Joker Creator Jerry Robinson Dead at 89

Comic book artist Jerry Robinson, credited as the creator of The Joker, died on Wednesday in Staten Island at the age of 89, The New York Times reports.

It’s long been contested whether Robinson or Batman co-writer Bill Finger were responsible for conjuring up The Clown Prince of Crime—in fact Batman creator Bob Kane contends that he and Finger were responsible for the character and that Robinson had little or nothing to do with it. However, comic book historians argue otherwise.

Robinson is also credited with helping create Batman’s sidekick Robin and the dichotomy-obsessed baddie Two-Face.

Although this is a sad day for comic book fans, it’s also a chance to honor the fact that Robinson brought to life the perfect foil to The Dark Knight, and introduced the world to a character that has thrived in every medium from comic books to animation to live-action feature films to video games. In fact, I’d say The Joker ranks right up there with Darth Vader among the best villains of all time.

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