Bob Kane: Thief?

[Chaplin1914]

What does everyone have to say about this?

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/391/

I love Bob Kane, I even purchased some of his autographed lithographs...but it's obvious he had a lot of "help" in creating Bat-Man. To be honest though, none of this really diminishes his legacy to me - everyone has to start somewhere. He was simply doing what he needed to survive during the depression. I DO wish he would have given Bill Finger his dues before he died though.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Yes, he was a thief. He stole all the credit from Bill Finger and everybody else that worked on Batman comics from 1939 to 1964, "by Bob Kane" was the only name credited when actually Bob Kane never wrote the stories and stopped drawing the comics in the early '40s when Jerry Robinson took over the artwork. And Bob Kane swiped/copied others artwork.

 

[Joker]

Welcome to 5 years ago, when the rest of the internet figured this out.

 

[Cain]

Welcome to 5 years ago, when the rest of the internet figured this out.

More like 10, but it's still funny to see people go "OMG Bob Kane wasn't a very nice guy".

 

[CFE]

I still remember when this all came about.

What's even worse is that Bob ADMITTED to wishing he'd given Bill a bi-line...that was two years prior to his passing. You mean to tell me Bob couldn't have rectified that in two years time?

Bob was selfish; that's common knowledge. He lived for the celebrity of being the man that created Batman.

 

[CaptainClown]

Yup a lot of people knew this.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Bill Finger was a legend while Bob Kane was a shmuck. Bill may not have the credit but he will always be the preferred true creator of Batman in my eyes, he molded him into what he was.

 

[Drz]

Meh this is some news to me. Now i wish it would truly read Bill Finger instead of Bob Kane.

 

[C. W. Saturn]

Bill Finger turned Kane's "Birdman" concept into Batman. He was also the guy who converted him from a pulp Shadow-like character into the father figure law agent in a costume we love today.

 

[OctaviusINC]

Yup. Kane's a hack.

 

[CFE]

Well to be fair he's not a total hack.

He did come up with the concept of "Bat-Man."

Except his version was basically a Silver and Red Zorro without the hat who glided on two red bat wings and wielded a swashbuckler sword...I'm not even joking.

It was Bill's idea to go with a grey body suit, blue scalloped cape, gloves and boots and the horned cowl.

Plus Bill conceptualized the ideas for Joker, Catwoman, Scarecrow and other rogues...while Bob created the Penguin.

Basically the Batman and Rogues we know today wouldn't exist...nor would they still be around for 70 years...if not for Bill Finger. And Bill Finger ended up dying a very poor man while Bob reaped the fame and fortune.

No. Kane's not a hack. Actually he's just more of a Jerk.

But he came up with a name and WAS the catalyst after all, so...

 

[Darkseid1]

Yup. Kane's a hack.

the same can be said for alot more people in the comic industry, past and present. however for some reason the batfans seem to want to crucify Kane more than any other character fan group. whats done is done, get over it.

 

[CaptainClown]

Ya, I wouldn't call Kane a hack. I do say that Finger should be given more recognition anyway.

 

[OctaviusINC]

A hack could be a writer who is paid to write low-quality, quickly put-together pieces and engages in thievery. Kane basically took other people work and altered it slightly to call it his own. Just look at his artwork. And he stole all the credit from Finger. He lies. His "influences" such as the Mark of Zorro and the Bat Whisperer are lies too. And he goes on lying for years to come. That's a jerk AND a hack. He only came up with the name "Bat-Man" and, like previously stated, created the Penguin. And we all know how much everyone loves Penguin. If that isn't a hack , then I don't know what is. Finger deserves more credit. Much more credit.

 

[BubbaGump]

What's done is done, but it's still a huge injustice done to Bill Finger.

And there is no describing his panel swipes...let's just say he was really good (or bad) at them.

 

[margon]

this why I think there needs to be a bat family ally called The Finger. tell me that does not sound terrifying

 

[Joker]

I don't understand why no one has ever done a "With Special Thanks To...Bill Finger" in the credits of any of the movies, as this is common knowledge at this point.

 

[margon]

because officially Bob Kane is the sole creator, must be a legal thing and it's kind of sensitive but you're right. but why would WB care that much anyway

 

[Majic Walrus]

A hack could be a writer who is paid to write low-quality, quickly put-together pieces and engages in thievery. Kane basically took other people work and altered it slightly to call it his own. Just look at his artwork. And he stole all the credit from Finger. He lies. His "influences" such as the Mark of Zorro and the Bat Whisperer are lies too. And he goes on lying for years to come. That's a jerk AND a hack. He only came up with the name "Bat-Man" and, like previously stated, created the Penguin. And we all know how much everyone loves Penguin. If that isn't a hack , then I don't know what is. Finger deserves more credit. Much more credit.

That bolded statement pretty much refers to 90% of the comic industry from the 1920s through most of the 1960s.

 

[Joker]

because officially Bob Kane is the sole creator, must be a legal thing and it's kind of sensitive but you're right. but why would WB care that much anyway

All that means is they can't give him a "created by" line. They can give "Special Thanks" to anyone they want. If they want to say "Special Thanks to Bob Kanes mother for being such a ****e" they can do it.

 

[C. W. Saturn]

All that means is they can't give him a "created by" line. They can give "Special Thanks" to anyone they want. If they want to say "Special Thanks to Bob Kanes mother for being such a ****e" they can do it.

that's for copyright reasons. Just look at the recent Superboy struggle between DC and the Singer/Siegel estate. If they would acknowledge Finger his heirs could demand their share of the Batman legacy and the contract between Kane and DC could be rendered invalid.

It's not that easy, so DC prefers to do nothing about it.

 

[BatJeff7786]

Finger was credited a few years ago with the Batman Begins comic that came with the 2 disc dvd. It was later pulled off shelves and the comic removed, probably for that reason.

 

[C. W. Saturn]

Finger was credited a few years ago with the Batman Begins comic that came with the 2 disc dvd. It was later pulled off shelves and the comic removed, probably for that reason.

No. It was just a limited bonus.

 

[twilitezoner]

I think any Bat fan can agree that Bill Finger deserves more credit.

I think some of the side by side attempts to prove plagiarism are weak. I can imagine if you spent enough time researching comics of that era (or any other) that you would find that many artists took "inspiration" from each other on occasion.

Look no further than Neal Adams. How many artists took "inspiration" from Neal's amazing work on Batman or anything else he has worked on for that matter?

 

[Bathead]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. What Kane did was common practice during that time. Publishers of all types employed ghost writers back then. I don't think anyone expected the Batman property to become as lucrative or durable as it has, else Bill Finger might have made a better deal for himself. Of course, Kanecould have acknowledged in a more concrete manner Finger's contribution before even Finger's death, that would have been the honorable thing to do. But, was he a thief? No. A product of his times, yes.