The poem Dust if you Must (by Rose Milligan) mirrors my approach to life, parenting, and keeping the house clean…
Dust if you must (by Rose Milligan)
Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
Who created Batman? If you know a little bit about comics, you probably think that Bob Kane created the caped crusader. In fact if you know a lot about comics you still might think he created Batman. That’s exactly what Bob Kane always wanted you to think. But Bob Kane lived in the Batcave that Bill Finger built.
Who created Batman? Bob Kane’s version before showing it to Bill Finger
On a Friday sometime prior to the character’s 1939 debut comic hitting the stands, Kane had promised his publisher a great new character by Monday. In his struggle for an idea, he came up with ‘Bird-Man’, a masked Flash Gordon rip-off with wings. Kane had the good sense to show his work in progress to his friend – a writer named Bill Finger, who set about creating a better character instead.
So, who created Batman?
Basically, almost everything that is iconic and cool about Batman, Finger came up with – his outfit, his origin, his alter-ego, his lack of superpowers, being a detective, the Batmobile, Gotham City, and even (in collaboration) supporting characters like Robin, Catwoman, Riddler, and the Joker.
“Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot,” – Bill Finger, Detective Comics (1939)
It was an instant hit. What followed for Kane was a career of taking credit for Finger’s and then others work, and being paid handsomely for it. The writers and artists got what Kane considered a fair page rate, but far less than he was paid by the publisher and with no credit or royalties. As a businessman, you have to admire Bob Kane – in the way you might admire Donald Trump or Tony Montana.
Despite the fact that this all is common knowledge in the comics industry, for decades DC would not name Finger as co-creator of Batman. The rumour is that Kane pretended he signed his original contract as a minor (which would’ve been illegal), and blackmailed DC precursor National into a new contract naming him as the sole creator of Batman, in perpetuity.
If it wasn’t for Bill Finger, ‘Bird-Man’ not Batman would be the icon we know today. No, scratch that. Kane’s Bird-Man would have obviously faded into obscurity as the highly derivative creation it was.
Like many of his peers, Bill Finger’s comic book career consisted mostly of anonymous writing for a basic page rate. He passed away over 40 years ago in 1974. Bob Kane survived him a further 24 years until 1998. But in death, Bob did acknowledge a co-creator for Batman on his headstone – but sadly, it’s not who you think…
Who created Batman? Bob Kane’s headstone. No mention of Bil Finger as co-creator of Batman – Only God.
Yup – God. As co-creators go, you could do a lot worse than THE creator I guess. God was not available for comment.
As mentioned, DC have not actually named Bill Finger as a Batman creator, but they have done the best they can – crediting him as the writer of Detective Comics no.27, the first appearance of The Bat-Man, on the cover of DC’s 75th anniversary edition of the issue.
Despite my love of superheroes, I’m not one to advocate violence because a) it’s usually wrong, and b) I’m a coward. But I can’t help thinking about the following tale that famed comicbook artist & writer Jim Steranko told his followers on Twitter.
So, as well as remembering Bill Finger, the man who created Batman as we know him today, Bat-fans can also celebrate the time Jim Steranko bat-slapped Bob Kane 🙂
Bob Kane – you’ve been Steranko’d!
Jim Steranko
‘I hadn’t encountered Kane in my travels, but at one rockin’ SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con), an associate asked me if I wanted to meet him, and walked me into a hallway.
There he was, in a small group of people, wearing patent-leather shoes– and an ASCOT, like he was Vitamin f******g Flintheart in a Dick Tracy cartoon.
For years, I’d heard how he’d taken credit for Bill Finger’s contributions (in addition to half his pay) and other despicable tales from his associates. But nothing aces an in-person encounter.
We were introduced and Kane began talking about my Batman chapter in the HISTORY OF COMICS, which treated him–and everyone else–very respectfully. He felt I credited Robinson & Finger (both of whom I knew intimately) too much. Kane (aka Kahn) was beyond pretentious, an intolerable ass as pompous as they come. I bit my tongue while he regaled us with his many achievements.
The group was waiting for an elevator, which they stepped into when the door opened. Our conversation ended, but not before he said: “See you later, Jim, baby,”and cuffed me across the face–like some rat-pack street gesture he’d seen in some cheap flick. The doors closed…I was stunned by the sheer audacity of a stranger–like him–to lay a hand on me, and boiling with anger.
That night, I couldn’t sleep and the next morning began combing the halls for his Bat Majesty. Around noon, I found him in another group, which I walked into. “Good to see you, Bob, baby!” I said, then bitchbat-slapped him across the face.
But this time, there was no elevator door closing between us. I stood there for about 15 seconds, waiting. He did nothing. I turned and left. But I regret it now. I regret that he didn’t do anything about it, even though he was at least a head taller than me. I wouldn’t have minded bleeding at all for one more opportunity to give Kane the kind of Bat Lesson that Finger, Robinson, Sprang and others only dreamed of.
My daughter giving her Hasbro Leia doll a blow-dry
Not only does the Disney Store have Star Wars pigeon-holed as a boys only brand, it seems that main toy licensee Hasbro does too.
In this job ad (courtesy of Natalie Wreyford and ta-dala), Hasbro states it has “immediate need for a detail-oriented, brand developer… for Star Wars” their “Boys Licensed brand”.
Sigh.
The ad lists seven key aspects of the job, but reading them it seems to me that a plucky applicant could successfully address each of these bullet points by addressing the gendered marketing issue too.
So, if you’re a detail-oriented, brand developer candidate – who is “proactive”, “responsive”, “creative”, and with “analytic based judgement” – looking to make a name for yourself, you could try this approach. I am after all a marketing guru (:s).
Primary Duties & Responsibilities of Star Wars Brand Development role:
1. Lead cross-functional teams to execute key brand initiatives, including finding innovative ways to grow higher margin businesses. A: An innovative way to grow higher margin businesses should involve marketing Star Wars to girls as well as boys.
2. Drive product innovations through the system to better meet consumer demands. A: Innovate by creating Star Wars products intended for girls, meeting their additional consumer demand, and market the entire brand to both girls and boys.
3. Develop overall go-to-market product strategy. A: Create product and market the whole brand to both boys and girls.
4. Partner with global supply chain to identify programs to decrease development costs and gain efficiencies where applicable. A: Market existing products to girls as well as boys. Efficiencies gained by selling an existing product to a new market with minimal cost.
5. Maintain current knowledge of modern manufacturing trends, technologies and competitive practices. A: Be competitive by marketing Star Wars to girls as well as boys.
6. Collaborate with global brand strategy and marketing team in the development of all special and exclusive products. A: Suggest the global brand strategy includes marketing Star Wars brand to girls as well as boys.
7. Become the global insights expert and leverage learning across product lines. A: Your insight should involve the need for marketing Star Wars to girls as well as boys. If not, this should be learned.
So there you go. You’ve got that application nailed! Why not apply using this as your template? If you can’t beat them, join them. Then beat them.
Failing that, tweet them at @HasbroNews, or email them at hasbrobrandpr@hasbro.com, and let them know that Star Wars is a galaxy for girls too – because they obviously didn’t get the #WeWantLeia memo.
Linguine con Vongole e Pomodorini (Linguine with clams and cherry tomatoes)
A slight twist on this Italian classic seafood pasta dish, cherry tomatoes add a dash of summer colour & flavour to the Linguine Vongole recipe.
I would like to say I first ate this Linguine with clams and cherry tomatoes while holidaying in Italy, but I’m pretty sure it was at Wellington Italian eatery Mari Luca.
While I’m no longer a Kiwi resident, my clam of choice is still the New Zealand Little Neck. It is the Iron Man of clams, with an armoured shell to rival Tony Stark’s, which gives the molluscs the best chance of withstanding the journey from sea to your saucepan intact. They taste great too.
Make sure you use the sweetest tomatoes you can find, so they complement the sweet & salty clams. You won’t need to chop them as they should break down just enough while cooking, but if you prefer you can give the skin a little slice before cooking – they’ll be reminiscent of a tomato that’s burst with ripeness.
While the butter adds a smooth richness to this sumptuous seafood pasta dish, the key to getting this linguine vongole recipe right is balancing the garlic, anchovy, shallot and chilli to enhance the delicious salty clam & sweet tomato combo. If in doubt, err on the side of caution. It would be a shame to overpower the clams – even Iron Clam cannot withstand a mass flavour assault.
Linguine with Clams and Cherry Tomatoes (Linguine con Vongole e Pomodosrini) Recipe
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
500g linguine
1kg fresh clams, washed & cleaned
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 chillies, finely chopped
250g very sweet cherry tomatoes
1-2 anchovy fillets, chopped
Large handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Olive oil
Large glass white wine
50g butter
Salt
METHOD:
In large pan, cook linguine in salted water. It needs to be al dente, so about a minute or so less than packet instructions.
At the same time, in a larger pan on a medium heat, fry the shallot, garlic, chilli, tomatoes, and anchovy in generous glug of olive oil. After a couple minutes add a splash of wine and cook a further 5 or so mins.
Add the clams and the rest of the wine. Cover pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for about 2-3 mins, or until all the clams have opened. Give the pan a good shake – it’ll help the clams open up and tear the tomato skins just enough.
Drain the pasta, and toss into the clam mixture with the parsley and butter.*
Return lid, turn off the heat, and leave everything to sit in the pan for a couple of minutes. The linguine will soak up lots of the delicious cooking liquor, without cooking any further itself.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls, spooning over any remaining cooking liquor.
* You will have of course timed this to perfection, so that the clams and the linguine are ready at the same time to mix together. But if unsure about timings, it is much better to have the linguine ready before the clams. The pasta can sit a while and be heated up again with the clams, but vice versa would lead to the clams becoming tough and rubbery from overcooking.
