The Batman Wars: The Secret Conspiracy Behind the Dark Knight

Bill Finger created Batman, but Bob Kane took credit and millions of dollars in royalties for decades, while Finger lived in anonymity and poverty.

In the winter of 1938, Bill Finger received a phone call from friend and collaborator Bob Kane asking if he’d like to work on a new comic book feature. Kane brought him a preliminary sketch he’d made by tracing Flash Gordon, coloring the costume red and his hair blond, then attaching wings to his back. He thought maybe the character could be “Bir...