When he was 17 years old, Jerry Robinson literally got tapped on the shoulder by Batman creator Bob Kane, who asked the skinny, self-taught artist if he wanted to draw comic books. Robinson had caught Kane's attention at a tennis camp in upstate New York by wearing a white jacket covered with his wigged-out illustrations.

Soon thereafter, Robinson drew the cover for Batman No. 1 and became a key contributor to the Dark Knight's narrative DNA.

During his brief but prolific sprint through the DC Comics universe, the New Jersey native visualized sidekick Robin along with uber-villains like the Penguin, the Scarecrow and Two-Face. As chronicled in N.C. Christopher Couch's new book, Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics, the artist's crowning achievement came on a cold winter night in 1939, when he first sketched out The Joker after riffling through a deck of cards. See more of Robinson's striking comic book art in the gallery above.

Above:

Joker Sketch

Robinson reluctantly handed off the first Joker story to writer Bill Finger, who initially killed off the antic evil-doer. Editor Whitney Ellsworth decided the Joker should live, and the rest is supervillain history.