Here at ComicsAlliance, we've grumbled more than a couple of times about the persistent, legally mandated "Batman Created By Bob Kane" credit that appears on every single Batman story. The truth of the matter is that Batman was at best a collaborative effort between Kane and writer Bill Finger, who sadly remains unknown to many fans to this day. But what if -- and this is a really big "what if" -- that credit was actually accurate?

As Bill Finger's 100th birthday approaches, that's the question cartoonist Ty Templeton, artist of Bill the Boy Wonder, has set out to answer in a strip that shows Batman in the form that was actually created by Kane, and it's not exactly a familiar site. Check it out below!

Bob Kane's Bat-Man by Ty Templeton
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As I put it when I wrote about Kane and Finger awhile back, "If I have to grit my teeth and give Kane even the slightest amount of credit, I will say that he was the one who wrote the word “BAT-MAN” down on a piece of paper and drew a character wearing a red suit with a domino mask, blonde hair and a pair of bat wings. All Finger really did was come up with the color scheme, the costume, the cape, the cowl, the idea that he shouldn’t have any superpowers, the origin story about his parents being shot in an alley, the idea that he’s a detective, the words “Batmobile” and “Gotham City,” Robin, the Joker, Catwoman, and a few other minor elements."

For more, including pages from Bill the Boy Wonder that were rejected for showing Kane doing too much work and information on how to urge Google to celebrate February 8 with a Doodle honoring Finger's contribution to pop culture, check out Templeton's site!

[via Robot 6]

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