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Ed Brubaker

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Ed Brubaker (born November 17,1966) is an American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. He is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Catwoman, Gotham Central, Sleeper and .

Contents

Professional History

Alternative and independent comics work

Brubaker first work in comics was as a cartoonist, writing and drawing the semi-autobiographical series Lowlife for Slave Labour Graphics and later Caliber Comics. At Caliber he briefly edited the anthology series Monkey Wrench. [link]

In 1991 he began to contribute to the Dark Horse Comics anthology series Dark Horse Presents, a comic he would continue to contribute to intermittedly throughout the decade. Among those contributions was the three part serial "An Accidental Death" (Dark Horse Presents #65-67) a collaboration with artist Eric Shanower which garnered the two a 1993 Eisner Award nomination.

In 1997 he began to publish his cartoonist work through the small press publisher Alternative Comics. In the one-off At the Seams a romantic triangle is explored through three stories which each depict a different participants point-of-view. [link] The comic was a 1997 Ignatz Award nominee for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection. His other work for Alternative Comics, the humourous and experimental Detour #1, was solicitated to be the first issue of a series, though only one issue was ever published. [link] Detour was nevertheless nominated for the "Best New Series" Eisner in 1997.

In 2001 Brubaker wrote The Fall, a graphic novel which was drawn by Berlin creator Jason Lutes and published by Drawn and Quarterly. The story involved a convenience store clerk who gets involved in a ten year old murder mystery after he uses a stolen credit card. In 2004 IDW Publishing announced that Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips would collaborate on a creator owned Pirate series titled Black Sails for them. [link] That series has not yet materialised and The Fall is the last independent comic book work by Brubaker to date.

DC Comics

Predating Brubaker's Alternative Comics work by two years, Vertigo Visions: Prez, Smells Like Teen President (1995) was Brubaker's first work for one of the two major American comic book publishers. Published by DC Comics "mature readers" imprint Vertigo, the comic was a broad political satire which revamped an obscure 1970s Joe Simon creation. Brubaker worked with his "An Accidental Death" collaborator, artist Eric Shanower, again on the comic.

Brubaker's next major work for Vertigo was the four issue limited series Scene of the Crime (1999), which marked his first collaboration with both Michael Lark and Sean Phillips, two artists who would frequently work with the writer in later years. A slacker detective story set in Los Angeles, the series was critically acclaimed and the first to gain Brubaker attention from Hollywood producers. [link]

In late 2000 Brubaker signed a one-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. [link] The contract was renewed in 2001. [link]. That same year the writer began to do his first mainstream "super-hero" work, on the series Batman. He would continue to work on various series starring the Batman character until late 2003.

Returning to Vertigo in 2000, Brubaker and artist Warren Pleece produced the science fiction series Deadenders. The series lasted 16 issues before being canceled in 2001. Staying with Vertigo in 2001, Brubaker wrote the four issue Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives, which was drawn by artist Bryan Talbot.

Also in 2001 (and back at DC Comics' main super-hero imprint), Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with the four issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" which ran in Detective Comics #759-762. In the serial private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman). The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Brubaker stayed on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until #37 (January, 2004).

At the 2001 San Diego Comic Convention Brubaker and Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis discussed co-writing a story which would team up DC's Batman with Marvel's Daredevil. The two writers were enthusiastic about their ideas, which included a fight between Batman and Marvel villain Bullseye as well as another between Catwoman and Elektra. DC editors Matt Idelson and Bob Schreck were also enthusiastic but DC executive editor Paul Levitz objected to the project due to a prior disagreement with Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada. [link] The aborted project became controversial when Bendis publicly criticised Levitz's decision at the 2002 comic convention (Bendis later apologised for his comments, saying that he regretted ever discussing the project in public). [link]

In early 2003, Brubaker and writer Greg Rucka created and co-wrote the Gotham Central series. Focusing on the activities of the Police Department in Batman's Gotham City, the two writers either co-wrote storylines or wrote alternate arcs separately throughout the series, which featured artwork from Brubaker's Scene of the Crime collaborator Michael Lark. The title was canceled in 2006 shortly after Brubaker's last issue. 

Wildstorm

In 2002 Brubaker did his first work for Wildstorm, (another DC imprint), with the series Point Blank which featured the artwork of British artist Colin Wilson. The series took existing concepts from the Wilsdstorm universe, such as Grifter (the star of the series), John Lynch and Tao and used them to set up his  Sleeper series which debuted later that year.


A collaboration between artist Sean Phillips and Brubaker, Sleeper, featured a secret agent protagonist ("Holden Carver") who goes undercover in a supervillain's powerful organisation, only to have the only contact he has in law enforcement fall in to a coma. With the authorities believing him a dangerous criminal, Carver is caught between the two warring sides with unclear allegiances. 


In December 2003, in a unique publicity stunt conceived to help promote the first trade paperback collection of Sleeper, Brubaker organised an "arm-wrestling competition" at San Francisco's "Isotope - the comic book lounge" comic book shop. If participants were able to beat Brubaker at arm wrestling they were awarded free signed comic books. According to Brubaker, the writer wrestled 40-50 people and won most of the fights, losing only eight or nine times. [link]


Although Sleeper was a success with critics and fans on the internet, the series underperformed commercially, and so it was canceled after its 12th issue, only to be relaunched in 2004 with the same creators as Sleeper: Season Two.  [link] Season Two also ended with its twelfth issue, the story apparently concluded.


Brubaker's other work for Wildstorm during this period was the third volume of The Authority. Brubaker first tackled the characters with artist Jim Lee on the one issue special Coup D'Etat: Sleeper which showed how a series of events led the Authority (a powerful team of super-humans) to take over the world. Later that year and throughout 2005 Brubaker and artist Dustin Nguyen produced the 12 issue The Authority: Revolution which explored the ramifications of the team's actions.



Marvel Comics

In late 2004 Brubaker, no longer exclusive to DC, began to work for their main competitor Marvel Comics. His first major work for the publisher was the fifth relaunch of the Captain America series. Paired with artist Steve Epting, Brubaker's Captain America introduced new villains and resurrected the long dead character Bucky as the cyborg assassin "The Winter Soldier". The series was a sales and critical success from its first issue.


In February of 2005 Brubaker signed his first exclusive contract with Marvel, the deal allowing the writer to finish out his prior commitments for DC on Gotham Central and Sleeper. [link] In an interview with Newsarama Brubaker attributed his shift of employer to the publishers' good treatment of him, the quality and high profile of the work Marvel was offering him and his lack of involvement in DC's "big plans" (DC's large intercompany crossover Infinite Crisis was in the final planning stages at the time). [link] Brubaker's Marvel exclusive contract was extended and expanded in April 2006. [link]    


In early 2006 Brubaker wrote two limited series for Marvel. Books of Doom (artist: Pablo Raimondi) retold and expanded on the origin of Doctor Doom and  (artist: Trevor Hairsine) uncovered new information about the origins of the "All New, All-Different X-Men" who first debuted in 1975. [link], [link]


Also that year Brubaker won the assignment of writing Daredevil, beating out several other applicants. [link] Once again teamed with artist Michael Lark, Brubaker followed Brian Michael Bendis' acclaimed stint on the title, exploring the ramifications of the characters imprisonment which occurred at the close of Bendis' run. 

He is scheduled to become the regular writer of Uncanny X-Men, on which he will work with artist Billy Tan, in mid-2006. [link]

In has also been announced that in late 2006 Brubaker and Sean Phillips will produce a new creator-owned crime comic, Criminal, which will be published by Marvel's Icon Comics imprint. [link]



Writing style

Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as A Complete Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime. His initial super-hero comics work tended to incorporate some aspects of the crime genre - examples of this include Batman (detective stories), Catwoman (whose star is a cat burglar) and Sleeper (which featured a protagonist who goes undercover as a super-powered criminal). 


This has continued with his work at Marvel Comics, such as Daredevil (which has been largely set in a prison) and Criminal. However he has also worked on more mainstream super-hero series for Marvel, such as Captain America (which features elements of the espionage genre of fiction) and Uncanny X-Men.


When working on licenced characters with extensive established histories at both Marvel and DC Brubaker has sometimes changed aspects of those characters' backstories. Examples of this include the return of Holly in Catwoman, the return of Bucky in Captain America, and the introduction of the character Vulcan in X-Men: Deadly Genesis. Brubaker has defended himself against criticism of this aspect of his work by stating that the emergence of an unrevealed "secret from the past" is "one of the main tropes of all mystery and suspense fiction, as well as one of the oldest stories in the world - just look at Oedipus, for example". [link]



Nominations and Awards


Nominations



Awards



Bibliography


Comic Books



Collected Editions


  1. 7-12, ISBN 1401209475)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Vol. 1 (collects Captain America (Vol. 5) #1-7, ISBN 0785116516)
  • Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street (collects "Trail of the Catwoman" from Detective Comics # and Catwoman Vol. 4 #1-4, ISBN 1563899086)
  • Catwoman: Crooked Little Town (collects Catwoman Vol. 4 #5-10 and material from Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1, ISBN 1401200087)
  • Catwoman: Relentless (collects Catwoman Vol. 4 #12-16 and material from Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1, ISBN 1401202187)
  • Catwoman: Wild Ride (collects Catwoman Vol. 4 #20-24, ISBN 1401204368)
  • Deadenders: Stealing the Sun (collects Deadenders #1-4, ISBN 1563897067)
  • Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty (collects Gotham Central #1-6, ISBN 1401201997)
  • Scene of the Crime: A Little Piece of Goodnight (collects Scene of the Crime #1-4, ISBN 1563896702)
  • Sleeper: Point Blank (collects Point Blank #1-6, ISBN 1401201164)
  • Sleeper: Out in the Cold (collects Sleeper #1-6, ISBN 1401201156)
  • Sleeper: All False Moves (collects Sleeper #1-6, ISBN 1401202888)
  • Sleeper: A Crooked Line (collects Sleeper: Season Two #1-6, 2005, ISBN 1401206182)
  • Sleeper: The Long Way Home (collects Sleeper: Season Two #7-12, ISBN 1401206271)
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