Bill Finger

Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the belatedly credited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman and the co-architect of the series' development. Years after Finger's death, Kane acknowledged his contributions.

Finger also wrote many of the original 1940s Green Lantern stories after co-creating the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott), and would go on to contribute to the development of numerous other comic book series.

He was posthumously inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999. His name provided the basis for the Bill Finger Award, founded by Jerry Robinson and presented annually at the San Diego Comic-Con International to honor excellence in comic book writing.

Early life and career

Bill Finger was born in Denver, Colorado, to a Jewish family. His father, Louis Finger (b. 1890, Austria), emigrated to the U.S. in 1907. His mother Tessie (b. circa 1893, New York City) also gave birth to Bill Finger's sisters, Emily and Gilda. The family moved to The Bronx, New York City, where during the Great Depression Louis Finger was forced to close his tailor shop.