FOUR COMIC-BOOK LEGENDS WHO STUDIED AT DEWITT CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL

Did you know that some of the guys who helped create the most popular comic-book characters in history, ranging from Batman to Spider-Man, all attended the same high school in the Bronx? Specifically, DeWitt Clinton High School. Throughout the 1930s, this academic institution nurtured the minds of four teenagers who went on to shape the modern comic-book industry. Want to know more? Then please check this out 👇.

Bill Finger

Full name: Milton Finger / Occupation: Comic-book writer / Born: February 8, 1914, in Denver, Colorado, USA / Died: January 18, 1974, in Manhattan, New York, USA (aged 59) / Cause of death: Occlusive coronary atherosclerosis

Bill Finger attended DeWitt Clinton High School between 1929 and 1933, where he discovered his passion for literature and writing. After finishing his studies, he got a job as a part-time shoe salesman and continued to write, especially when he met Bob Kane at a party in 1938 and joined his newly formed studio. One year later, he helped Bob co-create Batman and many of the characters and concepts that still populate the Dark Knight's mythos. Bill also co-created the Alan Scott version of Green Lantern with Martin Nodell.

Bob Kane

Full name: Robert Kahn / Occupations: Comic-book writer and artist / Born: October 24, 1915, in New York City, New York, USA / Died: November 3, 1998, in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 83) / Cause of death: Natural causes

From 1930 to 1934, Bob Kane was a student at DeWitt Clinton High School, where he honed his artistic skills by drawing humorous illustrations and gag strips for the school's newspaper, 'The Clinton News'. Following his graduation, he studied art at Cooper Union before joining the Max Fleischer Studio as a trainee animator. Two years later, Bob left Fleischer to work as a freelance cartoonist, soon establishing his own studio and submitting original material to a variety of publishers, including National Allied Publications. Eventually, National became DC Comics, but that was years after Bob co-created one of DC's most popular characters, Batman, along with many of his allies and enemies.

Will Eisner

Full name: William Erwin Eisner / Occupations: Cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur / Born: March 6, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, USA / Died: January 3, 2005, in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, USA (aged 87) / Cause of death: Complications from a quadruple bypass surgery

Will Eisner attended DeWitt Clinton High School between 1932 and 1936, and by all accounts, he was a highly active student who contributed art to the school's literary magazine, 'The Magpie', the school's yearbook, 'The Clintonian', and 'The Clinton News', while simultaneously designing physical stage sets for the school's theatre department. After leaving school early, Will spent a year studying at the Art Students League of New York, and through contacts he made there, gained a position at the 'New York American' newspaper as an advertising writer and cartoonist. In 1936, he was urged by one of his former schoolmates, Bob Kane, to sell his cartoons to the new publication, 'Wow, What A Magazine!', which led to more work and more recognition. Will then formed his own studio, created the popular comic-book character, The Spirit, and popularized the term graphic novel with the release of his 1978 masterpiece, 'A Contract with God'.

Stan Lee

Full name: Stanley Martin Lieber / Occupations: Comic-book writer, editor, and publisher / Born: December 28, 1922, in Manhattan, New York, USA / Died: November 12, 2018, in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 95) / Cause of death: Cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory failure and congestive heart failure

From 1936 to 1939, Stan Lee was a student at DeWitt Clinton High School, where he sharpened his early promotional instincts by serving as the official publicity director for 'The Magpie'. Following his studies, he landed a job as an assistant at Timely Comics, a new comic-book division established by Martin Goodman, who was married to one of Stan's cousins. By the early 1960s, Timely evolved into Marvel Comics, where Stan helped co-create many of their popular characters, such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, and Iron Man.

So, what do you think of that, folks? What do you think of this list of comic-book creators who all attended the same high school? Glad? (😁) Sad? (😭) Or somewhere in between? (🤷) Either way, to find out more about DeWitt Clinton High School, please feel free to click here to visit the official website.