Franklin Robbins (September 9, 1917 – November 28, 1994) was an American
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
and
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
, where one of his paintings was featured in the 1955 Whitney Annual Exhibition of
American Painting
Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial arc ...
.
Early life
Born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Robbins was in his teens when he received a Rockefeller grant and scholarships to the
Boston Museum and the
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
in New York.
Career
Robbins' early career included work as an assistant to
Edward Trumbull
Edward Trumbull (1884 1968) was an American painter known primarily as a muralist.
Biography
Edward Trumbull was born in Michigan and raised in Stonington, Connecticut. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City.
He next worked in ...
on his NBC building murals, and creating promotional materials for
RKO Pictures
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...
.
Comic strips
In 1939, the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
hired Robbins to take over the aviation strip ''
Scorchy Smith'' which he drew until 1944. Robbins created his ''
Johnny Hazard'' strip in 1944 and worked on it for more than three decades until it ended in 1977. Robbins' ''Johnny Hazard'' comic book was published by
Standard Comics
Standard Comics was a comic book imprint of American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and paperback books (under the Popular Library name). Standard in t ...
from August 1948 to May 1949. The Sunday strips were reprinted in a full-color volume published by the Pacific Comics Club. Other reprints were published by Pioneer Comics and
Dragon Lady Press
Dragon Lady Press was the publishing wing of the Toronto-based comic book store Dragon Lady Comics, operating from 1985 to 1988. The company was known for its reprints of classic newspaper comic strips in various forms.George Kovacs & C. W. Marsh ...
.
Comic books
In 1968, Robbins began working as a writer for
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. His first story for that publisher appeared in ''
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October 1 ...
'' #83 (May 1968). He became the writer of ''
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
'' as of issue #149 (July 1968) and began writing ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' and ''
Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...
'' the following month.
Robbins and artist
Irv Novick
Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s.
Career
A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harry " ...
crafted the story which revealed the last name of
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
's butler
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman.
Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tireless butler, ...
in ''Batman'' #216 (Nov. 1969). It was later revealed that Robbins had simply used the name created by former DC editor
Whitney Ellsworth for the Batman syndicated comic strip. The Robbins and Novick team was instrumental in returning
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
to the character's gothic roots as in the story "One Bullet Too Many".
Working with editor
Julius Schwartz
Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...
and artists
Neal Adams
Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Sup ...
and
Irv Novick
Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s.
Career
A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harry " ...
, he would revitalize the character with a series of noteworthy stories reestablishing Batman's dark, brooding nature. He introduced
Jason Bard
Jason Bard is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #392, which was published in 1969. He appeared in several back-up stories throughout the 1970s and 1980s in ''Detective Comics''..
Fictional charact ...
as a supporting character in ''Detective Comics'' #392 (Oct. 1969) and later wrote a series of backup stories featuring the character.
Man-Bat
Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...
was co-created by Robbins and Neal Adams in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970). Robbins and Novick created the
Ten-Eyed Man
The Ten-Eyed Man is a fictional character in DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Batman'' #226 (Nov. 1970) and was created by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano.
Fictional character biography Pre-''Crisis''
Philip Reardon served as a sold ...
in ''Batman'' #226 (Nov. 1970) and the
Spook
Spook is a synonym for ghost. Spook or spooks may also refer to:
People
* Spook (nickname), shared by several notable people
* Per Spook (born 1939), Norwegian fashion designer
* a ghostwriter
* a racial slur referring to a black person
* an unde ...
in ''Detective Comics'' #434 (April 1973). Robbins helped launch the ''
Plop!
''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976.
Bac ...
'' title and briefly drew DC's
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
version of ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' before moving to
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. There he launched the ''
Invaders'' series with writer
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
in 1975 and co-created the characters
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
,
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
, and the Kid Commandos. Other Marvel work included ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' and ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' as well as the licensed characters ''
Human Fly'' and ''
Man from Atlantis
''Man from Atlantis'' is a short-lived American science fiction/fantasy television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–78 season, following four television films that had aired earlier in 1977. Ratings success by ...
''. His final new comics work was published in the black-and-white magazine ''
The Tomb of Dracula
''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...
'' vol. 2 #2 (Dec. 1979).
Later life and death
Robbins moved to
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city lies from Mexico City, 86 km (53 mi) from Queré ...
, Mexico, and spent his final years focusing on painting. He died of a heart attack on November 28, 1994.
Legacy
The Frank Robbins collection at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
has 1,090 original ''Johnny Hazard'' strips, consisting of 934 daily strips and 156 Sunday strips.
Comic creators who cite his influence include
Chris Samnee
Chris Samnee is an American comic book artist. He received the 2011 Harvey Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his work on the '' Thor: The Mighty Avenger'', and won a 2013 Eisner Award for Best Penciller/Inker for his work on '' The Rocketeer: ...
.
["Chris Samnee: The Devil is in the Details, Part 1"]
Toucan Blog. May 31, 2013.
Bibliography
Interior pencil work (except where noted) includes:
DC Comics
* ''
Atom
Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons.
Every solid, liquid, gas, and ...
'' #38 (writer) (1968)
* ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' #204–207, 209–212, 214–217, 219–222, 226, 230–231, 236, 246, 249–250, 252, 254 (writer) (1968–1974)
* ''
Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...
'' #378–383, 386, 388–436 (writer); #416, 420–421, 426, 429, 435 (writer/artist) (1968–1973)
* ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' #180–181, 183–185 (writer) (1968–1969)
* ''
G.I. Combat
''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived.
Publication history
The focu ...
'' #170 (writer) (1974)
* ''
House of Mystery
''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series.
First serie ...
'' #224, 226, 228, 233, 241–242, 252 (1974–1977)
* ''
House of Secrets'' #125 (1974)
* ''
Plop!
''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976.
Bac ...
'' #1 (writer); #4, 17 (1973–1975)
* ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' #5, 7–9 (1974–1975)
* ''
Sinister House of Secret Love'' #3 (writer) (1972)
* ''
Star Spangled War Stories'' #172–182 (
Unknown Soldier) (writer) (1973–1974)
* ''Strange Sports Stories'' #1–3, 5 (writer) (1973–1974)
* ''
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
'' #149–155, 157–164, 166–172, 181 (writer) (1968–1972)
* ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' #208, 211 (writer) (1968)
* ''
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October 1 ...
'' #83 (writer) (1968)
* ''
Weird Mystery Tales
''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975.
Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular
The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for '' DC 100 Page S ...
'' #16 (1975)
* ''
Weird War Tales
''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983.
Publication history
The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...
'' #21, 27, 35–36 (1974–1975)
Marvel Comics
* ''
Adventure into Fear
''Adventure into Fear'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues. This is its trademarked cover title for all but its first nine issues, though the ser ...
'' #25–28, 31 (1974–1975)
* ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' #182–183, 185–187, 189–192 (1975)
* ''
Daredevil'' #155 (1978)
* ''
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
'' #12, 17–19 (1975–1976)
* ''
Human Fly'' #5–6, 8–9, 13–14 (1978)
* ''
Invaders'' #1–4, 6–9, 11–15, 17–23, 25–28, ''Annual'' #1, ''Giant-Size'' #1 (1975–1978)
* ''
Man from Atlantis
''Man from Atlantis'' is a short-lived American science fiction/fantasy television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–78 season, following four television films that had aired earlier in 1977. Ratings success by ...
'' #1–7 (1978)
* ''Marvel Chillers'' #4 (
Tigra
Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as the superpowered and gadget-wielding crime fighter the Cat in ''The Claws of the Cat'' #1 (November 1972). The ...
) (1976)
* ''
Marvel Premiere
''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own seri ...
'' #28 (
Legion of Monsters
Legion of Monsters is the name of different fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The Legion of Monsters first appeared in Marvel Comics chronology in ''Marvel Premiere'' #28 ( ...
) (1976)
* ''
Power Man'' #32–34 (1976)
* ''
The Tomb of Dracula
''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...
'' vol. 2 #2 (1979)
* ''
Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction
''Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction'' was a 1970s American black-and-white, science fiction comics magazine published by Marvel Comics' parent company, Magazine Management.
The anthology title featured original stories and literary adaptations ...
'' #2 (1975)
* ''
What If...?'' #4 (1977)
Standard Comics
* ''
Johnny Hazard'' #5–8 (1948–1949)
References
External links
* Bautista, Arvin (October 30, 2005
"Frank Robbins"at The Neverending Battle
* Doree, Pete (October 22, 2009
at The Bronze Age of Blogs
* Weems, Erik (2010
at Art & Artifice
Frank Robbinsat Mike's Amazing World of Comics
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comic Creators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Frank
1917 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American artists
American comic strip cartoonists
American comics writers
American expatriates in Mexico
DC Comics people
Golden Age comics creators
Marvel Comics people
Silver Age comics creators