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 Norm
Breyfogle, the Batman artist for a generation of comic-book fans who grew up
reading the adventures of the Dark Knight in the late 1980s and early ’90s, died
Monday (092418) in Houghton Michigan
Born Norman Keith Breyfogle on February 27, 1960 in Iowa City Iowa, at the age
of twelve his parents realized he had the drive and talent for art and they
enrolled him in private art lessons from commercial artist Andrew Benson. The
lessons led to his winning an award at a local art show and being profiled in
the local paper “The Daily Mining Gazette” in 1976 as "Norm Breyfogle: Near
Master Cartoonist at 16".
While in high school he submitted a re-design for Robin's costume, which was
published in 1977’s Batman Family #13. After High School he attended Northern
Michigan University, studying painting and illustration while working as an
illustrator for a local magazine and a graphics company. In 1980, he illustrated
a book titled Bunyan: Lore’s Loggin’ Hero, published by Book Concern.
He moved to California in 1982 where he worked as a draftsman and later as a
technical illustrator designing on various projects including a Space Shuttle
training manual. His first published work was in 1984 for DC Comics’ New Talent
Showcase which eventually lead to assignments in 1986 on American Flagg for
First Comics, as well as a Captain America story in Marvel Fanfare. His first
monthly series was on Whisper for First Comics.
In 1987 he was recruited by DC Comics to revive the Detective Comics brand. Most
of his six years with the character were split between Detective Comics and
Batman. His tenure as artist brought a darker, gothic tone, a suspenseful style
made the Batman titles stand out again and succeeded in reviving the brand. His
moody atmospherics made as large a mark on the Batman Universe as Neal Adams
dynamic realism did a generation before. Many have seen Norm’s tenure on the
book as an artistic passing of the torch from the Adams/Aparo years to today’s
generation of creators.
Beyond his style he also made important contributions to the Bat-mythos at this
time. He co-created The Ventriloquist and Scarface with Alan Grant in their
first story together. He was the first artist to draw Tim Drake, the third Robin
the Boy Wonder, in his brand-new and still-popular revamped ’90s suit, in the
final panel of “Batman” No. 457. He also drew the Robin title and then launched
Batman: Shadow of the Bat in 1992 with Grant, creating three more characters:
Jeremiah Arkham, Mr. Zsasz, and Amygdala. He also drew the now classic tales
Batman: Holy Terror (the first of DC’s “Elseworlds” labeled book) and Batman:
Birth of the Demon, the story that would establish Bruce Wayne’s son Damien
Wayne in the Batman Universe.
His impact and legacy was cemented in 1989 when Batman fever struck again with
Tim Burton’s “Batman”. As movie goers returned to the character they were
greeted with Breyfogle’s instantly recognizable art that welcomed new fans who
were looking to start reading the comics. There were many visual similarities
between Burton’s movie and what Norn had been doing in the comic for the
preceding few years.
He would stay on Batman for six years before moving on to become one of the
co-founders of Malibu Comics, where he provided art for the Prime series. In
1994, Breyfogle penned and illustrated his own creator-owned series Metaphysique,
a series that mixed eclectic themes like the mystical, virtual reality and the
superhero genre into a tale about six people who unwittingly become involved in
a mad scientist’s plan to become a god.
After another stint with DC Comics, he would find other work illustrating
children’s books, working in advertising, writing his own prose and poetry, and
working for smaller publishers with Of Bitter Souls and The Danger’s Dozen,
before writing for Archie Comics.
He suffered a stroke in 2014and was never able to work professionally again.
There were a number of fundraising appeals to help pay for his care. Fans
quickly donated around $89,000 to help cover his $200,000 in medical bills, and
DC, Marvel, and the Hero Initiative also reached out to offer aid. His appeal
also prompted DC Comics to reprint his earlier Batman work as “Legends of the
Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle” hardcover volumes, the second of which is due to be
published in November. A social activist for many causes, his affliction
highlighted the fact that many creative legends in the comic industry are
freelancers who don’t have access to health insurance.
The details of his passing are being kept private by the family. Norm Breyfogle
is survived by his brother Keith.
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