Batman & Bill

If you are a Batman fan, you have to watch this documentary. It shows how Bob Kane took all the credit for the character which he didn't make and how the original creator of our beloved charter was underpaid and never given the credit he deserved. It is a tragic story of a man who might have been forgotten by history if a few people didn't continue to fight for him even after his death.

This is an interesting one-sided argument. However it does ignore any investigation towards Bob Kane's contribution to the creation. Focusing purely on the speculative works of Bill.

A statement is made early on in the film, that Bill was paid as a "Ghost Writer". Perhaps he forgot to look up the definition of that, because if true, it justifies everything Bob did, even if Bill did create it.

And later on, the film shows early design templates that Bob came up with, that apparently Bill developed further. A friend offering ideas and suggestions to someone else's work, is a bit different to plagiarism or whatever else they are trying to suggest. The original templates were developed by Bob, regardless of what changes were made along the journey to publication.

And lets just say for arguments sake, Bill came up with the design. Bob was the marketing business expert who risked actual money and time into publishing him. Comics books were a new medium, and other superheroes had failed. He was the risk taker, who compiled the team of writers, artists and colourist and steered the ship as it were through war time and kept the dream alive.

This documentary needed a deeper look at what Bob Kane added the equation, to balance out the argument and allow the viewer a clearer understanding of how much credit Bill deserves, and for what.

Incredibly touching. After watching a similar documentary on Superman, I was skeptical I would get anything out of this other than some mild entertainment.

The two stories are similar but this documentary was so well done, that I was almost moved to tears by the end.

I highly recommend this film.

Incredibly well done. This is the story of one man who realized that the cocreator a Batman died alone, penniless, and without credit for what he has done. One man who made it his life's mission to write that wrong. He thereby became Batman for the cocreator of Batman, Bill finger.

I kept thinking how perfectly this documentary is done. The music, the interviews, the animations all serve to really move you. If you can get to the end of this with a dry eye, check your pulse :-)

This is a first for me…reviewing a made for Hulu documentary. Heck, up until very recently, I had no idea Hulu was releasing anything themselves. Fortunately, "Batman & Bill" turns out to be a really exciting and engaging film…one that comic book fans absolutely must see. The problem is that to see it, you need to have Hulu.

If you are a comic book lover, you probably know who Bob Kane is. He's been credited for decades as the creator of Batman and during his lifetime he made a fortune because of it. He also achieved a god- like status by some fans. After all, he came up with the story idea, the costume, the Batmobile, the villains and the back story about Bruce Wayne losing his parents to some murderous thieves… right? Well, not exactly according to this film…as well as according to Warner Brothers, the folks who own DC Comics. The story is about another man who created much of what Batman was but was never credited during his lifetime for this…and a man who died pretty much penniless and forgotten. The film does an excellent job explaining who Bob Finger was and how he actually is at least half responsible for creating the comic strip hero…as well as the fight that his granddaughter had to go through to get this acknowledged. It's all quite enlightening…at least for me, a guy who isn't exactly a huge comic book fan.

The film is excellent on just about every level. Technically, it's well made. It's obvious they did a lot of research to make the film and, most importantly, the documentary really packs a strong emotional wallop. You find yourself being emotionally pulled into the film and this is also the sign of an exceptional documentary. Well worth seeing…and satisfying to see the man finally getting the recognition he so well deserved.