Bob Kane's Batman

[Mr.Marion]

I'm sure Chris will get a kick outta this.

[enyawd72]

LOL...I love it!

[Earth 2 Chris]

Heh. Yeah, I've seen that. It's funny, and quite appropriate. Although I do think Brian is right that the Kane bashing may have now swung too far the other way. Just a bit.

It's honestly probably deserved, but that horse is sufficiently beaten.

Chris

[MRP]

Have y'all heard Jim Steranko tell the story of what happened when he met Bob Kane?

-M

[PNGwynne]

lol That's entirely in character for Steranko. I found him generous and charming in conversation but a little self-aggrandizing on panel. Mind you, I'm not saying he's wrong. I met him in '13.

It's a little mean to disparage Kane's wardrobe--Jim's made good use of that ivory double-breasted suit .

[palitoy]

It's honestly probably deserved, but that horse is sufficiently beaten.

Chris

Well the other thing is the "Saint Finger" crap going on. He wasn't Jack Kirby and there is this weird PR campaign going on to smoosh him into that mold.

[PNGwynne]

^ I equate the Kane bias with the Stan Lee bias: He was unpleasant and arrogant at times, and now there's some overcorrecting.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Well the other thing is the "Saint Finger" crap going on. He wasn't Jack Kirby and there is this weird PR campaign going on to smoosh him into that mold.

Yeah, Finger was no saint, and had his demons. His lack of credit and compensation for his creations and co-creations, and then that awful comic story that DC actually published lampooning his death made him quite the martyr to fans and pros.



Add to that all the evidence that has surfaced against Kane, and his vehement denial of any wrongdoing for years and you have a recipe for the character assassination of Kane, and the rise to sainthood for Finger. The truth is somewhere in-between.

Chris

[PNGwynne]

^ I've read the entire story online. My understanding it that it was published for DC staff in The Amazing World of DC Comics after Finger's death, but originally indented for an issue of House of Mystery wile he lived.

I think it's supposed to be an affectionate satire, but in retrospect it's tasteless and morbid. Still, I'm not certain malice was intended.

[number 6]

I don’t quite understand Sterenko’s criticism of Kane’s percentage deal on merchandising.

So the creators of Superman were “smarter” than Kane because they didn’t craft a profit sharing clause...and therefore didn’t see a penny of all that Superman merchandise?

I suspect they - along with Kirby - wished they were as “dumb” as Kane.

I noticed that Sterenko stopped enumerating the missing Batman merchandise at the 50’s. I guess that’s because Kane’s ‘too smart for his own good’ deal turned out to be pretty profitable in the 60’s and 70’s.

I get it: Kane was clearly more of an opportunist than a creative talent. And it seems clear that, personality-wise, he was a bit of a jerk. But trying to take a shot at him for that merchandising deal seems a bit weak-sauce.

[palitoy]

Yeah, Finger was no saint, and had his demons. His lack of credit and compensation for his creations and co-creations, and then that awful comic story that DC actually published lampooning his death made him quite the martyr to fans and pros.

Add to that all the evidence that has surfaced against Kane, and his vehement denial of any wrongdoing for years and you have a recipe for the character assassination of Kane, and the rise to sainthood for Finger. The truth is somewhere in-between.

Yeah, I don't want to defend Kane by any means, nor do i want to put down Finger because it isn't about that. It's just somewhere in this crusade things got weird. I've read articles by certain authors that were talking about some of Finger's political opinions (which don't reflect well on him in today's world) and suggesting that he'd now change his mind.

Well, that's not journalism, that's marketing and crafting a more desirable martyr.

[Mr.Marion]

Yeah, I don't want to defend Kane by any means, nor do i want to put down Finger because it isn't about that. It's just somewhere in this crusade things got weird. I've read articles by certain authors that were talking about some of Finger's political opinions (which don't reflect well on him in today's world) and suggesting that he'd now change his mind.

Well, that's not journalism, that's marketing and crafting a more desirable martyr.

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
One of my favorite documentaries "Searching for Sugar man" Definitely took liberties. Rodriguez toured NZ in the Early 80's so he wasn't unlike many musicians who had to get jobs after a brief brush with fame.