Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 43

Trailer for "Batman & Bill" documentary

Hulu has debuted the trailer for our Bill Finger documentary Batman & Bill, which is premiering on May 6:

Communal puzzle at library checkout

At Benbrook Middle School in the Fort Worth, TX, area, I encountered a simple, clever idea: a puzzle on the library checkout desk for all to contribute to. 


I'm told the puzzles get solved faster than I would've guessed. Guess the library has so many students eager to read that the checkout line is so long that more students have more time to participate!

My AASL tweet for School Library Month

I'm honored to be one of the authors quoted in the American Association of School Librarians tweet series in honor of School Library Month.

"Chupacabra" tweets (plus a pop culture reference)

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra released on 3/7/17 with the goal of making people laugh, and I'm happy to report that several have. Here is proof:









Though I like Star Wars, I am also not a MEGA fan, and as such, this allusion...


...was unintentional.

However, there IS a pop culture reference in the book…in fact from the same decade…but it goes beyond a one-off phrase.

A hint: "activate."

An easier hint.

Thank you letters from Thompson Elementary in Arlington, MA

Courtesy of goes-above-and-beyond librarian Liza Halley, I was honored to receive a stack of heartening notes from the students of Thompson Elementary School in Arlington, MA, where I spoke on 3/2/17 (and first signed my latest book, The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra).


Among my favorite comments:

"You gave a breathtaking story. I walked out feeling different. I felt like I could do things I didn't know I could do.""Your performance was a once in a lifetime opportunity. To me and friends, it changed our lives. It truly changed my life.""In the beginning you told us 'I know some of you don't like superheroes, but you are going to leave this gym with a different perspective.' And not only was that true, it was incredible.""I am really, really excited to watch your movie coming out in early May. I hope that early May means May 4 because that's my birthday and that means it would be my spirit movie.""I like theories. But you took it to the next level.""Just to show you what a difference you made, when I went home and asked my mom and dad who Bob Kane was, they said 'Who's that?' and when I asked if they knew who Bill Finger was, they said 'He created Batman.'""I got lost in your world of Batman and Bill Finger.""I am happy that I know who create Batman. I told my dad and this is what he said: wow.""You showed me that authors are much more than just people writing down stories: they're explorers, inventors, and creators.""When you told us you got Bill Finger's BEETLE, I really wanted it.""I loved how you said we should be curious. I went out to the woods with those words in my head and I found a huge spider the size of my hand!!!""I miss you already."

The DC Comics Trinity…of grandchildren

In 2008, DC began publishing a limited series headlined, for the first time, by only their big three: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.


While on the subject, here's Christie Marston, granddaughter of William Moulton Marston, co-creator of Wonder Woman, and Athena Finger, granddaughter of Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman.

photo arranged by and courtesy of Art Cloos, Overstreet advisor
Seeing this prompted me to contact Laura Siegel Larson, daughter of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman, to ask about the possibility of arranging another photo, this time with an addition: a grandchild of Jerry's. Must complete the Trinity!

   2016 series (issue #3…of course)

Laura kindly forwarded my message to her two sons, Jerry's grandsons. As of this writing, one has responded to say he's game and that (how did I not know this?) he and his brother have already attended comic conventions. As do Athena and Christie.

So while we haven't planned a specific date/time for a Trinity Legacy photo to be taken, I am confident it will happen.

Batman credit line changed from "with Bill Finger" to "and Bill Finger"

At least as far back as December 2016, in snuck a change that only a certain elite would notice, a change at once startling and straightforward. 

Here are examples as pointed out in posts on the Bill Finger Appreciation Group Facebook page:

 Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series
Justice League Dark (2017 animated film)
Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics: Justice League, Volume 2 
When the "Batman created by Bob Kane" credit was changed in October 2015, it read "Batman created by Bob Kane WITH Bill Finger." As you can see above, these publications and films list the Batman credit as "Bob Kane AND Bill Finger" [emphasis mine, wish come true many].

The first time I came upon this, I assumed it was simply an inadvertent, isolated break from protocol. But now that there have been multiple sightings, it seems that this is instead the CORRECTED version of the corrected credit.

Once is a fluke. Thrice is a new normal.

That said, I have not yet seen it in monthly comics nor was it in the most recent first-run episode of Gotham ("Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies," aired 1/30/17). But unless we learn otherwise, I will presume that it is being rolled out across the board.

I'm told it was not as a result of any recent conversation between the Finger family and DC Comics. So until we learn who at DC lobbied for it, we can chalk it up to that old Bat magic...

As I've said numerous times, no matter the wording, I'm just thankful Bill's name is there...

...but yeah, "and" beats "with," big time.

"No weak links here" - "Chicago Tribune" on "The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra"

Review of The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra from the Chicago Tribune (3/7/17):



"fresh, funny and genuinely suspenseful, thanks in part to a winning text by Nobleman""the visual storytelling is impressive""both the text and the illustrations can stand by themselves, and they complement each other beautifully""no weak links here"
Thank you, Nara Schoenberg!

"The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra," day 1

The Chucapabra Ate the Candelabra (illustrated by Ana Aranda, edited by Nancy Paulsen) released on 3/7/17. Some friends who pre-ordered and got it that day sent me photographic evidence.

Some showed the book on a marble countertop (names are the adults who sent me the photos, not the kids):

 Karl, NY; know from my first job after college
 Tracy, CT; know from my hometown

   Christian, VA; one of my best friends since 4th grade

One was the book on a surface that cannot easily be determined:
Lauren, IL; know from college
Some included the recipients:

 Mimi, UT; know from Footloose, then because I interviewed her

 Aryeh, CT; know from camp
Colette, MD; know from my street
The book is for anyone who likes to laugh:

 Amanda, WA; know because I interviewed her
Sabine, DC; know via my wife
I recommend experiencing it inter-generationally:

Lindsey, TN; know because she's a librarian!

Or even inter-species:
 Betsy, FL; know because I interviewed her, too 

"Chupacabra" hoopla

Three recent honors for The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, which releases tomorrow:

1)

Children's Book Council "Hot Off the Press" list (3/17); a "unique bibliography [featuring] anticipated bestsellers"

2)

The Spring 2017 Kids' Indie Next List Preview ; these 52 titles "are based on recommendations from booksellers at independent bookstores"

"Oh boy, is this going to be a hoot and a half to read aloud! While children are giggling during story time, they'll be soaking up wonderful new words like 'candelabra,' 'cucaracha,' and 'chupacabra.' This is a delicious read-aloud that will keep kids on the edge of their seats, but in a most benign and silly way."
—Kathleen Carey, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
 
3)

#1 in children's multicultural titles on Amazon (2/16/17)


I signed my first copy of the book at Thompson Elementary in Arlington, MA, on 3/2/17. Since it doesn't officially release till 3/7, I was surprised they had copies already.




Thank you to all who have supported the book.