Wikipedia's first sentence called it “american comic strip”. Today it says “american comic book writer who is credited with co-creating the dc comics character batman with bob kane”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “American comic strip and comic book writer Milton Finger , known professionally as”. It now reads “American comics writer (1914–1974) Milton "”.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Bill Finger ( February 8 , 1914 - January 24 , 1974 ) was an American writer who is best remembered as the co-creator of Batman with artist Bob Kane . Finger and Kane began to collaborate in 1938 . In early 1939 , the success of Superman in Action Comics prompted editors at the comic book division of National Publications (later DC Comics , now a subsidiary of Time Warner ) to request more superheroes for their titles. Kane subsquently created a character called "Birdman". Finger offered such suggestions as renaming the character "Batman", giving the character a cowl instead of a simple domino mask, giving him a cape instead of wings, giving him gloves, and removing bright red sections of the original costume. Finger wrote the first Batman story, while Kane provided art. Because Kane had already submitted the proposal for a Batman character to his editors at DC Comics , Kane was the only person given official credit at the time for the creation of Batman. Batman was a breakout hit, and soon after, National suggested that character receive a youthful sidekick who the readers could use as an audience surrogate . Kane initially suggested an impish character like Puck , while Finger suggested a more down-to-earth character, Robin . Finger went on to write many of the early Batman stories, including making major contributions to the character of The Joker , as well as other major Batman villains. He is also credited with the invention of the Batmobile , and with providing a name for Gotham City . Among the things that made his stories particularly distinctive was a use of giant-sized props -- enlarged pennies, sewing machines, or typewriters. Kane, the more business-savvy of the Kane-Finger creative team, negotiated a contract with National, signing away any ownership that he might have in the character in exchange for, among other compensations, a mandatory byline on all Batman comics stating "Batman created by Bob Kane", even on stories with which he had no direct involvement. Bill Finger's contract, by comparison, left him with a monetary pittance and no credit even on the stories that he wrote without Kane. Finger, like Joe Shuster , Jerry Siegel , and many other creators during and after the Golden Age of Comic Books , would resent National for "cheating" him of the money and dignity that he felt that he was owed for his creation. By the time Finger died in 1974, he had never been officially credited once for his work. Since then, in the comic book industry, being "Fingered" has become slang for being denied credit for one's contributions to a story or character. Posthumously, Finger has been named to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame and Jack Kirby Hall of Fame .1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16031239.
The opening as it stood in 2010 18 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
William "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane , of the DC Comics character Batman , as well as the co-architect of the series' development.In later years, Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation.And several readers, such as comics historian Ron Goulart , have referred to Batman as the "creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger".Still, despite a DC Comics press release in 2007 which states that "Kane, along with writer Bill Finger, had just created Batman for National Comics [DC's original name]", DC has never officially credited Finger in comics or films as they have for Kane.Finger additionally helped create Batman nemeses The Joker , The Penguin , Catwoman , Two-Face , The Riddler , and others.He also wrote many of the original 1940s Green Lantern stories and would go on to contribute to the development of numerous comic book series.His name provided the basis for the Bill Finger Award , founded by Jerry Robinson and presented annually at Comic-Con International to honor lifetime achievements by comic book writers insufficiently honored for their work in the medium.
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The opening as it stood in 2015 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Milton " Bill " Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974 ) was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the belatedly credited co-creator, with Bob Kane , of the DC Comics character Batman and the co-architect of the series' development. Years after Finger's death, Kane acknowledged his contributions.Finger also wrote many of the original 1940s Green Lantern stories after co-creating the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott) , and would go on to contribute to the development of numerous other comic book series.He was posthumously inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.His name provided the basis for the Bill Finger Award , founded by Jerry Robinson and presented annually at the San Diego Comic-Con International to honor excellence in comic book writing.Some researchers have put his birth in New York, but the 1920 U.S.Census along with other evidence shows he was born in Denver, Colorado. : Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored ( |url-status= suggested) ( help ) Infantino, Carmine ( w )."Last February, The Batman lost a father." Famous First Edition , no.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669421999.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
American comic strip and comic book writer Milton Finger , known professionally as Bill Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974), was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the creator, with Bob Kane , of the DC Comics character Batman , and the co-architect of the series' development, who mostly worked as his ghostwriter.Although Finger did not receive contemporaneous credit for his hand in the development of Batman, Kane acknowledged Finger's contributions years after Finger's death.Finger also wrote many of the original 1940s Green Lantern stories, featuring Alan Scott as the original, and contributed to the development of numerous other comic book series Finger, Dwight. Some researchers have put his birth in New York, but the 1920 U.S. Census along with other evidence shows he was born in Denver, Colorado. "Last February, The Batman lost a father." Famous First Edition , no. "DC Entertainment To Give Classic Batman Writer Credit in 'Gotham' and 'Batman v Superman' (Exclusive)" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 961896168.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
American comic strip and comic book writer and co-creator of Batman Milton " Bill " Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip , comic book , film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane ) of the DC Comics character Batman .Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world builder and illustration architect, Finger (and other creators of his era) was often relegated to ghostwriter status on many comics—including Batman, and the original Green Lantern , Alan Scott .While Kane privately admitted in a 1980s audio interview with his autobiographer that Finger was responsible for "50–75% of all the creativity in Batman," for decades he publicly denied Finger had been anything more than a subcontractor executing Kane's ideas.As a result, Finger died in obscurity and poverty while the Batman brand, and Kane, amassed international fame and wealth.In the 2000s, Finger biographer Marc Tyler Nobleman 's research uncovered previously unknown heirs.At the urging of Nobleman, the online comics fan community and others, Finger's granddaughter revived the fight to restore his lost legacy, which continued for years.In 2015, DC Comics's parent company conditionally agreed to recognize Finger's intellectual property claim as co-creator of the Batman characters and mythos, officially adding his name, going forward, to the "created by" credit line Kane had gotten contractually guaranteed in 1939. "Last February, The Batman lost a father." Famous First Edition , no. Some researchers have put his birth in New York, but the 1920 U.S. Census along with other evidence shows he was born in Denver, Colorado. "DC Entertainment To Give Classic Batman Writer Credit in 'Gotham' and 'Batman v Superman' (Exclusive)" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178601178.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
American comics writer (1914–1974) Milton " Bill " Finger (February 8, 1914 – c.January 18, 1974 ) was an American comic book writer who co-created the DC Comics character Batman with Bob Kane . Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world builder and illustration architect, Finger (like other creators of his era) was often relegated to ghostwriter status on many comics—including those featuring Batman, and the original Green Lantern , Alan Scott . While Kane privately admitted in a 1980s audio interview with his autobiographer that Finger was responsible for "50–75% of all the creativity in Batman," he publicly denied Finger had been anything more than a subcontractor executing Kane's ideas for decades. As a result, Finger died in obscurity and poverty while the Batman brand, and Kane, amassed international fame and wealth. In the 2000s, Finger biographer Marc Tyler Nobleman 's research uncovered previously unknown heirs. At the urging of Nobleman, the online comics fan community, and others, Finger's granddaughter revived the fight to restore his lost legacy, which continued for years. In 2015, DC Comics's parent company conditionally agreed to recognize Finger's intellectual property claim as co-creator of the Batman characters and mythos, officially adding his name, going forward, to the "created by" credit line Kane had been contractually guaranteed in 1939. "Last February, The Batman lost a father." Famous First Edition , no. Some researchers have put his birth in New York, but the 1920 U.S. Census along with other evidence shows he was born in Denver, Colorado. "DC Entertainment To Give Classic Batman Writer Credit in 'Gotham' and 'Batman v Superman' (Exclusive)" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1288372279. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “american comic strip”. Today it says “american comic book writer who is credited with co-creating the dc comics character batman with bob kane”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “American comic strip and comic book writer Milton Finger , known professionally as”. It now reads “American comics writer (1914–1974) Milton "”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since October 7, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
american comic strip
Now
american comic book writer who is credited with co-creating the dc comics character batman with bob kane
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
