Robert Kanigher spent five decades working in the comics industry as a writer and editor. He was known for his time writing Wonder Woman, his work on DC’s war titles, for co-creating the second Flash/Barry Allen, and much more.

He was born in New York City on June 18, 1915, and started working at age 12 to help support his family. Kanigher’s writing career started with short stories and poetry that was published in magazines, then in the late 1930s and into the ‘40s, he wrote scripts for radio and films, and penned plays. His earliest comic work was in Blue Beetle at Fox Feature Syndicate, Captain Marvel Adventures at Fawcett, and The Web at Archie Comics.

He started writing for All-American Comics in 1945, handling the Hawkman stories in Flash Comics, the Justice Society of America tales in All Star Comics, and he wrote Green Lantern. He was soon promoted to editor on Wonder Woman, then became the title’s full time writer in ’48, after William Moulton Marston died. For over 20 years, Kanigher edited and wrote for Wonder Woman, co-creating Black Canary, Rose and Thorn, and Harlequin.

In the early 1950s, Kanigher started editing and writing DC’s war titles like Our Army at War and G.I. Combat, co-creating Sgt. Rock with Joe Kubert. In ’56, Kanigher and Carmine Infantino led DC’s attempt at reviving their superhero line by creating Barry Allen, the second Flash, in Showcase #4. That book is considered by many as the beginning of the Silver Age of comics

Kanigher and Russ Andru co-created the original Suicide Squad in The Brave and the Bold #25 and the Metal Men in Showcase #37. He created features like Enemy Ace, The Losers, and The Unknown Soldier, co-created the “Haunted Tank” feature, and co-created Poison Ivy, Viking Prince, and Balloon Buster.

During the Bronze Age, Kanigher and Andru co-created the “Rose & the Thorn” backup feature in Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #105. He introduced Rima the Jungle Girl, co-created Ragman with Joe Kubert, and in the early 1980s, and he worked on the Creature Commandos stories in Weird War Tales.

Kanigher was named in DC’s Fifty Who Made DC Great publication in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary. In 2014 he was posthumously give the Bill Finger Award, and in 2024, he was recognized in the Overstreet Hall of Fame.