On December 7, 2011 Jerry Robison, a driving force in the world of DC Comics passed away at the age of 89.

Jerry Robison entering the world of comics at the age of 17 when he became a comic book background inker and letter in 1939 with the help of Bob Kane, the creator of Batman.  By 1940 Jerry Robison was the primary inker of the increasingly popular Batman comic, and he later worked with other influential comic book creators including the creators of Superman.  During his first two years working on Batman Jerry Robison played a key role in the development of Robin, Batman’s sidekick, and infamous comic book villain the Joker.  In later years Jerry Robison also helped with the creation of the Batman villain Two-Face and Alfred Pennyworth, the butler of Bruce Wayne.

Eventually, in 1943, Jerry Robison began doing the full penciling for Batman when Batman’s creator Bob Kane took a break from the Batman comic in order to spend time working on the Batman newspaper comic strips.  After being given a more active role in the Batman comic book, Jerry Robison continued to gain industry recognition through his work on other newspaper comics.

In recent years Jerry Robison created a manga series, Astra that was released in 1999 and became a popular trade paperback and comic book miniseries after its release in English.  In 2007 DC Comics hired Jerry Robison as a creative consultant, and he attended many events including Comic-Con.  During his life Jerry Robison served as president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the National Cartoonists Society.   In 2004 Robison was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame and, in the year of his passing, Jerry Robison received the Sparky Award from the Cartoon Art Museum for lifetime achievement during the 2011 Comic-Con in San Diego California.

Jerry Robison’s contributions to the world of comics will never be forgotten, and he will be greatly missed.