Marc Tyler Nobleman (born March 14, 1972) is an American author and speaker. His book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman is the first published biography of Bill Finger, the initially anonymous co-creator and original writer of Batman. It is the basis of the Hulu documentary Batman & Bill, which chronicles NoblemanâÂÂs nine-year campaign to get FingerâÂÂs name added to the official Batman credit line.
Nobleman is Jewish. He spent his early childhood in Avon, Connecticut, then moved to Cheshire, Connecticut. His first published writing was a MotherâÂÂs Day poem in The Cheshire Herald when he was nine. In high school, he was a member of the BâÂÂnai BâÂÂrith Youth Organization (BBYO) and held two regional board positions. He graduated from Cheshire High School and Brandeis University.
Nobleman is the author of numerous nonfiction and fiction books for young readers. His publishers include Penguin Random House, Scholastic, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. His first title, The Felix Activity Book, based on characters created in Germany by author Annette Langen and illustrator Constanza Droop, was published in 1996.
NoblemanâÂÂs other writing credits include humor articles for Nickelodeon Magazine, an episode of the TV show Daniel TigerâÂÂs Neighborhood, and a reference book for adults (What's the Difference?: How to Tell Things Apart That Are Confusingly Close).
He has spoken worldwide at schools, conferences, and other venues including the U.S. State Department, the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship, and the 92nd Street Y. He has given a TED Talk and a Google Talk.
Nobleman created, wrote, directed, and produced Songbook, a part-scripted, part-reality children's web series, in partnership with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kwame Alexander, and Mary Rand Hess.
He is also a cartoonist whose single-panel gag cartoons have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Punch, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.
In 2006, Nobleman began researching for a nonfiction picture book about Bill FingerâÂÂs role in the creation of Batman, who debuted in 1939. Finger was also the original writer of characters including Robin, the Joker, and Catwoman; he named Gotham City and nicknamed Batman âÂÂthe Dark Knight.â DC Comics did not include FingerâÂÂs name in the Batman credit line during FingerâÂÂs lifetime; the character was attributed solely to cartoonist Bob Kane. In 1974, Finger died with little money and almost no public acknowledgement.
Finger had one known child, Fred, who died in 1992. NoblemanâÂÂs extensive source material did not mention any living Finger heirs. In 2007, Nobleman discovered that, to the contrary, Fred had a daughter, and therefore Finger had a granddaughter, named Athena, born two years after Finger died. Nobleman contacted her via her MySpace page and encouraged her to contact DC Comics to discuss credit for her grandfather. At first she hesitated, then changed her mind.
In 2008, at which time Nobleman had not yet found a publisher for his Finger manuscript, he started advocating for FingerâÂÂs name to be added to the Batman credit line. This effort began on NoblemanâÂÂs blog (eventually surpassing 300 posts on Finger) and social media. It later expanded to podcasts including Kevin SmithâÂÂs Fatman on Batman, speaking engagements, and other live events including the Paley Center for Media panel in celebration of BatmanâÂÂs 75th anniversary.
After the manuscript received 34 rejections, Charlesbridge published Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (illustrated by Ty Templeton) in 2012.
Nobleman rallied the public to lobby for a Google Doodle to commemorate FingerâÂÂs 100th birthday in 2014. Though a substantial number of comic book fans, celebrities, and media heeded the call, the campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
In 2015, after negotiating with Athena, DC Entertainment announced that the company would begin crediting Finger alongside Kane in movies including ' and TV shows including Gotham. The updated credit also appears in Batman-related comic books, graphic novels, and other print publications. It reads âÂÂBatman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.â Prior to this, DC had added creator names to characters who were originally uncredited. This was the first time DC amended an existing credit.
In 2017, Hulu released Batman & Bill, a documentary based on Bill the Boy Wonder. With no known footage of Finger in existence, the film tells FingerâÂÂs story via NoblemanâÂÂs research and efforts to preserve FingerâÂÂs legacy. It is the first documentary based on a nonfiction picture book and HuluâÂÂs first original documentary. The film has also aired in countries including Spain, France, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been called âÂÂCitizen Kane with a twistâ and âÂÂprobably the most important comic book movie ever made.âÂÂ
Later that year, as a result of a proposal Nobleman submitted to the office of Ritchie Torres, then a New York City Council member, the Bronx renamed a portion of East 192nd Street âÂÂBill Finger Way.â Though New York City was the birthplace and for decades the center of American superhero comic book publishing, this was the first time New York honored a superhero creator with a street renaming. Nobleman spoke at the sign unveiling ceremony, which drew supporters from as far as Utah.