Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 54

Bill the boy neighbor

Recently I heard from a man named Robert vanMaanen, who lived in the same building as Bill Finger in the early 1970s, when Robert was a boy. This was the building in which Bill died.

Bill and young Robert became friends. It’s somehow poetic that Bill had a positive experience with a Bob at the end of his life considering how an earlier experience with a Bob was quite the opposite.

An interview with Robert:

How did you know Bill Finger?

I grew up in Manhattan. My father was a building superintendent at the building where we lived, 340 E. 51st Street (the Allen House). I was in 6th grade (1973).

Robert is the boy in the tie in the front row.

 Robert in his father’s office in the basementof the Allen House
I was into comics, and I loved the Batman show. My father found out that Bill was the original writer of the Batman comics, so he introduced me to him.

How often did you see him?

I would see him in the lobby on occasion, probably met with him about six or seven times (sit-downs).

How would you see him? Did he come over? Did you go to his apartment?

I always went up to his apartment.

Did he socialize/interact with your parents?

He did talk to my father, but not my mother. First time I met him, my father went with me. And then I went either alone or with friends who were comic fans.

What was your impression of him?

He seemed like a nice man. He had lots of stories to tell. It was a long time ago (40+ years). But he left an impression on me and my love of comics (especially Batman) grew.

How was his attitude when discussing his Batman work?

He was proud of his contribution in creating Batman. It was almost as if he was talking about his son. He would tell me about his research he would do for his stories. He would explain that you just can’t write about something without knowing about the subject. Looking back on the things I have read about him as an adult, I see why he would have trouble with deadlines.

Why do you think he was so nice to you?

I think he saw in me a person who was touched by a character he co-created. A fan.

What do you remember about his apartment?

I think it was a one-bedroom, living room/dining room combo. We would sit at the dining room table and talk. The wall that was towards the front door had a china closet. Dining room had an oval table, I think four chairs. One of the chairs had a huge pile of papers/comics/research notes on it. In the china closet left lower door, he had more papers and notes. There was a small TV cart (on wheels). The TV was always on when I was there.

What memorabilia did he have?

He showed my some copies of comics he had. I asked him about Detective Comics #27. He told me that a few years back, National Publications had asked him to auction off his last file copy (I believe for charity). He had all sorts of notes for stories he had written. I remember a paper with clocks and watches with cutaways. He found a Batman and Robin sketch signed by Bob Kane which he gave to me. He inscribed my Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder From the 30’s to the 70’s [sic] “To Robert, more than a fan—a friend, Bill Finger.”


Unfortunately both the items I had from him were stolen years ago. But when I saw the only known copy of his handwriting, I immediately recognized his writing style. I wish Bill would have signed the Batman sketch; I’m sure someone out there still has it. He also had a script of The Green Slime on his TV stand. There were other papers and magazines under it (not sure what they were).

How were those items stolen?

After we moved from the city to Staten Island, we lived on Howard Avenue and there was a building fire. We had mostly water damage. But the building was not habitable. We temporarily moved into a building that my father was building manager of. It was a smaller apartment, so some of our stuff went into storage. Most of the stolen stuff was collectibles and comics.

So the items were stolen out of the house or out of storage?

Out of storage, probably winter of 1979.

Do you remember hearing that he died (January 1974)? How? What was your reaction?

I was sad. I never got to say goodbye. I did not tell Athena or Travis this, but my father Jack (Jelke) vanMaanen is the person who found Bill dead. There was a complaint of a smell on his floor and people had not seen him. Being the super, my father went into his apartment and found him. I know his son came and took what he wanted from the apartment. But there was no memorabilia left. Just furniture. 

If the experience changed your life in any way, how?

It did change me. I became a bigger comics fan because of it. Through the years, there would be small snippets of info about Bill. I always remembered the stories, the passion he had for his part in the creation of Batman plus all the characters; even if he wasn’t officially recognized, it was fine just knowing in his head what the truth was. Looking back now (as an adult), the most amazing thing: he was never bitter. He never had a bad thing to say about National Periodicals or Bob Kane. I always corrected people when talking about who was (in my opinion) the creator of Batman.

Do you remember anyone else in the building Bill would hang out with?

No one else in the building that I know of. I know he was friendly with one of the doormen, Eddie.

Are you still in touch with any of your friends who came with you to Bill’s apartment, and if so, could I reach out to them, too?

Two friends came with me to visit him. I’m in touch with one of them, George Pappas. He remembered meeting Bill, but thought it was Bob Kane (being it was so long ago and Bob’s name is always associated with Batman). The other friend I lost track of, Tom Ward (two kids to the right of Miss Weissman, in a pink shirt and red pants). He had the same book as me signed by Bill, different inscription. He may have only known handwriting of Bill.

Do you have any photos of Bill or his apartment?

Unfortunately, I do not.

What are you doing these days?

I work at New York University’s Co-Gen Power Plant (32 years).


Where do you live?

I live on Staten Island in Eltingville since 1976. I’ve lived in New York City all my life.

Anything you’d like to add?

I’m glad that Bill is finally got recognized for all the work he had done in comics. I’ve been telling people the truth for years. I wish I had heard about you when you were doing your research on your book. I may have been able to help you with some leads. There is probably not much I can tell you at this point. You did a fantastic job on your research.

I know Bill would be proud to see his name associated with Batman and the many other characters he helped create.

Happy 102nd birthday, Bill

A couple of heartfelt tributes: 

Comics Alliance 
Batman News (partial screen shot); I love the last line:

An apt week to be in Denver

On Monday 2/1/16, I flew to Denver—many hours earlier than planned. I was originally booked on a flight set to arrive at 8:30 p.m., and had my first school visit scheduled for Tuesday morning, but upon learning the Saturday before of a winter storm bearing down, I waited for the travel advisory to be issued (it was on Sunday morning) so I could change my flight for no charge. Reducing the risk of not getting there as much as possible, I opted for the flight departing at 5:40 a.m.

Good thing, too. That flight arrived before noon, no delays. And the snow arrived after noon. My original flight was indeed canceled.

But then, so was school on Tuesday. So I got to Denver in time to have a day in a hotel.


I had two hourlong presentations (at different schools) booked for Tuesday, and was able to reschedule one for later in the week. The other will get first priority on my next return.

I spoke at four other schools, all lovely. I spoke three times at CCIRA, the Colorado Council International Reading Association conference, on Thursday. And on Saturday, I ran two writing workshops for middle schoolers as part of a program related to CCIRA. 

My conference badge showed I was in for a good time. 


Thank you to Amy Nicholl, Cindi Bryant, and all others who helped me be a part of this event, my third time (after 2010 and 2013).

This was an apt time to be in Denver is because it was the buildup week to the Broncos playing in Super Bowl 50 AND the buildup to the 102nd birthday of Bill Finger—who was born in Denver. The sweatshirt of this Littleton Academy student (Brady) could not have been more appropriate. And I’m not even a football watcher.


At Littleton, a first: a student (Sam) gave me a tour of the school. I am a big fan of schools that empower students with leadership opportunities—making the morning announcements, introducing guest speakers, etc.

Also at Littleton: even before I left the building, one of the teachers showed me work her students created immediately after the assembly.

They designed memorials for Bill, their native son.


I’m told more are on the way.

And I believe that an actual Bill Finger memorial in Denver is possible…with a little help from the kids. Stay tuned…

Missing my chance with Paul Norris, co-creator of Aquaman

In 2006, I wrote to Paul Norris, the artist who (with Mort Weisinger) co-created one of my favorite superheroes, Aquaman. 

The Brave and the Bold #32, art by Jesús Saíz
How favorite? This favorite. (Warning: Underoos.)

Paul was 92.

I asked for an interview.

He kindly granted it:


But then I squandered it.

I didn’t take him up on it. Part of the reason was I didn’t yet have this blog, so didn’t have an easy outlet to share the interview. Part of it was just general lapse of judgment.

In 2007, Paul passed away.

A belated thank you, Paul. I know others interviewed you but I regret missing my chance. If there’s an Atlantis, I’m sure you’re there now, relaxing as you watch a confetti of fish waggle by.

“By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family” explained

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s big idea, Superman, debuted with their names on it in 1938. After they sued their publisher and lost in 1947, their names were removed and not restored until 1976 (Superman #302).

But in 2013, the credit line changed again. It was no longer just “Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.” Well, it was and it wasn’t. Underneath the longstanding credit now appears the elaboration “By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.”

I’m way late in addressing this, and technically I’m not capable of addressing it at all, but my friend and legal maestro Jeff Trexler is. I asked him to explain why this additional, seemingly redundant line has been added. His response:

Settlements are funny things. We tend to speak of them in legal terms—each side has a claim and reaches an agreement that in some way accommodates both without acknowledging either as the winner. As with lawsuits themselves, however, there is often much more at stake than the letter of the law. For the Siegels, the settlement embodied decades of perceived injustice, abuse, and misperception—they saw it as their chance to set history aright, and not just the history between the creators and DC.

From Joanne’s perspective, it appears that she didn’t see Joe Shuster as an equal—I bet if you asked her in private, she would have said that Joe ultimately didn’t matter at all. You may recall that she had Joe pay a percentage of his DC pension to her as a commission for negotiating raises (see Larry Tye’s book, pages 269-70)—her sense was that Joe wouldn’t have received anything if Jerry hadn’t pursued it.

Her perception of Joe as undeserving had deep roots. Remember that Joe drew Superboy when Jerry was in the military, which means that technically, since the victory leading to the settlement in the 1940s involved Superboy, not Superman, she could have seen Joe’s share of that settlement too as wholly underserved. Go back even further and there’s Joe’s decision to quit the character for a while in the early ‘30s, which left certain core elements to be first drawn by Russell Keaton.

And then there’s the storied Superman creation myth, which has Siegel alone in his room inspired to create the character fully formed. Sure, he gets Shuster to draw it, but in Siegel is the hero of the tale—if it hadn’t been Shuster, it would have been someone else. It’s akin to what Kirkman argued in regard to Tony Moore’s art for the early issues of The Walking Dead, as well as Tony Isabella’s insistence that Trevor von Eden was not Black Lightning’s co-creator.

All of which brings us to the settlement. While the Siegels kept the hard-fought Siegel and Shuster credit, they also requested and received a credit acknowledging the family’s special place in the character’s existence—Superman et al. couldn’t appear anywhere without their permission. Legally this wasn’t true—DC held the Shuster share and could do what it wanted with the character, even if they’d let the Siegels claim their 50%—but it made the Siegels feel vindicated and so in it went.

Here’s a telling bit of correspondence in which [lawyer Marc] Toberoff ends up rejecting over twenty million bucks; if I recall correctly, there’s more recent info in the filings taking the rejected amount well over thirty mil. Without Toberoff’s jumping in to try to get her share for his production company, Joanne might have passed away happy and rich.

American Heritage School, Florida

On 1/21/16, I spoke four times at the two campuses (Plantation and Delray Beach) of the American Heritage School in Florida.



Meanwhile, up north, the historic blizzard was bearing down. While I was bummed to miss this monster snowstorm, I had a monster of a time in the Sunshine State.

One of the libraries boasts (fake but fantastic) trees and an enormous underwater grotto which makes for one of the most memorable book talk spaces in the country.




Another special treat: my friend Athena Finger, lone grandchild of Bill Finger, was able to attend one of the talks. It’s been more than two years since she has last seen me present, and, of course, a lot has changed since then.


Thank you to Debbie Washburn, Patricia Deben, Zana White, and everyone else involved in bringing me to AHS. I hope to visit your campus of natural wonders again.

The Everest of school visits

On the first day of 2016, I flew to India for third time within a year for my third stint at the American School of Bombay. I taught creative writing three times a day for five days, and capped it with a most unusual and unexpected speaking gig.

I’d stayed the week at a Sofitel hotel and on my first day, a restaurant manager struck up a conversation. When I said I am a writer, he asked if I’d present to the staff about my work. (On his list of suggested topics I could cover: calligraphy. I quickly disabused him of the notion that I had any knowledge of that.) I said I’d be happy to but questioned if anyone would be interested. He assured me that people would and he was right:


I learned this was part of the hotel’s monthly “voices” program which revolves around a different speaker each time—sometimes guests, sometimes locals.

On 1/9/16, I was off to a first for me: Nepal, to speak at two international schools in Kathmandu—Lincoln School and the British School.

The country is still reeling from the earthquake (and aftershocks) of 2015. Evidence of it is visible fairly often, but it’s far from a city of rubble. In some cases what I took for quake damage was actually new construction in progress. (Neither school had lost any staff or students in the quake, though both, I believe, lost a significant number afterward, due to urgent relocation.)

At one point, a Nepali I was with indicated a man on the street near us and said “He’s a rich man. He has an ax.”

Glimpses of my Nepal, starting with my first step there:


The airport:


Earthquake damage:


Due to fallout from the quake, some people ride the bus like this:


Small shops are rampant, this one on the scenic drive up a mountain to a spot called Nagarkot, where Everest could be visible if weather cooperates:


The Mount Everest Youth Club:


A five-star resort with a great view...but, since the quake, a drop in guests:


Two of my kind hosts, Lincoln School elementary school principal Ken Fernandez and his wife Cri:


If not for clouds, you would see Mount Everest behind me:




Great view of the Himalayas on this postcard of my hotel, Hotel Greenwich Village...but not in real life:




To go on an hourlong Mount Everest fly-by, I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. Since the quake, Nepal is enduring load-shedding, meaning times when the power is cut to conserve. Currently it is for six hours a day but there is talk it will increase to eighteen.


We were supposed to be at the airport by 5:45 for a 6:45 departure...
 

...but were instead in for a parade of delays:




Named for one of the biggest myths, one of the tiniest gift shops:

 
The plane finally took off...at 11 a.m. It seats about 20.


The air sickness bag leaves as little to the imagination as vomiting does to the stomach:



View of Everest from the cockpit...


...and from my seat:


(It is the one to the left of the peak that looks like it is smoking.)


At Pashupatinath Temple, a holy site for Hindus, bodies from the four castes are cremated steadily. It takes a male body 2.5 hours to burn fully, a female three. Then the ashes are set adrift in the river. Among family of the deceased, crying is not allowed. After the quake, the site could not keep up with the need, forcing mass cremations. The men who perform the ritual are professionals:


The hospice on site:


Holy men live here:



It will be hard to spot me here:




Bouddhanath Stupa, a sacred Buddhist (and UNESCO World Heritage) site, which was damaged in the quake (“stupa” refers to the domelike structure):




At Lincoln, the time to change classes is announced by a handheld gong:


One class greeted me with a cool sign (complete with credit to Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman artist Ty Templeton) and bats with every student:








Part of the garden behind Ken and Cri’s house:


A charming bakery that would also be right at home in Soho:



I have not seen tangles of wires and cables like this:


A new friend, midair:


Music, movies...and moos:


Another cow:


Jeremiah O’Sullivan, the risk-taking Lincoln librarian who brought me in, bore an uncanny resemblance to Bill Finger’s son Fred, and was game to pose like him: 


Less than a year earlier at the British School, on this spot stood another author...by name of J.K. Rowling:

 The Cinema Times
My kind librarian host at the British School, Sunita Chitrakar:


The oldest high school in Nepal:

Good marketing on this brand of Himalayan bottled water:


One of the days I was in Kathmandu, elsewhere in the city a leopard walked into someone’s house. Just walked in:
 


Fires in the street represent hope in the future for this lovely country.

Letters from Watkin Mills Elementary, Maryland

On 12/18/15, I had the honor of speaking at Watkins Mill Elementary in Maryland.

Favorite (lightly edited) excerpts from the thank you letters the students wrote:

“If you like reading, you are welcome here.”“I learned a lot but I do not want to be in your next book.”“I want the superhero books. My dad has money. I can give you the money.”“You brought the joy of Batman and Superman to our school.”
And the one signed this way:

Sincerely,
A good student

Two books, two years, two topics

In the two-year period from 2016-2018, I will put out two books set during World War II and two books set in England. (One of the two books is set during WWII England.)

This concludes Meaningless Observation.

Making the case that Bill Finger deserved co-creator status

What a year.

As anyone with a Gotham stamp in his passport knows, September brought big Batman news.

Eight years have passed since I discovered that Bill Finger had a grandchild born two years after he died, Athena. When she decided to challenge the “Batman created by Bob Kane” credit line, I pulled information from my research that I thought could be relevant to the mission:

“Now that my longtime friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero. Because he came into the strip after I had created Batman, he did not get a by-line... I never thought of giving him a by-line and he never asked for one. I often tell my wife ‘If I could go back 15 years, before he died, I would like to say “I’ll put your name on it now, you deserve it.”’”—Bob Kane, Batman & Me, 1989 “Legally, nothing has to be done. Morally, I think something should be done, and we will do it out of compassion.”—Jay Emmett, Executive VP of Warner Communications, parent company of National Periodical Publications, on giving Superman creators Siegel and Shuster compensation and credit, October 1975Bill by present and past DC professionals in good standinginstances where DC has credited Bill for writing Batman’s origin (of course, one of the most significant aspects of the character)Jerry Robinson in 2006: “[Bill] created most everything for [Bob]. He definitely was a full co-creator. I think he had more to do with the molding of Batman than Bob. He just did so many things at the beginning. As an artist, I can appreciate what goes into that. Aside from creating almost all the other characters, creating the whole persona, the whole temper, the history, origin of Batman. Everything. It made it a success from the beginning.”in Alter Ego #39 (1/03), Jerry Robinson said he is “positive” Robin was Bill’s ideain Batman #169 (2/65), longtime DC editor Julius Schwartz gave Bill creator sole credit for the Riddlerin Comics Interview Super Special: Batman—Real Origins of the Dark Knight (1989), Bob is quoted as saying this: “Bill Finger created some of the villains: I believe he created Penguin. Catwoman, I think he came up with”; NOTE: he also then claims he (Bob) came up with Joker and Riddler, both of whom are almost always credited partially or fully to Billin Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (1988), published by DC, Bill credited as “creator or co-creator” of Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face, and a “host of other elements”in Batman & Me, page 44, Bob says Bill Bill’s second wife Lyn Simmons almost getting Bill’s name in credits of first Batman movie, 1989 (particularly significant: the textual evidence that Warner Bros. almost agreed)one of DC’s most acclaimed writers, Grant Morrison, made a bold statement in Playboy (2012) —and still works for DC: “Created by: Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane (disputed)”If Bob had a contract with DC at the start of Batman, but Bob was not producing the ideas he was getting credited for, can the person who was secretly producing them make a legal claim to them?personal letter Bill wrote in 1965: “I phoned Bob Kane moment I got your copy of the fantastic letter [in which Bob claimed Bill was lying about his role in Batman]; after a few minutes of conversation in which I quite angrily spoke my mind and jogged Bob’s fading memory, he agreed to ‘revise’ the letter, in fact asked me to have dinner with him”on DC’s “75th anniversary of Batman” chronological milestone poster, the first nine elements (and 12 of the first 14) listed came solely or mostly from Billsimply comparing what Bill is credited for vs. what Bob is credited for makes it indisputably clear that Bill is the dominant creative forceTom Fagan’s 1965 article based on interview with Bill, “The Man Behind the Legend” (last line calls Bill “the” creator of Batman)signs indicate that DC does believe Bill deserves more; legally, they can’t say so themselves, but they didn’t stop me from saying so, which almost seems like a way to endorse the truth of the matter