RAISE THE FINGER

A new documentary reveals the Dark Knight’s other creator in Batman & Bill

From the moment the “Bat-man” first appeared as a character in Detective Comics 78 years ago, readers accepted the creative genius behind the cowl was creator/artist Bob Kane.

But as it turns out, the truth about the Dark Knight’s actual creators was kept hidden for many decades – a fact that’s the subject of upcoming Hulu documentary Batman & Bill.

In a tale that would confound the World’s Greatest Detective, Marc Nobleman and directors Don Argott and Sheena M Joyce explain that writer Bill Finger actually shaped core elements of the Batman character that were thought to be the sole creations of Kane.

For years, Finger toiled as a writer-for-hire until he died penniless in 1974. Insiders knew what Finger’s role was, but it wasn’t until much later that the tragic reality came to light. “It’s a story hidden in plain sight, and they’re the stories we love to tell,” Joyce tells Red Alert.

Five years ago, the pair joined Nobleman to document on film the process of getting DC and Warner Bros to formally add Finger as a co-creator of Batman and pay his living heirs. Argott maintains, “For us, it was less about the DC empire and more about Bob Kane, and we had Bob in his own words.”

“You don’t want to take anything away from Bob Kane, but just by highlighting Bill Finger, you’re doing that,” Joyce continues. “It’s not an intentional slight. We wanted to tell Bill’s story and be as truthful as we possibly could.” The result is a deeply affecting underdog story. “I think the film is very relevant to today with this idea of ‘true facts’,” Argott concludes.

Batman & Bill debuts on Hulu in the US in May.