Baltimore Comic-Con 2018

I've been to San Diego Comic-Con (properly called Comic-Con International) three times and New York Comic Con twice, but never Baltimore Comic-Con (a "neighborhood" con since I live in Maryland)...till now.

Sandwiched between Jim Steranko and Frank Miller, which is not remotely intimidating, I told a lovely audience about my nine-year fight to get Bill Finger credit on Batman.

I was assigned a big room and was humbled that it was not mostly empty.

Note: This photo (courtesy John Trumbull) deceivingly 
makes it look mostly empty.

This photo (courtesy Baltimore Comic-Con's Facebook page) 
gives a different view.

Though I love giving this talk, the highlight of the event was the chance to meet several comics creators I've loved since childhood:

José Luis García-López, tied with Jim Aparo 

as my favorite superhero artist of all time

Joe Staton, who co-illustrated a book I wrote 

but whom I'd not met in person before

Tony Isabella, who reminded me that he and I have already met, 

but a decade ago, and I don't remember details; 

I was so green at the time, I didn't know which end was up

Mike W. Barr, who bravely and boldly spoke up for Bill Finger...

and paid a price for it (he's thanked in Batman & Bill)

I also met the ultra-sharp Marc Andreyko, who tweeted highly nice things about Batman & Bill. That Marc did this Marc two additional kindnesses: he introduced me to Tom King as he passed by and he proposed a cool idea for San Diego next year; stay tuned on that. As for Tom, weirdly, when I spoke at an international school in Guatemala in February, I learned that not one but two of the teachers there are related to his wife.

Jim Steranko and I had a brief moment to chat between our appearances. He gripped both my hand and shoulder firmly, thanked me for what I did for Bill Finger, and SAID WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER ON SOMETHING. I thanked him for helping to document Bill (so few did) and said I'd be honored (though we both know it'll never happen).

photo courtesy John Trumbull

I showed up at tables for Mark Waid and Jerry Ordway, but neither was there yet and I could not return later. The other legend on my to-see list was Ramona Fradon, but I did not have time to seek her out.

It was a thrill to meet José, Joe, Mike, Marc, and Tom and a pleasure to see Tony and Jim again. Thanks again to BCC for including me in the festivities. 

Jim Steranko tweets

Only four known people interviewed Bill Finger: Jerry Bails in 1965, Tom Fagan in 1965, Jim Steranko circa 1969 or 1970 (for his History of Comics), and Robert Porfirio in 1972. (Bill was also quoted in a 1965 New Yorker piece.)

Bails spread word of what he learned in his interview via a two-page piece he distributed via mail to his personal network. Fagan also wrote an article that was not formally published, but others did see it. Fewer (perhaps almost nobody) knew of Porfirio's interview till much later. Given that some of Steranko's interview was incorporated in a book, it reached the widest audience of the bunch.

During my research for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, I was fortunate to communicate with three of the four men, all of whom were helpful. The other one is the only one still alive—Jim Steranko.

So you can imagine how honored I was to see this:

• Bails died in 2006—mere months after I interviewed him (and, sadly, six years before the book would come out). Without Jerry Bails, we might not know about Bill Finger.
• Fagan died in 2008. The article he wrote based on his interview with Bill ("Bill Finger—Man Behind a Legend") was "lost" but resurfaced in 2009.
• Porfirio died in 2014. His 28-minute interview was recorded on audio and was also "lost," rediscovered in 2008. It is transcribed in Tom Andrae's Creators of the Superheroes.

How Bill Finger was documented in his lifetime

Most of this has already been covered here, but I recently stumbled upon an encapsulation I wrote several years ago so I am posting it for one-stop shoppers.

Bill Finger was not well documented in his lifetime by either interviews or photographs. Few instances of his actual words have been published. (Upon his death, he received several tributes in DC Comics publications, but no mainstream obituary.)

The best source: he is quoted rather extensively in Jim Steranko’s book History of Comics, Volume 1 (1970). In addition, he spoke on a panel of comics creators at the first “official” comic convention in 1965, which is transcribed in Alter Ego #20, and he is briefly quoted in a short New Yorker piece about that convention.

He is also paraphrased in a now-legendary piece “If the Truth Be Known or ‘A Finger in Every Plot!’” This was written by a comics historian named Jerry Bails for a 1965 fanzine and was the first time most fans learned that someone other than Kane was involved in the creation of Batman.

Only two other Finger interviews were known to exist—but neither had been published. One was buried amid the clutter of famous fan Tom Fagan’s house in Vermont, the other lost in the bowels of a California university.

After years of searching unsuccessfully for the transcription of the California interview, Robert Porfirio, the man who conducted it, found the original sound recording (from 1972) in December 2008. He immediately digitized it and sent me a copy. Thomas Andrae’s book Creators of the Superheroes includes a full transcription. While parts of the recording are unfortunately distorted, it is one of only two known captures of Finger’s voice. (The other is a recording of the 1965 comic convention panel.)

In February 2009, the piece produced from the Vermont interview (conducted in the mid-1960s) also surfaced, along with two personal letters written by Finger—the only ones known to exist.

Aside from the published Bails and Steranko pieces, this material was unknown to most of the comics community.

The only printed interview of Bill’s only child, Fred, was published in a magazine called Comics Interview Super Special: Batman—Real Origins of the Dark Knight in 1989, and though that happened 15 years after Bill died, it is nonetheless valuable primary testimony.

Comic-Con 2014: Bill Finger rises

On 7/24-25/14, I had the privilege of attending Comic-Con International (commonly called San Diego Comic-Con) to appear on three panels, two of which were Bill Finger-focused:

• “Spotlight on Bill Finger, the Co-Creator of Batman”; 7/24/14, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., room 4; panelists: Tom Andrae, Mark Evanier, Lee Meriwether, Jens Robinson, Michael Uslan, me; moderator: Travis Langley
• “Kids’ Heroes, Capes, and Journeys: Does One Size Fit All?”; 7/24/14, 4-5 p.m., room 29A; panelists: Frank Cammuso, Alexis E. Fajardo, Jenni Holm, Matthew Holm, Dave Roman, me; moderator: Meryl Jaffe
• “Who Created Batman?”; 7/25/14, 2:30-3:30 p.m., (room) CAC 8; panelists: Tom Andrae, Athena Finger, Denny O’Neil, Brad Ricca, Jens Robinson, Arlen Schumer, Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, me; moderator: Travis Langley

I came via train from Los Angeles and sat next to a DC Comics lawyer who ended up attending both Batman panels I was on. After the first panel, an attendee kindly asked if he could have my badge. While flattering, I had to say no because I could not get back in without it. 

A writer for Huffington Post Italy interviewed me with some insightful questions; he also asked if I planned to attend the screening of Gotham to publicly ask if Bill’s name will be in the credits. (I see his point but feel that would not be a proper approach.)

Before the “Who Created Batman” panel, a friend said he assumed I would simply stand up at the start of it, say “Bill Finger,” drop the mike, and swagger out. I did not do that but I did share the suggestion with the audience.

One of the most important people in Billfingerography (the study of Bill Finger) is Jim Steranko, who in 1970 became one of only three known people to interview Bill (the other two being Jerry Bails in 1965 and Bob Porfirio in 1972). I had the honor of meeting Jim in person at Comic-Con and gave him the only copy of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman I brought. It was also the first copy of the Scholastic Book Club paperback edition I signed for anyone. Yes, he humored me by asking me to autograph it.

Photo recap:

 Appropriate that mere minutes after arriving in San Diego,

I passed the Hall of Justice.

 First San Diego appearance for Athena!

 Hard to imagine Bill’s name appearing in a DC ad 

even a couple of years ago.

 Truly one of the biggest honors of my career: being asked to write about Bill 

for the souvenir book that went to all 130,000 attendees.

Selfie with (restored) Detective #27.

 Selfie with (restored) Action Comics #1.

 Standing room only Finger panel panorama. (Panelrama.)

 Athena and Ben accepting a posthumous Inkpot Award for Bill.

 The Finger panelists. (source: Jamie Coville)

 Another great turnout: the “Who Created Batman?” panel.

 Mark Evanier and Athena presenting the Bill Finger Awards 

during the Eisners.

 One of the great joys and honors of my Comic-Con was not only

meeting Susan Eisenberg, who portrayed Wonder Woman in  

Justice League and (my favorite) Justice League Unlimited, 

but also getting to hang out with her.

She is fun, gracious...a class act.

 Susan and Phil LaMarr (Green Lantern John Stewart in JL and JLU).

We also tried to see their teammate Kevin Conroy, 

whom I paneled with in May, but alas, the timing did not work.

 Susan and the official Wonder Woman of Six Flags (which one, I forget).

 Golden Age granddaughters!

The grandchildren of Shelly Moldoff, Sheldon Mayer, and Bill Finger.

The “Hero Complex” column of the Los Angeles Times covered the Finger panel; excerpts:

A gift for Derek Wolfford for doing me a huge (non-Con) favor and 

for running the Bill Finger Appreciation Group on Facebook... 

the Detective Comics #27 tribute issue signed by six Bat-luminaries: 

Athena Finger (top)

Denny O’Neil (below Athena)

Jim Steranko (below Denny)

Neal Adams (below Steranko)

Lee Meriwether (the second live-action Catwoman, and an articulate delight)

Michael Uslan

Name drop section:

It was fun to catch up in person with…

• everyone on my panels
• Chris Duffy
• Dan Santat
• Jeff Trexler
• Gerard Jones
• Josh Elder
• Glen Weldon
• Karen Green
• Scott McCloud
• Charlie Kochman
• Melissa Wiley
• Jamie Coville
• David Siegel
• Kendall Whitehouse
• Ray Feighery
• Chelle Mayer

It was a pleasure to meet in person for the first time…

• Jim Steranko
• Denny O’Neil
• Neal Adams
• Alethia Mariotta
• A.J. and Erica Schultz
• Pat Evans
• Phil Nel
• Dean Trippe
• Joey Cavalieri
• Chad Beckerman (also from Cheshire, CT)
• Shannon Hale
• Mike Maihack
• Matt Keller (at DC)

Thank you again to…

• Travis Langley and Mark Evanier for getting me there
• Gary Sassaman for asking me to write about Bill for the souvenir book
• Jenni Holm for inviting me to be on a panel with an impressive crew
• Meryl Jaffe for moderating said panel with wit and depth
• Sheila Marie Everett and Raina Telgemeier for getting me into the Scholastic party
• Athena and Ben for making your big debut

Firsts from the New York Comic Con

This past Friday, which happened to be the 70th anniversary of the public debut of Superman, I attended my first comic convention.

While there, I was treated to three other firsts:

1. It was the first time I saw Boys of Steel on display. It was not the finished book, since that doesn't yet exist in tangible form, but rather a galley—a prepublication, unbound version of the book. Random House sent me a stash of them in January, but it's a different feeling to see one in public. I was momentarily stunned when the hard workers at the Random House booth told me they were giving out a limited number of the galleys for promotion...now the book is really beyond my own head.

2. It was the first time I signed Boys of Steel for someone. Of course, it was a galley, but that didn't decrease the joy of the moment in the slightest.

3. It was the first time I was interviewed for television about Boys of Steel.

Oh, and a fourth: it was the first time I ate a vanilla-filled churro.

However, the highlight was a comment from Jim Steranko, comic book artist/writer/all-around legend. I'd consulted him during my Bill Finger research and his responses were consistently prompt and kind.

As he thumbed through the Boys of Steel galley, he said, "Jerry would've loved this."