Beloved comic book artist Norm Breyfogle passed away on Monday September 24th, 2018.
For many, Norm Breyfogle’s designs and artistry defined the quintessential Batman. His Batman, in a post-Frank Miller ‘TDK’ world, was THE Batman. It was a look and feel appropriate for the uncertain times the world found itself in at the end of the Cold War and it was a style that paired perfectly with the writing of his frequent creative partner Alan Grant. Breyfogle began his storied run on the Dark Knight with ‘Detective Comics‘ in 1987, later moving over to ‘Batman‘ and then ultimately, in 1992, launching the brand new title ‘Batman: Shadow Of The Bat“.
It was Norm Breyfogle who gave us our first looks at Tim Drake as a new Robin. During this storied run he helped to created Jeremiah, Victor Zsasz, Anarky, Amygdala and others. He was a vital part of the creative team that put together one of the most famous and iconic story lines, a story line that helped define the comic book hobby of the 1990s: Knightfall.
But his 30+ year career was not all about Batman. Some of his earliest work was for First Comics on ‘Whisper‘; in fact ‘Whisper’ was Breyfogle’s first monthly comic book title. Shortly after departing Batman and D.C. Comics, Breyfogle headed over to Malibu Comics. It was at Malibu Comics that he paired up with Gerard Jones and Len Strazewski to create ‘Prime‘, arguably one of the most famous and well-known of the Malibu characters. Jones and Strazewski plotted the story lines and direction of the book but Breyfogle defined the title visually, making it truly unique and unlike much else on comic book shelves at the time. A few years later, Marvel Comics bought Malibu Comics and in 2002 announced that they’d partnered with Universal Studios to create two movies: Namor The Submariner and Prime.
In 2014, Norm Breyfogle suffered a stroke which paralyzed half of his body. “I experienced a Thalamic stroke on December 16, 2014. It effectively wiped out my drawing ability. I’m now going to concentrate most on my writing and on trying to train my right hand to draw (i’ve been left-handed all my life).” He said at the time, via his Facebook page. An outpouring of support from his legion of fans and from the Hero Initiative helped him raise thousands of dollars to cover medical expenses. It is said he was currently working on a novel.
Then, on September 24th, 2018, Norm passed away. His cause of death has not been made public at the time of this writing. Norm’s passing is truly a great loss not only for his family and peers but also for those who knew and loved his work throughout the past three decades.
Rest in peace, Mr. Breyfogle, you will truly be missed.
