"Batman's Biggest Secret is NOT Bruce Wayne...", reads the front of this brand-new Promo T-Shirt. The back says, "Put Your Finger on it, July 2012, NOBLEMANIA". OK, This post is sort of mysterious but here's the deal. There's a Book Author named Marc Tyler Nobleman who is in the very very early stages of promoting his next book ( The actual release date is almost a year from now, July 1st, 2012 ). You might know him as the guy who wrote "Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman". Well, his next major book will be all about the uncredited Batman Co-Creator, Bill Finger. Serious Batman Fans know who this guy is because his story of how he never got any credit for helping create the greatest comic book superhero in history is legendary. But the unusual thing is that he was so "hidden" that even serious Fans don't know much about him. Well, hopefully that's gonna change after the book comes out. Basically it's going to be a very serious Biography about Mr. Finger & his contributions to the Comic Book genre, especially the Dark Knight character. I've been following the creation of this book for awhile now & the attention to details, & the interviews with other Artists/Writers, is extremely meticulous. I'm predicting it's gonna be a really great book.
OK, to get back to the T-Shirt. The shirt you see up above was created as a promotional Tool for the next 2011 Comic Con. Marc is set-up to do a lecture & panel discussion at that event for the "Bill Finger" Book. We're hoping a few people buy the shirt & wear it to the event. It's designed in such a way that it's sort of "vague", & then if somebody asks what the shirt is about then you can get into a dialogue about the "Finger Book". So, if you wanna support this great project then please be sure to visit SKREENED where you can buy this shirt.
Now, please keep in mind that the shirt is sold in TWO ways: 1. You can get a shirt that is screened with both designs on the front & back, Or 2. You can get a shirt that has JUST the "front" design with nothing on the back. Either way it's a great item! Seriously, all your friends will be super-jealous, JEALOUS!
All serious BATMAN Fans know who Bill Finger is, I mean, he's the Co-Creator of Batman. But because of an exclusive contract Bob Kane had with DC Comics Bill Finger has been robbed of his credit for years. There's a lot we don't know about this artist. Well, the good news is that our friend Marc Nobleman is writing the definitive biography on Bill Finger. It's due to come out next year in 2012. You might know him from his previous book, "Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman,". Up above is a rare photo of Bill Finger as seen on a trading card in a series called "Famous Comic Book Creators". Personally, I can't wait until this book comes out!
The CARTOON ART MUSEUM in San Francisco, CA is planning an exhibit that is a celebration of Batman's 70 year history! The exhibition starts at the end of this month ( January 30th ) & runs till June 6th, 2010. The title of the show will be BATMAN: YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW. Featured artists include Bob Kane andBill Finger, who created Batman in 1939; Neal Adams, whose detailed artistry redefined comics in the 1970s; Frank Miller, whose graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns pioneered the modern, mature concept of Batman; Pepe Moreno, whose Batman: Digital Justice was the first graphic novel with entirely computer-generated art; Jiro Kuwata, who was the Japanese artist for the 1960's Bat-Manga that appeared in Shonen King magazines in Japan; and acclaimed artist Paul Pope, whose Batman: Year 100 pays homage to the original Batman comics and looks ahead to Gotham City of the year 2039. For more information about the event be sure to visit their website by clicking HERE!
At the New York Comic Con 2009, on the Living Legends panel, Jerry Robinson, the creator of The Joker, talks in detail about how his Golden Age comic book creation came to be. He talks about his old friends Bill Finger & Bob Kane. Sorry the audio isn't very good but crank up your speakers & it should be fine. This guy is a National Treasure!
Tonight I got a very interesting e-mail from a Bat-Blog reader named Fernando. He works for a magazine called "Aventura Americana" & recently they covered a Comic Book Art Exhibition being held at the Florida Jewish Museum of Miami Beach. It's simply called: "The Golden Age of Comic Books 1938 - 1950". The exhibit runs from Oct 16th, 2007 to the end of this month, April 30th, 2008 so there is still some time for readers who live in that area to check it out! The exhibition features original artwork of Batman, including Detective Comics #67, #69 and #71 original covers. Also there are covers of “All Star Comics”, “Action Comics”, “Green Hornet”, “The Spirit" and "Action Comics" among others. Over 70 works & artifacts from the Golden Age of comic books are on display. They showcase the work of 15 comic book artists & writers from this era, including Joe Shuster & Jerry Siegel who created Superman & Bob Kane and Bill Finger who created Batman. The exhibition is curated by Jerry Robinson, who created the Joker & named the boy wonder, Robin. This sounds like an incredible event to see! ( Thank you Fernando for sending this information ). For a nice news story about this event ( with great photos ) be sure to click on the "Aventura Americana" button down below:
Also, Here's a link button to the "Jewish Museum of Florida" in case you want more information about the event:
