My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an advanced copy of this book.

For a medium that always promised 4 color panels, tales of heroic derring-do, bright futures and "Truth, Justice and the American Way", comic books have a horrible way of treating its creators. From the duo who masterminded Superman, being cheated out of their profits and ignored by their publishing company till past their retirement age, to Jack Kirby suing Marvel for the rights to his own artwork, the list can go on. In The Creators of Batman Bob, Bill and The Dark Knight, author Rik Worth, even the creation of the Caped Crusader Batman has been muddled and confused over the 80 years of the Dark Knight's existence. Since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 Bob Kane has claimed sole credit for the design, idea, stories and everything related to the Batman, leaving important contributions from Bob Finger, easily considered a co-creator, Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang and others out of the narrative.

The book is well researched with a lot of stories about and facts to bolster the argument, which does not seem to be in much doubt anymore. There is also a lot of information on the early days of comics and how they developed into what they are today.

Was it ego, a lust for the glory, cash or just a fear by Mr. Kane that he had only one shot, that after all the other things he tried nothing seemed as relevant as a young boy swearing vengeance on criminals for his murdered parents. The book leaves this open to interpretation, which is only fair as none of the major players are around. A very interesting book, not only for the history of one of my favorite comic book characters, but about art, collaboration and its creation.

"Batman - Created By Bob Kane"

For years, those words were the creator byline for Batman. The Dark Knight Detective had one creator, everyone knew that, because that one creator gladly took credit for the creation of the World's Greatest* Detective. He went so far as to have it be his gravestone. But Bob didn't work alone, a fact that contemporary readers are now familiar with, as all issues of Batman and Detective Comics make it clear that Bob Kane created Batman with Bill Finger. Rik Worth takes a deeper look at the lives, careers, and fallings out of two high school kids from The Bronx. A worthwhile read for those who knew nothing of the man responsible for Batman not being a Da Vinci-esque bird and for those who have seen the Hulu documentary alike.






*The true World's Greatest Detective is Detective Chimp. Even Batman admits that.

I enjoyed this retrospective take on a very popular character who, by many points, was central to the stories that made a young reader out of me. Rik Worth includes history, as well as a focus on the relationships and materials that formed the Batman character. I enjoyed this book as a fan and as a scholar interested in writing more about popular characters.

So as a huge Batman fan I knew I needed to be a reviewer for this novel.

Here are my thoughts:
It was an interesting read, many areas flew off the page and it was fascinating to hear the back story of the men who created my favorite super hero, and then there were the parts that dragged. Thankfully for any true Batman fan you will like me be able to push through the slow parts and really dive into the story.

The writer does a great job of taking what is probably one of the most controversial stories about the 1930s Golden Age of superhero comics, and telling the story in a way that captures what is already known while also providing unexpected new facts. Definitely worth reading.