by Mike Winder
He created a better class of criminal: Jerry Robinson at the Skirball
March 3, 2009 at 9:00 am in Art, Uncategorized
To complement its current exhibition ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950, this Thursday the Skirball is presenting a lecture by the co-creator of Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker, comic book artist and ZAP! POW! BAM! exhibition curator Jerry Robinson.
Look up “comic book villain” in the dictionary (or Wikipedia, you kids) and you’ll probably find an illustration of the Joker. Since debuting in 1940, the homicidal clown with the mysterious past has been drawn by countless artists and interpreted by actors ranging from Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson, to Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger.
Though the amount of ownership is debatable, it’s generally accepted that the character of the Joker was co-created by three individuals: artist/writer and Batman creator Bob Kane, writer Bill Finger and artist Jerry Robinson.
As a bonus, the lecture will be moderated by writer Mark Evanier, who began his career as an assistant to Jack “King of Comics” Kirby, the man who co-created this author’s favorite comic book villain.
No offense, Jerry!
Image: Detective Comics #71, cover art; Artist: Jerry Robinson;
© 1942 DC Comics; Batman, Robin, and The Joker ™ and © DC Comics;
All rights reserved; Used with permission; Collection of Jerry Robinson.
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