It’s no secret that nerd culture sits at the center of much
of our larger pop culture right now. Superhero movies are the biggest tentpoles
in the cinematic industry, and actors who play big comic book roles are among
the highest paid in the world. But even beyond that, you see everyone from
suburban dads to five year olds wearing Star Wars t-shirts and discussing which
version of the Joker is their favorite. While there are certainly downsides to
this cultural development, one advantage is a new interest in the little-known,
behind-the-scenes stories surrounding sci fi, fantasy, and superheroes.
One of the latest additions to the growing body of nerd
studies is the 2017 documentary, Batman
and Bill. Of course, everyone knows Batman. He’s the dark, broody hero with
dead parents who dresses like a bat to scare criminals who are a “superstitious
and cowardly lot.” But who created this figure that is an internationally known
icon and a billion-dollar enterprise? Even the freshest noob to the comic book
world can probably tell you that it was a guy named Bob Kane. Kane supposedly
invented Batman over a weekend in 1939 after he saw how much money Superman
creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were making. He was a rare early creator
who had it written into his contract that he would get name credit every time
Batman appeared. This is the standard story, but according to Batman and Bill,
there is another, entirely different version to be told.
Batman and Bill
primarily follows author Marc Tyler Nobleman who wrote a children’s non-fiction
book about the Caped Crusader’s other, perhaps more important creator, a guy
named Bill Finger. Finger was Bob Kane’s silent partner who, according to
Nobleman’s research, not only wrote most of the stories and invented most of
Batman’s indelible gallery of villains but also designed the main components of
the costume we all recognize today – complete with the pointy bat ears,
scalloped black cape, and bat symbol on the chest. Kane, apparently a slick
salesman and self-promoter, did all the talking and was the public face of
Batman while Finger was the uncredited idea man who shaped much of the mythology
the world knows, loves, and pays millions of dollars to read and see every
year. Kane died a wealthy, prominent man with millions of fans while Finger
died penniless and alone in a New York apartment that was behind on rent.
Nobleman spends the documentary detailing his efforts to
track down a biological heir of Finger’s in order to get him credit on Batman
products. The story is a fascinating one, complete with unexpected discoveries,
entirely new versions of established creation myth, and a surprising ending.
While the story is compelling and the cause is just, Nobleman definitely seems
to love himself and be a self-promoter in a vein more similar to Bob Kane than
Bill Finger. The documentary clearly positions him as the hero and his book
about Finger as required reading, and Nobleman clearly doesn’t have a problem
with that.
But his self-congratulation aside, the story of Bill Finger
and his family and their efforts to get his name on Batman after nearly eighty
years is touching. Knowing that they were up against Warner Brothers, one of
the largest and most powerful media companies in the world makes the stakes
even higher.
The most affecting moments of the film are one-on-one
interviews with Finger’s granddaughter. According to her, the Finger family
felt cursed to obscurity and neglect. She makes a much more satisfying and
authentic protagonist to the story than Nobleman’s faux humble researcher.
There are a few spots that drag and seem a little redundant,
but overall, Batman and Bill is a
compelling documentary that is worth seeing. As nerd culture becomes more and
more central to the things we read, watch, and listen to, it’s interesting and
worthwhile to hear the stories behind the stories.
