Batman: The Animated Series Writer Martin Pasko Dead at 65

Martin Pasko, famed comic book and television writer for Batman: The Animated Series, has passed away. In a Facebook post from long-time friend Alan Brennert, it’s said Pasko passed away Sunday night at the age of 65 due to natural causes. Pasko worked on both Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in the 1990s, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on the former. The writer got his start in writing for DC Comics’ Superman titles in the early 1970s. At the time, he was in his early 20s.

Former DC Comics boss Paul Levitz confirmed the news in a separate Facebook post, a heartfelt tribute to the comics and television writer. “The odds are you’ve read his work, credited or not, or enjoyed a comic or cartoon or tv show or even a theme park event he made better, even as he relentlessly complained about the difficulties of making it as good as it ‘should’ be,” Levitz writes. “Marty didn’t have a genius for making anything easy (especially for him), but he had a real genius for making creative magic.Go read one of his stories or watch one of his shows, and raise a glass to a writer who always gave you his all.”

Pasko’s comics resume includes work on Superman, Superman Family, Justice League of America, Wonder Woman, and Saga of the Swamp Thing. His comics career extended into the next decade as the writer began being staffed on more and more television shows. His television credits — either as a television writer or story editor — include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, The Twilight Zone, and Max Headroom — all in addition to his stint on the Batman animated properties.

The writer spent some time helping the Warner Brothers group develop live-action series, including Smallville and Birds of Prey.

“He was also a kind, generous friend who, among other things, helped me get through one of the worst periods of my life, when I’d lost someone who was very dear to me,” Brennert writes in his Facebook tribute. “And now it is Marty himself whom I have lost, and it is difficult to find the words to express my grief. All I can think to say to him is: Thank you for writing that first letter to me and becoming part of my life. Thank you for being there when I needed you; I tried to be there when you needed me. Goodbye, Marty; goodbye, my brother. I will love you, and miss you, always.”