Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 59

“Look to the Sky” documentary on what Superman represents

No more waiting for Superman.

Brett Culp is a filmmaker whose documentary Legends of the Knight was all kinds of good: good at raising awareness for positive stories of people influenced by Batman, good at raising money for charity, good at raising money for itself (so it could be made it the first place).

Brett is not done with caped crusading. He just launched a crowdfunding campaign for a Superman documentary called Look to the Sky. It is not about Superman’s history, psychology, or mythology but rather the hope he represents to so many. Up, up, and away (go the contributions!).

Look to the Sky (2016) - Official Trailer - #SupermanIsReal from Brett Culp Films on Vimeo.

I was proud to be interviewed for this.

I was not surprised to see that Brett’s campaign raised more than $5,000 in a mere two hours; surely much higher by the time you read this. People supporting projects like Brett’s reinforce the very message of his films: despite how cruel the world can be, kind people are in ample supply.

Look to the sky.

That is to say, look to the good.

Another way to look at author visits

I’ve written here and here on the benefits of author visits (for the students, the staff, the author, and even unrelated readers).

I came upon a perspective that hadn’t occurred to me, attributed to a school librarian: “I can spend $1,000 and get 50 books that will be read by 30 students. Or I can spend that money on an author, who will reach all 350 students.”

I contacted said librarian (Heather Cone, Orchard Park Elementary School, Kettering, OH) who said that what she said was more like this (edited slightly for clarity):

“I could buy a hundred books (about the same as [some authors’] fee) and lotsa kids would love them. But bring in an author and every one [emphasis mine] of them remembers…even decades later…”

Both versions sound good to me!

Superheroes who aren’t CALLED superheroes

With help from my network, I compiled a list of characters (from film/TV/literature) who are for all intents superheroes, but who

weren’t called superheroes (and in most cases did not have costumes/secret identities)originated outside of comic books
Though there is no universal definition of “superhero,” these are the three elements on which purists tend to insist:

enhanced power (even if it’s human, such as superior intellect or exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills)a costumea secret identity
A further distinction must be made between “hero” and “superhero.” Every traditional movie has a hero, but not every hero is a superhero. Not every action hero is a superhero. James Bond and Luke Skywalker are heroes, but (as I see it) not superheroes.

Early 20th century characters of various media whose origins are now indistinguishable from superheroes (Tarzan, Zorro, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, the Phantom, the Shadow, Doc Savage) are not included.

On the following lists, the entries are films unless otherwise noted and the dates are first appearances.

Superheroes who aren’t called superheroes:

The Little White Bird (book, 1902), but more commonly known from Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (play, 1904)—Peter Pan
The Scarlet Pimpernel (book, 1905)
The Public Defender (1931)—Pike Winslow/The Reckoner (Richard Dix)
Pippi Longstocking (book, 1945)
King of the Rocket Men (movie serial, 1949)—Rocket Man (Tristram Coffin)
Escape to Witch Mountain (book, 1968; movie, 1975)—Tony and Tia Malone (Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards)
The Six Million Dollar Man (TV, 1973)—Steve Austin (Lee Majors)
The Bionic Woman (TV, 1976)—Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner)
Tron (1982)—Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges)
Manimal (TV, 1983)—Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale)
Starman (1984)—Starman/Scott Hayden (Jeff Bridges)
RoboCop (1987)—Alex Murphy/RoboCop (Peter Weller)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)—Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp)
Darkman (1990)—Darkman/Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson)
Powder (1995)—Powder/Jeremy Reed (Sean Patrick Flanery)
Early Edition (TV, 1996)—Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler)
Phenomenon (1996)—George Malley (John Travolta)
Kill Bill (2003)—The Bride (Uma Thurman)
Frozen (2013)—Elsa (Idina Menzel)
Lucy (2014)—Lucy (Scarlett Johansson)








Characters who are intended to be superheroes (more deliberately than previous list):

Space Ghost (1966)
Fartman (National Lampoon, 1979)
Hero at Large (1980)
Super Fuzz (1980)
Condorman (1981)
The Greatest American Hero (TV, 1981)
The Powers of Matthew Star (TV, 1982)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Automan (TV, 1983)
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
My Secret Identity (TV, 1988)
Meteor Man (1993)
M.A.N.T.I.S. (TV, 1994)
Blankman (1994) 
Unbreakable (2000)
The Specials (2000) 
Danny Phantom (TV, 2004) 
The Incredibles (2004)
Sky High (2005)
Heroes (TV, 2006)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
Hancock (2008)
Bolt (2008)
Super (2010)
No Ordinary Family (TV, 2010)
The Cape (TV, 2011)
Chronicle (2012)




Characters who have some kind of power/ability (some I feel don’t qualify, the rest I am not familiar with): 

“The Grey Champion” (short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1835)
A Christmas Carol (book, 1843; Ebeneezer Scrooge “could talk to ghosts and travel through time”)
Peter Pan (play, 1904)
The Saint (book, 1928)
Mary Poppins (book, 1934; film, 1964)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
James Bond (book, 1953; film, 1962)
The Fly (short story, 1957; films, 1958 and 1986)
The Warriors (book, 1965; film, 1979)
Star Trek (TV, 1966)
Blade Runner (book, 1968; film, 1982)
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)
Brewster McCloud (1970)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (book, 1971; film, 1985)
Carrie (book, 1974; film, 1976)
The Fury (book, 1976; film, 1978)
Star Wars (1977)
Mad Max (1979)
Alien (1979)
The NeverEnding Story (book, 1979; film, 1984)
C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979; Riff Randall)
Thundarr the Barbarian (TV, 1980)
Jason Bourne (book, 1980)
Firestarter (book, 1980; 1984, film)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Scanners (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
Modern Problems (1981)
Escape from New York (1981)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Knight Rider (TV, 1982)
Voyagers! (TV, 1982)
The Phoenix (TV, 1982)
Krull (1983)
The Terminator (1984)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Splash (1984)
Dreamscape (1984)
Iceman (1984)
The Ice Pirates (1984)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! (1984)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Teen Wolf (1985)
Cocoon (1985)
Legend (1985)
Ladyhawke (1985)
D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
The Goonies (1985; Sloth)
The Last Starfighter (1985)
The Last Dragon (1985)
Misfits of Science (TV, 1985)
The Equalizer (TV, 1985)
Street Hawk (TV, 1985)
Forrest Gump (book, 1986; film, 1994)
Captain EO (1986)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
Short Circuit (1986)
“Crocodile” Dundee (1986)
Highlander (1986)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (book, 1987)
Mannequin (1987)
Innerspace (1987)
The Monster Squad (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Willow (1988)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
Quantum Leap (TV, 1989)
Teen Witch (1989)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
The People Under the Stairs (1991; Roach)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film, 1992; TV, 1997)
The Lawnmower Man (1992 film, not the largely unrelated Stephen King short story)
Jumper (book, 1992; film, 2008)
Pulp Fiction (1994; the Wolf)
The Secret World of Alex Mack (TV, 1994)
Game of Thrones (book, 1996)
Harry Potter (book, 1997)
Jack Reacher (book, 1997)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Charmed (TV, 1998)
The Matrix (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Angel (TV, 1999)
Dark Angel (TV, 2000)
Frequency (2000)
Alias (TV, 2001; “she’s pretty much Batman”)
Donnie Darko (2001)
K-PAX (2001; prot/Robert Porter)
Firefly (TV, 2002; River Tam)
Underworld (2003)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Night Watch (2004)
Percy Jackson (book, 2005)
The Covenant (2006)
Next (2007)
Avatar (2009)
Splice (2009; Dren)
Push (2009)
Inception (2010)
Black Swan (2010)
I Am Number Four (book, 2010; film, 2011)
The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To (book, 2010)
Super 8 (2011)
Sucker Punch (2011; the “unwilling prostitutes”)
Drive (2011)
Limitless (2011)
Cross (2011)
Looper (2012)
Elysium (2013)
Pacific Rim (2013) 
Clint Eastwood (“everything he is in”)
Bruce Lee (“in any movie—and real life”)



Don’t qualify because based on comic book characters:

Asterix (comic, 1959) 
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (comic, 1999; film, 2003)
Mystery Men (comic, 1987; film, 1999)
The Mask (comic, 1989; film, 1994)


Characters where the humor, not the power, is the point:

The Beverly Hillbillies (TV, 1962; the Clampetts “have enhanced strength and vision and Granny has exhibited enhanced speed”)
Bewitched (TV, 1964)
I Dream of Jeannie (TV, 1965)
Adam Adamant Lives! (TV, 1966)
Mr. Terrific (TV, 1967; no relation to DC Comics superhero of same name)
Captain Nice (TV, 1967)
Happy Days (TV, 1974; the Fonz can control people and machines)
Mork & Mindy (TV, 1978)
The Cannonball Run (1981; Captain Chaos)
Zapped! (1982)
Zelig (1983; he “can take on other people’s appearance and abilities and uses his powers to rescue women from Nazi Germany”)
Weird Science (1985)
Small Wonder (TV, 1985)
Back to School (1986; “the Triple Lindy”)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Matilda (book, 1988; film, 1996)
Saved by the Bell (TV, 1989; Zack Morris could stop time)
Toy Story (1995; Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear)
South Park (TV, 1997; Kenny is “invincible—he can’t be killed”)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)



Contributors:

Andrew Carney
Andrew Singer
Bill Davis
Bill Schelly
Brent Frankenhoff
Carolee Davis Eubanks
Craig Byrne
Dan Trudeau
Dani Ward
Darren Sapper
David Bushman
David Seidman
David Weitzer
Debi Cohen Himelfarb
Eric Reid
Gregory Okshteyn
Howard Nobleman
Jen MacNeil Danenberg
Jill Koufman
Jim Shelton
Jody Feldman
Joe Oesterle
John Dudas
Jonathan M. Berman
Jonny Bentwood
Joshua Liebster
Justin LaRocca Hansen
Kevin Danenberg
Kevin Meister
Kristina Johnson
Leah Bee
Mark Fogelberg
Mark Friedman
Mark Hughes
Mark R. DeFrancesco
Mike Zitomer
Nick Bruel
Paul Tolksdorf
Richard Gibbs
Robert Greenberger
Ross Garmil
Samantha Berger
Scott Kittredge
Stacey Wesley Giddis
Stefan Blitz
Steven Thompson
Timothy Young
Ty Templeton

Thank you all.

Am I missing any entries? Did I miscategorize any?

New author photos

Thank you to Karen London for my new author photos, taken in July. (Hopefully not the last ones to include a hairline…)



And the customary photographer/author selfie:

Tennessee Association of School Librarians Conference 2015

Generally speaking, southerners are welcoming. Librarians are warm. So southern librarians are the human equivalent of apple pie.

I was reminded of this in full force on 9/26/15, when I delivered a keynote and breakout sessions at the Tennessee Association of School Librarians Conference.

This conference marked several firsts for me (beyond it being my first time in Murfreesboro). It was the first time I…

signed the cover of one of my books, by request offered a discounted visit for the next school day, meaning Monday (meaning any interested school would have to arrange/contact her/his principal/PTA over the weekend)told a conference crowd my Bill Finger story with the new, more uplifting ending (after being introduced by Batman himself...and on International Batman Day, no less!)


A selection of reactions to my presentations:






It was also the first time I encountered a librarian with the following great idea. First, the background.

In one of my TASL talks, I explained how a Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman spread my editor showed me in the penultimate layout stage was in full color, but ended up in black and white in the finished product—changed without consulting me. Unfortunately, that was a goof—that spread depicts (what is implied to be) the first movie appearance of Superman, circa early 1940s, and while I can understand why someone would assume a film of that period should therefore be in black and white, it was actually in vivid Technicolor.


I mentioned this to demonstrate the level of accuracy I strive for.

A librarian sympathetic to this situation said she is going to color-copy the correct spread and attach it to her library copy of Boys of Steel with an explanation, so kids will learn of the error—and part of the process of making a picture book. Though this was a relatively small oversight, it obviously bothered me, and now it makes for a great teachable moment. If this librarian shares photos of this with me, I will in turn share them here.

Thank you again to the delightful Mindy Nichols for the TASL invitation.


Thank you also to the attendees for your attention and enthusiasm. I’ll come back anytime!

Jubilation in response to Bill Finger credit announcement

On 9/18/15, DC Entertainment made the unprecedented announcement that, after 76 years in the shadows, Bill Finger will now be officially credited in some form on Batman stories.

(1989 newspaper ad for Batman)
Then Fingerfans and friends alike freaked out, no one more than me.

A sampling:
















































Thank you to all who supported this effort. It meant so much to me, and to posterity. The Finger is finally pointing in the just direction...

The magic of Superman and Batman

In 2013, an ultra-nice guy named Joe Romano contacted me to ask if he could use Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman in his school visit program. He’s a “motivational performer”/magician who presents at many schools a year.

Sounded good to me. Joe swung by so I could sign copies for his nephews.

I have not seen Joe’s show yet, but he kindly described how he incorporated my books into his act.

He starts with a synopsis of each story. Then:

Superman segment:

He shows a Superman poster (see photo) and tells the audience it hung in his room from grade 3 to age 33. He folds the poster in half, reaches into the folds, and pulls out a red cape. He unfolds the poster to reveal that the cape is now missing! He folds the poster in half again, reaches in again, and this time pulls out a black wig. When he opens the poster again, Superman is now bald! Finally, he refolds the poster and pulls out a belt. When he shows the poster again, Superman’s pants have fallen, revealing that he is wearing Batman boxer shorts.


Batman segment:

He tells the audience that he’s been practicing drawing Batman and asks if they would like to see his progress. He draws Batman on a dry erase board. When he looks away, Batman’s eyes move. The kids go nuts! He looks back and Batman’s eyes stop moving. Whenever he looks away, the eyes move again. He always misses what the kids see. Then the mouth moves and Batman speaks to the kids more about Bill the Boy Wonder.


Thank you, Joe, for exposing my work to more kids, and for using nonfiction in general in an act like yours. Hope to catch it one day!

Bill Finger will get official credit on Batman!

“Will his name ever be added to every Batman story? Batmanians are keeping their Fingers crossed.”

Those are the final words of my book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman.


On 9/18/15, fans got the beginning of an answer…and it looks like a happy one. That means a journey—part detective story, part film noir, part soap opera, part Greek tragedy—that lasted nine years for me and 76 for others has come to an end.

The quick timeline:

2005: I decided to write about Bill Finger. 2006: I started researching Bill the Boy Wonder.2007: I discovered the existence of Athena Finger, Bill’s lone known grandchild.2008: I began blogging about Bill in 2008 (my 7th post).2010: I sold the manuscript to Charlesbridge.2011-present: I have been working on a permanent memorial to Bill in New York City.2012: The book came out. 2014: I campaigned for a Bill Finger Google doodle, organized the Paley Center “Batman at 75” panel, and sat on several Batman/Bill panels at San Diego Comic-Con, thanks to Travis Langley. I also wrote the piece on Bill for the souvenir book, an immense honor.
And now this.

Above all, finally, this: credit.

DC Entertainment announced “Bill Finger will be receiving credit in the Warner Bros. television series Gotham beginning later this season, and in the forthcoming motion picture Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” No mention in the DC release of print credit, but according to sources including Brad Meltzer, that’s part of the deal, too. It’s times like these when I wish I allowed myself to use multiple exclamation points.

Dawn of justice indeed. My Google Alert for “Bill Finger” got a heckuva workout that day.

The news broke online at 12:41 p.m. EST. The first tweet posted at 1:14 p.m. The first note to me came in at 1:23 p.m. Then it was a deluge into the wee hours and still going strong as of a day later.


I called Athena at 1:31 p.m. I was in happy shock, and I can’t speak for her other than to say she sounded happy, aligned with her family legacy. At long last.

This crusade, of course, was not mine alone. I started it in a tiny room with nothing but hope (plus a scant few books and articles), and over time a league of supporters joined me. The climax—the turning point that led to changing pop culture history—was all Finger family.

A few days before the announcement, my sixth grader’s English class was assigned to write a letter in which they described themselves and what they want. My daughter has grown up in the CoB (Cult of Bill) so one of her wishes was to see “Bill Finger get credit for Batman.” When she heard the credit news, she said maybe her letter was good luck. I said it definitely was. She then said “Did you show it to someone?”

The announcement came a mere three days before the second season premiere of Gotham. Here is what I tweeted a year earlier, on 9/22/14:

Tonight the show GOTHAM debuts. I’ve seen the first episode. The only aspects of it created by Bill Finger (whose name will NOT be in the credits) are Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, and the name of the city/show itself.

A second tweet (look closely):


We don’t yet know how the Bill credit will be worded, and as the release indicates, it won’t appear in the first episode of Gotham. But I do know it won’t be “Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.”

I suspect it will mirror the clunky-sounding footnote that was tacked onto the extant Superman credit in 2013: “By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.” Or it could be something like what DC printed in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives, Volume 2 (1995): “Created by Bob Kane in collaboration with writer Bill Finger.”

Part of me refuses to settle for anything less than equal credit. (Part of me refuses to settle for anything less than sole credit!) But a more rational side of me is more than content knowing Bill’s name will now officially—and hopefully forever—be linked to Batman’s.

The day of the announcement, “Bill Finger” trended on social media. But really, Bill Finger has been trending since 1939—only many didn’t know it till now.

To be clear: if you’re a Batman fan, you’re a Bill Finger fan.

Thank you, anyone reading, for nine years of support during my efforts to overturn a 76-year cultural travesty. See Bill the Boy Wonder for a long list of acknowledgements, and special thanks to people who have enlisted in the mission since the book came out. That is an ample list, too, but I must spotlight Alethia Mariotta, Kevin Smith, Travis Langley, Gary Sassaman, David Hernando, Roberto Williams, Lenny Schwartz, David Bushman, Wojciech Nelec, Michał Chudoliński, Don Argott, Sheena Joyce, Brad Meltzer, Raymond Jacques, Geoffrey Croft, and everyone who wrote, tweeted, blogged, or talked about this story.

The revelation:

  Hollywood Reporter  
Reaction to the revelation:
  Entertainment Weekly
 Newsarama
 IGN
Comic Book Resources
Comics Alliance
ComicBook.com
Kevin Smith tweet
 “Bill Finger” trended on Facebook...
 ...and on Twitter.

Fox 5 New York interviewed me about the story.


 
And taking humbling to the extreme, my partner and friend Ty Templeton:
(Please do not repost without credit and link to Ty.Better yet, ask him first.)
Justice has no expiration date.

I’ll be talking about this Golden Age milestone till my golden years.

Good day in Little Rock

On 9/16/15, I had the pleasure of speaking at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, AR—my first time in the state. For fear of an influx, someone asked me not to mention how beautiful the area is, but the real secret is how Arkansans can believe that is still a secret?

The school is a large place. Perhaps I should say it is a mega place—part of the facilities used to be a megachurch. The part where I spoke:


It is so mega that none other than Superman and Batman were there on patrol:



I was in and out of LR in a day, but made time to visit the site of a great if tragic example of courage: Little Rock Central High School, made infamous in 1957 when the Little Rock Nine (nine black students) were refused entry despite the fact that segregated schools were declared unconstitutional three years earlier. I was so eager to see it that I went straight from the airport. The school is majestic, the grounds are immaculate, and the significance of it all is palpable. I spent a good amount of time in quiet reflection. What was once a bad day in Little Rock led to a good day for me.

However, I knew little detail of that pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. So after absorbing the aura of the place itself, I binged on historical info about it.

A photo recap of my time there:



 Ten benches surround the reflecting pool (which was therebefore 1957)—one each for the Little Rock Nine, and a tenth for all other LRCHS students.

 Elizabeth was the Little Rock Niner being screamed atin this now-notorious photo.

 I thought it curious that one bench was donated by multiple classes...separated by 50 years.

 Zooming in on this bench (which is not one of the tensurrounding the reflecting pool)...
 ...you see that it was gifted by the Silhouettes, but in 1954— three years before the school was thrust into the spotlight and the singing group had their one chart hit (“Get a Job”).



 The memorial garden across the street from the school,dedicated two weeks after another national tragedy.


 Panorama: school, garden, visitors’ center.
 Vintage, spotless gas station across the street from the school.



 Statue of the Little Rock Nine in front of the state capitol.

Thank you to Regina Stipsky for bringing me in, Jacob Harris for helping to keep me company, and the Little Rock Nine for taking a stand for the greater good. You were not trying to make history. You simply did what you felt to be right. For that you became heroes.

Speaking on a Native American reservation

In February 2015, I spoke at the Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival in Redlands, CA, at which I met Cathy Knowles. She kindly invited me back to the area, an invitation which marked a first for me.

Cathy works for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, also known as the Yuhaviatam—the “people of the pines.” Most employees of the tribe are not members of the tribe. The tribe has a lovely reservation on a hillside, complete with handsome houses, a casino, a fire station, and a playground. (Shamefully, this land was “given” to the tribe because of its steepness—it was considered it the least useful land in the area. San Manuel proved that wrong.)

But the reservation does not have a school. So on 9/10/15, I spoke at schools in the area whose population includes some members of the San Manuel tribe. I also spoke to two groups on the reservation itself, young children and high schoolers. I was honored to learn a bit about the tribe’s culture, including its endangered language (only one native speaker is still alive; the tribe is working tirelessly and inventively to preserve it).

Thank you to Cathy and the tribe for being such gracious hosts. Looking forward to coming back!

In certain areas of the reservation, photographs are off-limits. But here are sanctioned glimpses of my day with the Yuhaviatam:



 the community center on the reservation,where I spoke to a group of teens
 community center close-up
 the setup for my dinner talk to high schoolers
 tables set up in the room where I spoke
 material the tribe produced in conjunction with my appearance,including mini-comics in both Serrano (the tribe language) and English; a poster featuring DC Comics Native American charactersMan-of-Bats and his sidekick Little Raven (Sioux); and custom-made wooden medallions with the logos of Man-of-Bats and Little Raven

   
 side 1: Man-of-Bats
  side 2: Little Raven
 one medallion was hand-painted, but it proved too difficultto do for all of them


 
 top one reads “This looks like a job for Superman”in Serrano

 the books I signed for the tribe the night before; as you see,I should have started earlier