Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 120
September 1, 2012
Batman in the classroom
Embedded within these humbling reactions (most from educators) to Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman are some great suggestions for classroom discussion and lesson plans.
Speaking of which, here is the diverse and creative curriculum guide from my publisher, Charlesbridge.
Please bookmark as I will be adding to this post.
“Eye-opening and quietly tragic … if you asked me what’s one of my favorite [nonfiction picture books] of the past decade, I’d instantly endorse Boys of Steel, Marc Tyler Nobleman’s insightful and engaging account of Superman’s creation. Well, now the multi-talented author/journalist/cartoonist is back with Bill the Boy Wonder, a more-than-worthy follow-up … this new book boasts even more astounding feats of research and also features gorgeous art by Ty Templeton. Quite simply, Bill the Boy Wonder makes perfect summer reading for kids who are into pop culture. Actually, it’s a great read for anyone who’s ever seen the phrase ‘created by Bob Kane’ even if they’re not huge Batman fans; that’s because it’s not just a compelling biography of comics creator Bill Finger but a highly accessible and informative text about comics and comics history generally.”
—Connect the Pop on School Library Journal
Selected comments from The Picnic Basket:
“Fascinating … It is also a lesson on character. Using this book, you can investigate with your students the big idea of fairness … If your students do group projects, this would be a great introduction to how you should collaborate and make sure proper credit is given. This book is also an excellent example of why we need to study history. New information is constantly being unearthed … Bill the Boy Wonder would be a terrific source for a biography project for a reluctant reader. You will want to preserve the cover of this book as many hands will be reaching for it.”
(And a comment under this: “Not just for kids!”)
—NC (North Carolina) Teacher Stuff (and Nonfiction Monday)
“Compelling writing, fantastic art. … In a household where we celebrate the creativity of Jim Henson and Walt Disney and others remembered for their contributions to childhood (and adulthood), this book and Bill Finger will have a special place.”
—epinions user
“Very interesting, even to a pretty reluctant comic reader!”
—Good Reads user
“Perfect for the reluctant reader, Bill the Boy Wonder is a classic story of the underdog. … The book has the potential to empower readers of all ages to take pride in—and ownership of—their work.”
—Young People’s Pavilion on Yahoo! (by Michael Strickland, who writes for The Reading Teacher, the journal of the International Reading Association)
“Whether you're a fan of comics in general or Batman in particular, you owe it to yourself to get this book … fascinating.”
—Books YA Love
Speaking of which, here is the diverse and creative curriculum guide from my publisher, Charlesbridge.
Please bookmark as I will be adding to this post.
“Eye-opening and quietly tragic … if you asked me what’s one of my favorite [nonfiction picture books] of the past decade, I’d instantly endorse Boys of Steel, Marc Tyler Nobleman’s insightful and engaging account of Superman’s creation. Well, now the multi-talented author/journalist/cartoonist is back with Bill the Boy Wonder, a more-than-worthy follow-up … this new book boasts even more astounding feats of research and also features gorgeous art by Ty Templeton. Quite simply, Bill the Boy Wonder makes perfect summer reading for kids who are into pop culture. Actually, it’s a great read for anyone who’s ever seen the phrase ‘created by Bob Kane’ even if they’re not huge Batman fans; that’s because it’s not just a compelling biography of comics creator Bill Finger but a highly accessible and informative text about comics and comics history generally.”—Connect the Pop on School Library Journal
Selected comments from The Picnic Basket:
“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. … This book would be great for classroom discussions. Themes would include writing, struggling, comics, superheroes, design, plots, teamwork, standing up for yourself, friendships, and investigation. There were opportunities to learn new vocabulary throughout the story. 5 out of 5 stars”
“I was delighted when I read this book and immediately gave it to one of my 4th grade students to read. The book is a great opening to talking about civil rights and prejudice and even self-esteem. I would recommend the book to guidance counselors, teachers, and that student who sits doodling at his desk while working. … Excellent use of vocabulary—hightailed, scrawled, potential, intimidating… 5 out of 5 stars”
“I really enjoyed this book and look forward to sharing it with my 6th graders. I will use this book to open my biography unit. It will lead to many discussions about giving credit where credit is due … I really liked how the story was illustrated. It is a book worth sharing. This is a 5 in my basket.”
“Absolutely outstanding in all respects! Definitely can be used in the classroom to introduce biographies. Sure bet to get the attention of the most reluctant reader. Definitely a 5++++++!”
“What a beautiful book! I read it in one sitting. The prose is beautifully written, the pictures are lovely, and the underlying themes of justice and redemption are compelling. I am donating this book to our middle school library and plan to recommend it to the New Mexico Battle of the Books committee as a terrific nonfiction choice. 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! I found the story to be completely captivating. I think this book would grab the attention of children and really teach them something along the way. It offers endless opportunities for lessons. Nobleman is a very skilled writer and certainly knows how to find obscure stories and make them completely fascinating. This book deserves nothing less than a 5.”
“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… And then I started at the beginning again, admiring the cover and reading it from top to bottom. The story has so many cool parallels in the illustrations to support comprehension and add appeal … Nobleman demonstrates that writers need to be curious, determined, and willing to chase what they don't know … That you shouldn't just write about what you know, rather it is most important to have a really good question and go after the unknown … uncover a legacy that was so close to slipping away forever. I can only imagine how much Milton would have loved this book. The next day I asked one of my 5th grade students who loves superheroes … 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. 5 out of 5 stars”
“Great book with many uses for YA readers. Thanks for a great read. (I had this book and had to share. 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. How could this happen, they wondered. How can I find out more, etc. 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! … My students were highly motivated when I connected these lessons to Bill the Boy Wonder. 5 out of 5 stars”
“Fascinating … It is also a lesson on character. Using this book, you can investigate with your students the big idea of fairness … If your students do group projects, this would be a great introduction to how you should collaborate and make sure proper credit is given. This book is also an excellent example of why we need to study history. New information is constantly being unearthed … Bill the Boy Wonder would be a terrific source for a biography project for a reluctant reader. You will want to preserve the cover of this book as many hands will be reaching for it.”
(And a comment under this: “Not just for kids!”)
—NC (North Carolina) Teacher Stuff (and Nonfiction Monday)
“Compelling writing, fantastic art. … In a household where we celebrate the creativity of Jim Henson and Walt Disney and others remembered for their contributions to childhood (and adulthood), this book and Bill Finger will have a special place.”
—epinions user
“Very interesting, even to a pretty reluctant comic reader!”
—Good Reads user
“Perfect for the reluctant reader, Bill the Boy Wonder is a classic story of the underdog. … The book has the potential to empower readers of all ages to take pride in—and ownership of—their work.”
—Young People’s Pavilion on Yahoo! (by Michael Strickland, who writes for The Reading Teacher, the journal of the International Reading Association)
“Whether you're a fan of comics in general or Batman in particular, you owe it to yourself to get this book … fascinating.”
—Books YA Love
August 30, 2012
Fairy fame
Don't be fooled by lists. Fairies are always the favorites.
Vanity Fair 3/12
Entertainment Weekly 2011 
Vanity Fair 3/12
Entertainment Weekly 2011
August 28, 2012
More photos from San Diego Comic-Con
Revealing that a paperweight shown in the book is not a made-up detail, 7/12/12.
You may have read about this before.
Clumsily revealing what my shirt says.
co-panelist Larry Tye, panel moderator Mark Evanier, me, 7/13/12
All photos courtesy of Kendall Whitehouse, Director, New Media, Wharton Marketing and Communications.
August 26, 2012
Public speaking as a research tool
Research is time-consuming with no guarantee of yielding anything useful. So it is actually not completely impractical to suggest speaking as a research tool.
I’ve been speaking about Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman (AKA Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) for almost four years at venues ranging from synagogues to business luncheons; I’m now including Bill Finger in my presentations.
A number of people from audiences I’ve spoken to have come up to me afterward to share a connection they had to Jerry (1914-1996), Joe (1914-1992), or Bill (1914-1974). It’s not a massive tally but given the number of generations back we’re talking, it astounds me.
INSERT LINK FROM JUNE POST
Examples:
Washington DC, November 2011—a woman whose grandfather worked in the same building as Joe Shuster’s art studio in the 1940sMiami, February 2012—a man whose sister dated Joe Shuster in the 1970sNew York, June 2012—a woman who was best friends with the daughter of Bill Finger’s second wife in middle school in the 1960s (have to come up for air on that one)
I did not note at least one or two others who overlapped with Siegel and Shuster at Glenville High School in the early 1930s.
People like this are so peripherally linked to the superhero creators that even the most tenacious writers/researchers may never turn them up on their own.
The more I speak, the more I will likely continue to overlap with people who hobnobbed with comics royalty. And the more people I reach, the more likely I can uncover something no one else would have. We never know where or when the next previously unpublished story or photo will come from…except that it is almost never where you expect it to be.
I did ask all three above if they had relevant photos or other mementos; some believe they do, and if they end up sharing any of it with me as they said they would, I will be posting that material here.
Both of my superhero books are already out there, but as you can see, I’m still adding to the story.
I’ve been speaking about Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman (AKA Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) for almost four years at venues ranging from synagogues to business luncheons; I’m now including Bill Finger in my presentations.
A number of people from audiences I’ve spoken to have come up to me afterward to share a connection they had to Jerry (1914-1996), Joe (1914-1992), or Bill (1914-1974). It’s not a massive tally but given the number of generations back we’re talking, it astounds me.
INSERT LINK FROM JUNE POST
Examples:
Washington DC, November 2011—a woman whose grandfather worked in the same building as Joe Shuster’s art studio in the 1940sMiami, February 2012—a man whose sister dated Joe Shuster in the 1970sNew York, June 2012—a woman who was best friends with the daughter of Bill Finger’s second wife in middle school in the 1960s (have to come up for air on that one)
I did not note at least one or two others who overlapped with Siegel and Shuster at Glenville High School in the early 1930s.
People like this are so peripherally linked to the superhero creators that even the most tenacious writers/researchers may never turn them up on their own.
The more I speak, the more I will likely continue to overlap with people who hobnobbed with comics royalty. And the more people I reach, the more likely I can uncover something no one else would have. We never know where or when the next previously unpublished story or photo will come from…except that it is almost never where you expect it to be.
I did ask all three above if they had relevant photos or other mementos; some believe they do, and if they end up sharing any of it with me as they said they would, I will be posting that material here.
Both of my superhero books are already out there, but as you can see, I’m still adding to the story.
August 25, 2012
Audience folk who knew the Boys of Steel and the Boy Wonder
After many talks I’ve given on Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and, as of recently, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, someone comes up to me to share a connection s/he or someone s/he knows had to the Superman or Batman creators. Here are a few that come to mind:the man whose relative lived across the street from Jerry Siegel (talk: Bethesda, 4/12)the man whose sister dated Joe Shuster in the 1970s (and still has some letters he wrote) (Miami, 2/12)the woman whose grandfather worked in the same building that housed Joe’s studio (Washington DC, 11/11)the woman who, in 7th grade, was best friends with the daughter of Bill Finger’s second wife (New York, 6/12)
the woman whose mom modeled for Bob Kane (Whidbey Island/Seattle, 3/12)
...not to mention...the boy who claimed he found a copy of the most valuable comic book in history (Providence, 4/10)the woman whose father-in-law was once married to Joe Shuster’s sister Jean (and who inherited letters Jean wrote, some of which mention Joe) (e-mail)the man whose father was a photographer for Stars and Stripes and who e-mailed me WWII photos featuring Jerry Siegel
And at least one woman who knew someone who was allegedly an inspiration for Lois Lane.
the woman whose mom modeled for Bob Kane (Whidbey Island/Seattle, 3/12)
...not to mention...the boy who claimed he found a copy of the most valuable comic book in history (Providence, 4/10)the woman whose father-in-law was once married to Joe Shuster’s sister Jean (and who inherited letters Jean wrote, some of which mention Joe) (e-mail)the man whose father was a photographer for Stars and Stripes and who e-mailed me WWII photos featuring Jerry Siegel
And at least one woman who knew someone who was allegedly an inspiration for Lois Lane.
August 24, 2012
Catwoman-themed tip jars at Starbucks
Spotted in Washington DC:
What, no Anne Hathaway?
What, no Anne Hathaway?
August 23, 2012
August 22, 2012
August 21, 2012
The only two surviving letters Bill Finger wrote
In my research for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, I dug deep and discovered quite a bit that had not been published before. One of the most rewarding finds was personal correspondence—the only known examples of surviving letters written by Bill Finger.
There are two, both from 1965. They were discovered in the Vermont home of longtime fan Tom Fagan, who passed away in 2008; a friend of Tom’s kindly mailed me copies. When I first saw the letters, everything quickened. It is understated to describe them as highlights of my research odyssey.
Besides the simple fact that they exist, they are significant because they reveal sides of Bill’s personality that none of his (few) comics-related interviews did.
The first letter (whose postmark, not shown here, is 8/19/65) starts with a doozy: in rattling off his interests, Bill cheekily repeats “dating women.” The last line of the letter is endearing and humanizing, and also shows that the phrase “give me a buzz,” which I would’ve assumed dated from the 1970s if not later, actually existed in the 1960s. Who knows—maybe Bill came up with that piece of pop culture, too?
The second letter, dated 10/19/65, strikes a more solemn tone because it came in the aftermath of Bob Kane’s scathing letter for Batmania in which he refutes Bill’s recent admission that he (Bill) was involved with the creation of Batman.
Bill wrote that he had to keep it short so he could make it to the post office before it closed, but 10/19/65 was a Sunday. It was so hastily written that Bill did not sign it.
But the letter’s greatest significance is in the line “I quite angrily spoke my mind and jogged Bob’s fading memory.” As I mention in the Author’s Note, this is the most spine we have seen from Bill and, in fact, is the only known textual evidence in which Bill stood up for himself.
The poignant last line also made it into my book…as the last line there, too. It’s heartbreaking in its graciousness. Imagine the bitterness it could have been masking.
Here are both letters:
There are two, both from 1965. They were discovered in the Vermont home of longtime fan Tom Fagan, who passed away in 2008; a friend of Tom’s kindly mailed me copies. When I first saw the letters, everything quickened. It is understated to describe them as highlights of my research odyssey.
Besides the simple fact that they exist, they are significant because they reveal sides of Bill’s personality that none of his (few) comics-related interviews did.
The first letter (whose postmark, not shown here, is 8/19/65) starts with a doozy: in rattling off his interests, Bill cheekily repeats “dating women.” The last line of the letter is endearing and humanizing, and also shows that the phrase “give me a buzz,” which I would’ve assumed dated from the 1970s if not later, actually existed in the 1960s. Who knows—maybe Bill came up with that piece of pop culture, too?
The second letter, dated 10/19/65, strikes a more solemn tone because it came in the aftermath of Bob Kane’s scathing letter for Batmania in which he refutes Bill’s recent admission that he (Bill) was involved with the creation of Batman.
Bill wrote that he had to keep it short so he could make it to the post office before it closed, but 10/19/65 was a Sunday. It was so hastily written that Bill did not sign it.
But the letter’s greatest significance is in the line “I quite angrily spoke my mind and jogged Bob’s fading memory.” As I mention in the Author’s Note, this is the most spine we have seen from Bill and, in fact, is the only known textual evidence in which Bill stood up for himself.
The poignant last line also made it into my book…as the last line there, too. It’s heartbreaking in its graciousness. Imagine the bitterness it could have been masking.
Here are both letters:
August 20, 2012
Interest in seeing Bill Finger in film credits
The day The Dark Knight Rises premiered, I revealed how Bill Finger’s second wife (and, almost 20 years later, I) tried to get Bill’s name into the movie credits.
I was thrilled that so many sites picked up on what I feel is a particularly curious and timely story, among them:
Comic Book ResourcesBlastr (SyFy)Bleeding CoolCaptain Comics
With this kind of coverage, the time may come when someone at DC Entertainment finds it is within legal bounds to name-drop Bill in some capacity in the credits of a forthcoming film.
I know...things have to happen first. But in the meantime, I am humbled to share a line from an email I received from a member of Bill’s extended family: “It looks like you have made a difference; Bill’s legacy is becoming more mainstream with each passing day.”
I was thrilled that so many sites picked up on what I feel is a particularly curious and timely story, among them:
Comic Book ResourcesBlastr (SyFy)Bleeding CoolCaptain Comics
With this kind of coverage, the time may come when someone at DC Entertainment finds it is within legal bounds to name-drop Bill in some capacity in the credits of a forthcoming film.
I know...things have to happen first. But in the meantime, I am humbled to share a line from an email I received from a member of Bill’s extended family: “It looks like you have made a difference; Bill’s legacy is becoming more mainstream with each passing day.”
