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person1939-2011

Jerry Robinson

Disciplines:
comics
illustration

Summary

Jerry Robinson was an American comic book artist who drew The Joker for DC Comics' Batman #1 in 1940.

Core Contribution

Robinson's Joker -- visually derived from Conrad Veidt's rictus grin in The Man Who Laughs -- established the template that Heath Ledger's performance updates.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • The grin as weapon (Robinson understood that a smile without the social content that smiles convey is the most unsettling human expression)

Notable Works & Achievements

Batman #1

Historical Influences

Conrad Veidt Bob Kane

Intellectual Lineage

American comic book tradition

Contemporaries & Peers

Bill Finger Bob Kane

Minds Influenced

Heath Ledger's JokerJoaquin Phoenix's Joker

Intellectual Posterity

The Joker visual archetype

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