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Bill Finger was a comic book writer. His father, Louis Finger, was born in Austria and emigrated to the United States in 1907 as a teenager. Louis worked as a tailor. Bill's mother, Tessie, was born and raised in New York City. Both parents were in their early 20s when Finger was born. Bill had two sisters.
Finger was born in Denver, Colorado, but his family later moved to New York City. He was primarily raised in The Bronx and attended DeWitt Clinton High School, graduating in 1933. He began his career during the Great Depression. In 1938, Finger entered the comic strip industry as a ghostwriter for several strips created by Bob Kane's studio. Kane, a fellow DeWitt Clinton graduate, was an acquaintance.
Between 1938 and 1939, National Comics (later DC Comics) found success with "Superman," sparking a demand for superheroes. Bob Kane developed a character called "Bat-Man" or "Batman" and enlisted Finger's help. Finger rejected many of Kane's initial ideas and suggested design and characterization changes. He created the civilian identity "Bruce Wayne," naming it after Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, and General Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne.
Kane promoted the "Batman" character to National Comics, with Batman's first story appearing in "Detective Comics" #27 (May 1939). Finger wrote the script but remained uncredited, becoming the first of many ghostwriters for comics officially credited to Kane. When Kane negotiated the rights to Batman, he claimed sole creation and insisted on exclusive creator credit, excluding Finger.
Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, Finger continued working on Batman-related stories as a writer or ghostwriter. Comic historians credit him with creating or co-creating many of Batman's villains and supporting characters, including the Joker, Catwoman, Robin, Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Mite, Clayface, Bat-Girl/Betty Kane, the Penguin, the Scarecrow, Two-Face, the Riddler, and the Calendar Man. He also named Gotham City, Batman's previously unnamed metropolis, and co-created the Batmobile and Batcave.
Beyond Batman, Finger wrote various stories for National Comics/DC Comics, including "Green Lantern," "Superman," and "Superboy." He co-created the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, whose 1940s series had a fantasy theme with magical powers. In 1959, the series was rebooted as a science fiction story featuring space cops and aliens. Finger also adapted "Kryptonite" for comics in 1949, a concept originally from the Superman radio series that became a staple in the comic saga. In the "Superboy" series, he created Lana Lang, the teenage hero's love interest.
Outside National Comics, Finger contributed to rival companies like Fawcett Comics, Quality Comics, and Timely Comics (the precursor to Marvel Comics). Marvel credits him with co-creating the All-Winners Squad, introduced in 1946 as the company's first superhero team.
Finger mostly retired from comic book writing around 1961 and pursued a screenwriting career for films and television. He wrote two episodes for the 1960s "Batman" live-action series. However, his health declined due to heart attacks in 1963, 1970, and 1973. He died of atherosclerosis in 1974. Finger was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on a beach. He has no known grave.
Married twice, Finger was survived by his son, Fred. Though he never claimed rights to Batman, his granddaughter Athena Finger later sought creator credit for his contributions. After negotiations, DC Entertainment officially recognized Finger as Batman's co-creator in 2015.
