Holy Bill Finger, Batman!

Remembering the late Bill Finger on his birthday (February 8, 1914 - January 18, 1974).

Bill Finger was a writer, who provided many of the inspirational ideas to Bob Kane's outline of Batman that helped make Batman a success....like the cowl, cape, gloves, the blue/grey color scheme, and even the Bruce Wayne name!

Unfortunately, his penchant for research did not make Bill Finger a quick writer, nor did Bob Kane have him included on creator credits for Batman (only noting his contributions after Bill Finger had passed).

Still, Bill Finger did write many important Batman stories, introducing Robin, Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Two-Face, as well as the Batmobile, Batcave...

...and even naming Gotham City!

Much later, Bill Finger introduced readers to Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Mite , the first Bat-Girl, Calendar Man, the second Clayface , even Kite-Man and Zebra Man, and gave Batman his two biggest trophies:  the Tyrannosaurus Rex and giant Lincoln penny (a hallmark of Bill Finger stories was battles on oversized items).

Bill Finger also did other work for DC, writing early issues featuring the Golden Age Green Lantern, Wildcat, and creating Lana Lang in Superboy. Some of his last work on Batman was in World's Finest Comics, working with Superman (there he created Moon Man and Atom-Master, among others).

Even better, Bill Finger wrote the two episodes of the second season of the Batman 1966 TV show featuring the Clock King, giving him his first writer's credit on a Batman story....and the TV show Gotham, got his name listed as co-creator of Batman!

Gotham Guide with Penguin, Riddler and Two-Face

With the Secret Origins Special #1 (1989), under a cover by Brian Bolland (who had success with Joker in Batman: The Killing Joke), Batman tried to discourage documentary film maker Steve Jones from making a movie about Batman's villains (in the linking story of "Original Sins" by Neil Gaiman, Mike Hoffman and Kevin Nowlan)...and what follows was suppose to be 3 stories about the origins of Batman foes Penguin, Riddler and Two-Face (as well as why Batman warned off the filmmaker.....with a behind the scenes appearance of the Joker for extra emphasis, no less).



A little on the beginnings of these villains as presented in this issue (and a little more as well!).

Penguin

Oswald C. Cobblepot first appeared in Detective Comics #58 (December, 1941) by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, and was drawn in the DC Who's Who (packet 5 of the looseleaf version of 1990) by Jim Aparo.

In "The Killing Peck", Oswald was getting revenge on an old nemesis from earlier in his life, who tortured the boy who loved books and birds, making him eat fish and wear a suit, leading him down the route to becoming the Penguin in this story by Alan Grant and Sam Keith. 

Riddler

Edward Nigma came to be in Detective Comics #140 (October, 1948), by Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris, but didn't become a bigger Batman villain until the 1960s, with the DC Who's Who (packet 5 of the looseleaf version of 1990) by Kieron Dwyer and Dennis Janke).

When is an origin not an origin?  When it's "When Is A Door" by Neil Gaiman, Bernie Mireault and Matt Wagner, with the film crew following the Riddler through an old warehouse full of oversized novelties (once a feature of Batman comics in the 1950s), and the Riddler making odd commentary on it all, leaving his origins a question.

Two-Face

Harvey Dent flipped into Batman's life in Detective Comics #66 (August, 1942) by Bill Finger and Bob Kane  (though he was Harvey Kent back then), and was rendered in the the DC Who's Who (packet 11 of the looseleaf version of 1991) by Chris Sprouse and Dick Giordano.

Two-Face was almost portrayed as a hero in the untitled story in the Special, by Mark Verheiden, Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano (and he is only a coin flip away from being one, after all).  Still the district attorney who had acid thrown in his face by Boss Maroni, this story explored how Two-Face could be a hero, saving Grace (who was the one telling this Two-Face story to Steve Jones), and how he saved her from Dalton Perry (a criminal who was looking for revenge against Harvey, by kidnapping Grace).

A nice collection of tales, featuring some of Gotham's greatest criminals, which, when they first appeared in the Golden Age, only had Batman in common, but this Special started a slight link between them....something that has been built on upon the years, and continues to this day! 

Batman Villains First

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, there was a push on making Batman's five most dangerous foes...the Riddler, the Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman and the Joker....

but. they all started in the 1940s!

The Riddler

Edward Nigma cheated to beat puzzles, and used that ability to take on the identity of the Riddler in Detective Comics #140 (October, 1948 by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang), wherein Batman and Robin solved the Riddler's puzzles and thought him dead, at least until Detective Comics #142 (December, 1948); these two tales being Riddler's only Golden Age appearances (both reprinted in Batman Archives #7, and the first in the Batman: Featuring Two-Face and the Riddler tradepaperback). 

If not for an appearance in Batman #171 (May, 1965) and Frank Gorshin's Riddler on the 1960s Batman TV series and 1966 Batman movie (though John Astin subbed for Gorshin for a season) and being portrayed by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever...

...the Riddler might have only been a big question mark!

The Penguin

Oswald Cobblepot began his career as an art thief, stealing painting from a gallery in Detective Comics #58 (December, 1941 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, with this tale bring reprinted in the Batman Archives #2, Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told tradepaperback #2, and in Batman Chronicles #5).  This bird came back to face Batman many times during the 1940s, but didn't get his first cover appearance until his fourth appearance in Detective Comics #67 (September, 1942).

This bird came to life and rose to fame played by Burgess Meredith in Batman TV show and 1966 movie...

...and helped the screen time fly by as portrayed by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, continuing to waddle along and threaten the Caped Crusader!

Two-Face

Harvey Kent was Gotham's district attorney, pressing a case against Boss Maroni, until Moroni threw acid at Kent, scarring his half his face and turning the lawyer to crime, using Maroni's two-faced coin (with one side now scarred) to make decisions on how to proceed, starting with Detective Comics #66 (August, 1942, by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson), and the tale concluding in Detective Comics #68 (October, 1942, where he appropriately made his first cover in his second appearance) and both tales can be found in the 100-Page Super Spectacular DC-20, Batman Archives #2,  the Batman: Featuring Two-Face and the Riddler tradepaperback, Batman vs. Two-Face tradepaperback and Batman Chronicles #7.  Two-Face's alter ego's last name was switched (with no explanation) to Dent in Batman #50 (December-January, 1948-1949).

Sadly, Two-Face never made it into the Batman TV show, but did make (appropriately) a pair of movie appearances, in Batman Forever (played by Tommy Lee Jones) and in the Dark Knight (played by Aaron Eckhart)...

...for twice as much fun as any other foe!

Catwoman

Selina Kyle began her career as a jewel thief called the Cat in Batman #1 (Spring, 1940, by Bill Finger and Bob Kane), and changed to the Catwoman in Batman #2 (Summer, 1940) after helping Batman find the Joker (with both villains escaping the dynamic duo).  Surprisingly, it took until Detective Comics #122 (April, 1947) for this femme fatale to make a cover of a Batman comic book!

Catwoman was portrayed in the Batman TV series by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the Batman TV series, by Lee Meriweather in the 1966 Batman movie...

...by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, by Halle Berry in her own Catwoman movie (though she wasn't Selina Kyle), and by Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises.

Joker

This criminal was a jack of all trades, menacing Batman and Robin twice in the very first Batman issue (Batman #1 of Spring, 1940 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane), and returned again and again to menace Batman and Robin (as well as other villains like Catwoman and Penguin, as well as the whole of Gotham).  Joker made his first Batman comic cover with Detective Comics #62 (April, 1942...quite the April's Fool joke indeed!).

Joker also is one of the most popular of Batman's live action foes..

...being portrayed by Cesar Romero in the Batman TV show and 1966 movie, getting a load of him as Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Batman movie, and very seriously by Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight.

Joker and Catwoman were both in Batman #1, and all the Batman stories of that issue were in Famous First Edition F-5, Batman: The Dark Knight Archives #1, Millenium Edition: Batman #1 and the Batman Chronicles #1! 

Let no one play you for a fool as to who Batman's MAIN foe is...and if you don't know, then the joke is on you!

Though Joker has been teased on two episodes of the first season of Gotham, with promises of more in its second season, the show still focuses on everyone else...Edward "Riddler" Nygma as played by Corey Michael Smith, Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepott portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor, Harvey "Two-Face" Dent played by Nicholas D'Agosto and Selina "Catwoman" Kyle played by Camren Bicondova...all helping to build the legend of Batman.

Batman Retro Action Figures Series 1

From Figures Toy Company, reproductions of Batman Mego action figures!  

Batman Retro Series 1

These action figures are an exact reproduction of the originals produced by Mego.  Features 16 points of articulation, cloth outfit, & plastic utility belts.  Comes in a resealable plastic clam shell.  Figures in this series include Batman, Robin, the Joker and the Riddler.  Available in 8 inch only.  First of many lines!