Jerry Robinson, the legendary comic book artist who is credited with creating Batman’s archenemy The Joker, passed away in his sleep on Wednesday night. He was 89.
Discovered by Batman creator Bob Kane in 1939, Robinson was a 17 year old journalism student at Columbia University when Kane hired him to work on his Batman book as an inker and letterer.
Bob Kane later claimed that he and writer Bill Finger came up with the idea for The Joker, however, most historians credit Jerry Robinson with the creation of the character. Robinson was also influential in the creation or Robin the Boy Wonder, Alfred the butler, and Two-Face.