I find this, simply, super fun. (Like many my age, I remember the first video I saw on MTV: “Private Dancer” by Tina Turner.) I want my MTV Geek!

The title of Valerie Gallaher’s review gets the cheek just right: “Mommy, Why Didn’t Bill Finger Get Credit For Batman?” And I’m honored that she calls my approach “fiendishly clever” and illustrator Ty Templeton’s work “lavish.”

Consulting editor and all-around children’s publishing maestro Harold Underdown’s kind response: “OK, folks, when was the last time that MTV reviewed a children’s book? And it’s a Charlesbridge book, making this even cooler, if possible.” (Harold used to work at Charlesbridge.)

“Is the story of the true co-creator of Batman, who was snubbed countless of times in retrospectives of the Caped Crusader from the 1960s, the movie "Batmania" of the late 1980s, and beyond, … worth the bio treatment?” Valerie asks close to the beginning of her review.

She closes her piece with a response to herself: “…ask anyone both in the U.S. and abroad who Batman is, and I'm betting most will know. I think that makes him—and the quest to accurately pinpoint his origins—somewhat important, don't you think?”

Authors/illustrators dressed as superheroes

Halloween time machine!

Welcome to the first known gallery of children’s/YA authors and illustrators in superhero costumes (a few got in on a technicality).

This is simply a celebration of the kind of childhood passion that can take you from this...


...to this:


It is also a warm-up for/safe alternative to San Diego Comic-Con, held every July; this year I am doing a presentation, a panel, and a signing. (By default I dress as Bill Finger: button down, pants, receding hairline.)

To all who contributed: Bountiful thanks. I appreciate your time and your gracious spirit. You are already a creative hero to kids. Now kids will see you as a hero in a totally different light/suit.

To authors/illustrators first learning of this now: If you have a qualifying photo, please e-mail it anytime. I will eagerly add it.

And now I hereby present the Justice League of…Authordom!

Peter Brown as Superman
1984
Hopewell, NJ

Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler as Superman
age 5 or 6
San Francisco

Daniel (the bigger one) and David Kirk as Superman
circa 1957
Columbus, OH

Sarah Darer Littman as Robin
age 22 or 23
New York City
Halloween party during her post-college Wall Street days
Her college roommate was Batman.
Her Robin cape was tablecloth.

Bruce Hale as Tarzan
age 9 or 10
Palos Verdes, CA

Tom Angleberger as Superman’s delicious foe the Boxing Hot Dog

Chris Barton as Batman (center)
age 4
Dallas Zoo
The boy on the right is wearing the pants to a different Batman costume.

Adam Rex as Darth Vader
1980
Phoenix, AZ

Meghan McCarthy as Spider-Man (Spider-Face?)

Alan Gratz as Starman
2002
Dragon*Con
Atlanta

Ralph Cosentino as (almost) the Green Hornet

Andrea Beaty as Superman
Taken in Metropolis…Illinois.

Amy S. Hansen (and family) as Mrs. and Mr. Kent and baby Kal-El (Superman)
1998
Seabrook, MD

Michelle Knudsen as Princess Leia

Kelly Milner Halls as Robin
1960s

Kirsten W. Larson (right) and her sister, 

both as Wonder Woman

age 6

Matthew Cordell with Spider-Man

The technicalities, original creations, and other exceptions:

Go Wild West, young men. I’m counting the following foursome because some people consider cowboys heroes, and because some superheroes are cowboy-themed, and because these are fantastic photos.

Wendell Minor as Roy Rogers

1949
Aurora, IL

Richard Michelson as Roy Rogers
Brooklyn
“If there has to be a showdown between me and Wendell,
I am ready! (Wendell and I had lunch last week.
Had I known, I’d have insisted we both come in costume.)”

Daniel Kirk as a cowboy

Terry Trueman as a "cowboy meets Tarzan"
1956

Mark Buehner as a knight
(but not the Dark Knight, or the Shining Knight for that matter)
1966
Salt Lake City

Dan Santat


Aaron Reynolds as Ponch from CHiPS and
(yikes) the Incredible Melting Man from ?
Melting Man: age 9, Okinawa, Japan
Ponch: age 10, New Jersey

Katie Davis as SuperSuki
2005

Andrew Douglas and Marc Tyler Nobleman as the Blue Bagel and Lox Lad
1993 (yes, not 1951 as the graininess implies)
Waltham, MA
Note the Blue Bagel’s accessory: mini-bagel projectiles.
Cower at them, criminal scum!
(I was also Superman and Robin multiple times.)

And somewhere out there is also a photo of a young Shana Corey as Wonder Woman, Kevin Hawkes as a cowboy, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka as someone caped, masked, or both. Please demand to see them!

David Ezra Stein did not have a childhood superhero costume photo

but did have something even rarer: childhood superhero drawings.
Not that you will need a key, but here are Tarzan riding an elephant,
Superman, Spider-Man, and Catwoman. This was in Queens at age 5½.

Nora Baskin’s bathroom windowsill

Lisa Yee's American Girl doll Ivy Ling as Batgirl
(plus a geek-approved bonus...can you spot it?)

Excerpted explanations from authors who did not have such a photo (many of which are as funny as any photo would’ve been):

“No superhero pix. The six Scieszka boys went from ghosts and bunny rabbits directly to army men and hobos.”
—Jon Scieszka

“Oh, you have no idea how much I wish that I did have such a picture. But, alas, no... (I’m waaaay too old to have had the joy of Underoos.)”
—Bruce Coville

“I was a child in China. No superheroes about to influence me. When I came to the States, it was the brink of WWII. We played commandos. We did read comics, but on the sly.”
—Katherine Paterson

“Yeah, I kind of had a hard time identifying with Wonder Woman as a kid. I didn’t wear my underwear in public.”
—Jenni Holm

“I just couldn’t find one. I knew I had Underoos, but thankfully my parents didn’t take a pic of me in them.”
—Jay Asher

“I’ve been scanning my brain for what my old Halloween costumes were. I found one of Harry Potter, but that’s not exactly right. I was more of the witch/cat/boring variety.”
—Wendy Mass

“I don’t have any photos of me dressed as a superhero. I never went through a superhero phase and I was the youngest, so there are few photos of me anyway. My parents just showed me baby pictures of my older brothers, ‘Here, you sorta looked like this.’”
—Bob Shea

“What a great idea. They didn’t have cameras in my superhero days.”
—Roland Smith

“Oh boy, I can’t wait to see what this turns up… (Curse my parents for not saving that Wonder Woman baton-twirling outfit!)”
—Jennifer Allison

“I was a skeleton every Halloween. And while I don’t have any superhero pix, [I do have a] recent pic of me with a squirrel mask on. Can you use it?”
—Alan Katz

“I don’t have one although I did have a deep and continuing love for Batman and Robin since age 5. And had Batgirl Underoos. No photographic evidence, however. There is also no photographic evidence of me in my Wonder Woman pjs that I currently own and there never will be.”
—Lisa Brown

“My parents never took pics when I was sporting my Underoo-superhero look as a kid. But maybe one of these days I should draw it. (Feel free to replace ‘niche’ with ‘nerdy’!)”
—Paul Hoppe

“Your email made me very sad for two reasons.
1) I don’t have a photo of myself dressed as a superhero.
2) I don’t think I ever had a superhero costume.

Given the fact that the year I was born I had a book called The Great Comic Book Heroes dedicated to me, you’d think I would have fashioned myself a superhero. I so wish I could partake in this. I could fake it with Photoshop if you’d like.

Great fun project.”
—Kate Feiffer

“It’s definitely a cool project. Alas, I have nothing. When you do your spread of unathletic kids reading books, I’ll be much better able to offer something.”
—David Lubar

“My ‘name’ when I order a chai at Starbucks is ‘Batman.’ Always gets a great response and sometimes they draw a little bat on the cup and one time they wrote ‘Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-n/a’ on my order. Every time I walk in the door now, they greet me, “Hey, Batman!” and when they announce that Batman’s order is ready, everyone looks up expecting to see a big guy in a cape or at least a geeky comic book guy, and then it’s just little old me and it always gets a smile.”
—Karen Gray Ruelle

“I don’t have any such pictures. I wish.”
—Tad Hills

“I have no photos of myself as a superhero but if you’re ever needing photos of authors dressed up as clowns, witches, or fat, bald, crying men, I’m your girl!”
—Laurie Keller

“Fantastic idea. I went through a long Wonder Woman period, but no photographic evidence exists. The best I could do is me in Star Trek garb, posing with a toy phaser.”
—Jennifer Ziegler

“I’ve dressed as a cowboy, hobo, snowman, even a can of green beans (my sister was the Jolly Green Giant), but never a superhero.”
—Brad Sneed

“A fun idea but I don’t think I have the goods.”
—Brian Floca

“Well don’t I wish.”
—Deborah Heiligman

“This is a great idea! I wish I had a photo to contribute but my costumed past is sadly lacking in superherohood. (Does Big Bird count?)”
—Julia Sarcone-Roach

“I was never a superhero guy. But I do have this shot on my blog.”
—Mike Rex

“The closest I come to superhero is dressing up as ‘Lady Lovely Locks’ and I don’t think she would pass superhero status (her credentials max out at talking with woodland creatures and protecting her tresses from an evil sorceress Duchess Ravenwaves who oddly wants nothing more than to cut Lady’s hair).”
—Julia Denos

“I was known to use a bath towel as a cap after Batman was over every day, but I don’t think we have any pictures of it. And we lived out in the country and so I never really got to trick or treat much.”
—Michael Spradlin

“I do not have any such photo. I wish I did, though!”
—Eric Luper

“This sounds like so much fun! Wish I had a Wonder Woman costume, but I’m not sure it’d suit me anyway.”
—Maryann Macdonald

“I am mostly walking around with my head hanging, so sad that I never even thought to act like a superhero, much less photograph myself acting like a superhero.”
—Audrey Glassman Vernick

“Oh...I wish I did… I did really want to be included…and believe it or not…you probably don’t know this…but I am Catwoman.”
—Nora Baskin

“Somewhere in the great O’Malley photo archive there is a pic of three O’Malleys dressed as Batman [but said archive is in another state].”
—Kevin O’Malley

“I’m missing out on the Superhero Me. Have no pictures of any kind. Bummer…”
—Loren Long

“I keep my superpowers hidden (to better fight evil).”
—Barbara Kerley

“I don’t have any photos dressed as a superhero. I wish I did!”
—Dan Yaccarino

“I thought I might be able to locate one of me as Aquaman, but all I have is me wearing an Aquaman tee.”
—Phil Bildner

“At age 64, when I was a kid Superman was about the only superhero out there and all of us played him by wrapping a towel around our necks…”
—Terry Trueman

“Zoinks! My organizational superpowers have failed me. There was a picture of me at 3 or 4, wearing a blue fleece with a big white star on my chest, and a blue blanket pinned to my shoulders for a cape. I can’t find it and neither can Mom, but what a great idea. Can’t wait to see everyone’s photos!”
—Tanya Lee Stone

Bill Finger's yearbook photo...

...is not here.

Where you can see it is in the author's note of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, which is the first time it has appeared in print since the yearbook itself. However, what is not there is the text accompanying it, so that I am posting here:

 
This is from the June 1933 yearbook of the storied DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. (As you can see in Bill the Boy Wonder, it was not Bill but rather his parents who wanted him to be a doctor. And "CCNY" is City College New York. I was not able to find out if Bill did go on to attend, but I suspect not. It was the Great Depression so I assume he went right to work.)

Astute readers have already noticed why I missed Bill's yearbook entry the first time I looked: he was not yet Bill.

But before I had learned Bill's given name, I thought I knew why I could not find him in any yearbook of the period. My faithful contact at DWC, the incomparable school historian Gerard Pelisson, had told me that some students did not appear in the yearbook because their families could not afford to have a portrait taken.

In 2010, Gerard wrote me "When your book comes out, you are going to have the photo the whole world wants." Though I do think a good number will be interested, he was being generous. In any case, it is now the earliest known photo of Bill...so early that he was still Milton.

Comics pros on “Bill the Boy Wonder”

Several esteemed comics professionals have weighed in most graciously on Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman—all unsolicited, I’m shameless enough to mention.

They’ve agreed to let me share their feedback:

“GREAT book! Loved it! Purposefully and meaningfully (and beautifully) written.”
—Michael Uslan, executive producer of The Dark Knight Rises and every previous Batman movie since 1989 and author of The Boy Who Loved Batman

 
“Looks and reads great…and it’s about time there was a well-researched book about the man.”
—Mark Evanier, comics writer, historian, and go-to master-of-ceremonies

 
“Every Batman fan should read it. It’s worth getting the word out for.”
—Peter David, Eisner-winning writer of characters including Supergirl, Hulk, and Aquaman

 
“I’m proud to know you. Godspeed with this book.”
—Elliot S! Maggin, pioneering DC Comics writer (Superman, Green Arrow) of the 1970s and '80s (and fellow Brandeis University graduate)

 

“Shout-out to Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ty Templeton for their great children’s book about Bill Finger.”
—Gerry Conway, co-creator of Firestorm and Power Girl and longtime Justice League of America writer

“That would be awesome...and about goddamned time.”
—Erik Larsen, creator of Savage Dragon, on Facebook in response to Newsarama article about my determination to see Finger officially credited

“It is wonderful. … The book brings out a number of facts about Bill’s life that I wasn’t aware of even though I’ve studied [him] for decades. I…loved the photos of Bill; for the first time we can see what he really looks like. … This is a major contribution to comics history.”
—Thomas Andrae, comics historian and co-author with Bob Kane of Batman & Me

Should more come in, I will add them. Check back at least twice a fortnight.

The number one rule regarding research

It’s so simple yet so easy to overlook:

1. Pay attention to the obvious.

On 1/26/11, I spent more than thirty minutes searching for certain family members of Barbara Joyce named “Krowitz.” Failing, I dropped my gaze in defeat, which caused me to glance at a scrap of paper that had been in front of me all along. That scrap held the notes that prompted this search; the name I’d clearly jotted down was, in fact, “Kowitz.”

Once I searched that, I found the right people quickly.

So again: when researching, pay attention. It’s a great way to save yourself more than thirty minutes.

First signing at a comic book store

The three winners of my Bill Finger book are…

After six years of work, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman officially releases today.

And in honor, here are six words you’ve been waiting for: Bill the Boy Wonder contest results! None of this "random drawing" stuff. This is a contest whose win you had to earn!

The task: describe Bill Finger’s legacy in exactly six words. We had a competitive 37 entries (read them here) plus a few stray ones on Facebook and choosing my favorite three was truly tough. But choose I must and so...

The winners (in order of submission):

Winner #1: Not credited, but also not forgotten.
Submitted by: Michael Bradley
Why it’s a winner: It strikes me as more positive than negative. Only DC Comics does not officially credit Bill. Fans everywhere do.

Winner #2: Without Bill, Batman's parents would live.
Submitted by: Gil
Why it’s a winner: It cleverly cuts right to Batman’s essence—and in doing so explains the ingenuity of Bill’s character construction. Bill was the first writer to give a superhero a psychological reason for fighting crime. This made Batman seem more relatable, and I believe is a big part of why he remains popular today.

Winner #3: Bob Kane's secret identity: Bill Finger.
Submitted by: chicoperdido815
Why it’s a winner: Several entries play with the relationship between Bill and Bob and I feel this one does it best because it seems more about implying Bill’s contribution than vilifying Bob’s transgression. Though I don’t believe Bill’s legacy is tied to Bob, this particular approach nonetheless rings right to me.

The runners-up (again in order of submission):

Runner-up #1: Great unsung tinker? Surely Bill Finger!
Submitted by: Kristian9K
Why I like it: Coincidence! Though the submitter could not have known this, Bill was nicknamed “Tink” in high school. Bill’s yearbook photo is reprinted in my author’s note, and will be posted here along with the copy showing the nickname.

Runner-up #2:
Dear Bill Finger,
Thanks.
Signed,
Everybody
Submitted by: name not published
Why I like it: It’s so kind-hearted.

Runner-up #3: Marc Rightly Finger'd Kane Robin' Bill.
Submitted by: name not published
Why I like it: Though several entries include puns—as Bill sometimes did, and as my book does to pay tribute to that—I feel this one is the most inventive because of the way it uses “Robin.”

To the three winners: congrats. I will be in touch for mailing addresses, after which I will send your signed copies promptly.

Thank you to all who participated. Even if you didn’t win, so many of you indeed captured a wonderful way of looking at Bill Finger’s legacy. I am touched at how poignantly a man none of us knew personally can be honored, and in only six words.