E&P interview with Joker creator

Editor & Publisher has a new interview with Jerry Robinson, the man who created The Joker for Batman comics in 1939.

How does Ledger’s portrayal of the supervillain compare with Jack Nicholson’s hammy turn in the 1989 “Batman” film? “They’re really different,” replied Robinson, who has also had a long career in newspaper cartooning and syndication. “Nicholson made him kind of a mad terrorist. It wasn’t exactly the most interesting view of him. It was more of a satirical, TV take on the Joker — though it was a great performance.”

Robinson said the way “The Dark Knight” and Ledger portray the Joker is closer to the way the character was conceived nearly 70 years ago. Back then, Robinson was a teenage Columbia University journalism student working on comic books with “Batman” co-creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger. (The name of Batman sidekick Robin was inspired by Robin Hood, not Jerry’s last name.)

Read the full interview at EditorandPublisher.com.