| DC
Names Jerry Robinson "Creative Consultant"
At
age 85, Jerry Robinson isn't as well known to the general
public as Stan Lee, though his career in comics has been
just as long and probably a litte more varied. Among other
things, Robinson has worked as a comics historian, teacher,
syndicated newspaper writer, cartoonist and, of course,
comics artist.
Off
and on over the years, Robinson has also claimed to be the
creator of some of DC's most iconic characters. I guardedly
use that term "claimed," because the press release
below makes only tenuous connections to his credits.
You
see, back in 1940, Robinson got his start working on a feature
whose creator, Bob Kane, had a really nice contract that
gave him a lot of credit without having to do a lot of actual
work. Let others argue it out, but basically, Robinson and
the late writer Bill Finger seem to have lifted Batman out
of being a weird dark crusader into having a weird dark
hold on our imaginations.
In
a few months, The Joker will be appearing on big screens
once again, and back in 1940, the clown prince of crime
sprung out of Robinson's head. Or at least, that's how the
story once went. We'll never know for sure, and Robinson
has clearly given up trying to prove it in exchange for
some security from DC.
Sure,
you might detect a note of cynicism here, but it's leavened
with respect that DC has found a way to save face with a
creator, giving him relevance without having to give up
copyright just as one of his biggest creations will be back
in the public eye. Now if they could only have struck this
balance with the Siegels...
From
DC:
DC Comics,
the largest English-language publisher of comics in the
world, and home to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman announced
today that legendary Batman comic book artist Jerry Robinson,
a key contributor during the early years of the Batman comic
book series, will be a creative consultant for the company.
"It’s
an honor to have Jerry complete his journey from DC’s
bullpen to advising us on characters he was intimately involved
with, and the international world of comics he knows so
well," said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher.
“I am delighted to be affiliated with DC Comics,
my alma mater, as Creative Consultant,” said Jerry
Robinson. “I look forward to working with Paul Levitz,
whom I greatly admire, and the enormously talented DC editors,
artists and writers.”
Born on January 1, 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey, Robinson
was a student at Columbia University in New York when he
first began working for Batman creator Bob Kane in 1939.
Kane, along with writer Bill Finger, had just created Batman
for National Comics, the company that would eventually become
DC Comics. Robinson first began as a letterer and background
inker, eventually moving into the role of penciller and
primary inker for the early Batman strips.
In 1942, Robinson began a stint as the series’ main
artist, followed by other comic book legends, including
Dick Sprang. Robinson played a vital role in the early appearances
of legendary Batman characters, notably The Joker, Robin,
Alfred, and The Penguin, and executed many of the iconic
covers of the Golden Age of comic books.
After leaving the Batman line, Robinson continued working
in the comic book field, writing and drawing numerous features
for a variety of publishers. In 1961 he began a new career,
creating the political/social satire “still life”
and later “Life with Robinson,” syndicated daily
for 34 years. Another popular creation ”Flubs &
Fluffs” ran in the Sunday New York News for over two
decades.
Robinson’s
new role as creative consultant will reunite the legendary
creator with many of the characters he spent decades working
with, including the Batman.
Hey,
write to us and let us know what you think, or talk about
it on the forums!
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