Milton "Bill" Finger, a prolific American comic strip, comic book, film, and television writer, was born on February 8, 1914, and passed away on January 18, 1974. He is widely recognized as the co-creator, alongside Bob Kane, of the iconic DC Comics character Batman.
Throughout his career, Finger made significant contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world builder, and illustration architect. However, despite his remarkable achievements, he was often relegated to ghostwriter status on many comics, including Batman and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott.
In a 1980s audio interview, Kane privately acknowledged that Finger was responsible for "50–75% of all the creativity in Batman." Nevertheless, for decades, Kane publicly denied Finger's involvement, stating that he was merely a subcontractor executing Kane's ideas.
As a result, Finger died in relative obscurity and poverty, while the Batman brand and Kane accumulated international fame and wealth. It wasn't until the 2000s, when researcher Marc Tyler Nobleman uncovered previously unknown heirs, that the fight to restore Finger's lost legacy began.
Finger's granddaughter joined the efforts, and after years of advocacy, DC Comics's parent company conditionally agreed to recognize Finger's intellectual property claim as co-creator of the Batman characters and mythos. As of 2015, Finger's name was officially added to the "created by" credit line, alongside Kane's, in recognition of his significant contributions to the iconic character.
