ComicLink’s Fall Featured Auction beginning on November 21, 2024, has added Jerry Robinson’s Batman & Robin vs. the Joker page from Detective Comics #76.
“This is the first Robinson Joker page we’ve ever seen where the acclaimed co-creator of the Clown Prince of Crime provided both pencils and inks! This is prime era Robinson as Detective Comics #76 is well known to Golden Age Batman collectors for featuring one of the most classic of the beloved Robinson Joker covers,” ComicLink founder and Managing Director said.
The interior page is from the story that inspired that cover, “Slay ‘Em With Flowers.” On the page, the Joker, Batman, and Robin all appear in action in multiple panels, including the third panel where Batman slugs the Joker. There’s also a great image of the Joker holding a gun as well as a stellar Joker close-up.
Robinson aided in the creation of some of Batman’s most important supporting characters. He was a journalism student at Columbia University when he met Bob Kane in 1939, and began working with Kane and Bill Finger, specifically on backgrounds and lettering. Soon, Robinson became the main inker for Batman, working alongside George Roussos who inked the backgrounds.
With Batman gaining popularity, Kane and Finger started discussing the need to give Batman a sidekick. As they envisioned a boy with a tragic past like Batman, Robinson drew inspiration from N.C. Wyeth’s artwork of Robin Hood, and Robin was introduced in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940).
During that period, he collaborated with Kane and Finger to create the Joker, helping to cultivate the supervillain’s look for his introduction in Batman #1 (spring 1940). Though the three creators have given different accounts of the Joker’s creation, Robinson is widely acknowledged for his contribution. Robinson also contributed to the creation of Alfred Pennyworth, Thomas Wayne, and Two-Face. The artist went on to be a very successful political cartoonist and a prominent figure in the industry.
Robinson was one of only a handful of artists working in the Golden Age era who had the foresight to preserve some of his own original art, which is why there are still a small number of his early Batman pages around over 80 years after their production.
ComicLink and its partner firm CertifiedLink are both accepting consignments for valuable comic books and related art for upcoming auctions. The next ComicLink Focused Auction launches soon on October 11, followed by the above mentioned Fall Featured Auction. These are the final two ComicLink auctions of 2024.
Those interested in consigning can email a prospective auction list to buysell@comiclink.com or call (617) 517-0062 (option 1). Upfront cash advances are being offered upon receipt. In addition to auctioning items for consignors, ComicLink is also always accepting new sellers for the ComicLink exchange marketplaces, brokering private placement deals, and buying outright.
In addition to comic books and original art, ComicLink’s partner firm CertifiedLink is seeking other categories of certified and authenticated collectibles including sports and non-sports trading cards, video games, action figures, VHS tapes, coins, and sports, historical, and entertainment memorabilia. The next CertifiedLink Auction will launch soon on October 11. CertifiedLink can be reached by emailing buysell@certifiedlink.com with details or a prospective auction list or by calling (617) 517-0072.
