Brubaker was the child of aNavy intelligence officer, and spent much of his childhood inGuantánamo Bay, Cuba. From childhood he read comics that includedCaptain America and his sidekickBucky Barnes, which were seminal in the storyline he would one day write when creating theWinter Soldier. Describing his affinity for Captain America's sidekick thus, he has stated, "I was a Navy brat, and he was anArmy brat." As Bucky had been killed off before Brubaker began reading comics, he assumed that the character had met his demise in an elaborate, dramatic story, only to find that he had been unceremoniously killed in a single page ofThe Avengers #4, which Brubaker saw as an injustice, commenting, "I was a 9-year-old kid, and I was horrified."[2] His uncle was screenwriterJohn Paxton.[3]
Brubaker began his career in comics as acartoonist, writing and drawingPajama Chronicles forBlackthorne Publishing,Purgatory U.S.A. forSlave Labor Graphics and several short stories for varioussmall-pressanthologies. His most well-known work of the period isLowlife, a semi-autobiographical series first published byCaliber and later moved toAeon Press. For Caliber, Brubaker also co-edited an anthology publication titledMonkey Wrench.[4]
In 1991, Brubaker wrote one of his earliestcrime stories for theDark Horse anthology seriesDark Horse Presents, which he would continue to contribute to intermittently throughout the decade. Among those contributions were the three-part serial "An Accidental Death", a collaboration between Brubaker and artistEric Shanower which garnered the two anEisner Award nomination in 1993,[5] aGodzilla short story and another tale under the "Lowlife" title, this time a romantic triangle explored through three stories with each depicting a different participant's point-of-view.[6] The latter story was collected byAlternative Comics into a standalone publication titledAt the Seams, which in turn was nominated for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection at the 1997Ignatz Awards. His other work for Alternative Comics, the humorous and experimentalDetour #1, was to be the first issue of a series, though only one issue was published.[7]Detour was nominated for the "Best New Series" Harvey Award in 1998.[8]
Brubaker's last work forDark Horse Presents was "The Fall", a five-part story illustrated byBerlin creatorJason Lutes about a convenience store clerk who gets involved in a ten-year-old murder mystery after he uses a stolen credit card. In 2001, all five parts were collected into a one-shot by Canadian publisherDrawn & Quarterly. In 2004,IDW Publishing announced the firstcreator-owned project by Brubaker and artistSean Phillips, a pirate-themed series titledBlack Sails.[9][10] The creators eventually decided to shelve the series in favor ofCriminal (published underMarvel'sIcon imprint),[11] and "The Fall" remained Brubaker's last independent comics work until his move toImage in 2012.
In 1995, Brubaker was contacted byDC Comics to write a story aboutPrez for its "mature readers" imprintVertigo, after being recommended to the editors by his "An Accidental Death" collaborator Eric Shanower (who was already attached to the project as the artist).[12] The result—Brubaker's first work for one of the two major American comic book publishers—was a one-shot titledVertigo Visions: Prez, a broadpolitical satire revamping the obscure 1970sJoe Simon creation. Brubaker continued to pitch various ideas to Vertigo but kept getting rejected untilShelly Roeberg asked him to pitch "something [he] didn't think Vertigo would publish", which ended up beingScene of the Crime.[12] The 1999 series marked Brubaker's first collaboration with two artists who would frequently work with him in later years:Michael Lark and Sean Phillips (who joined the project as the inker for issues #2–4). Aslacker detective story set in San Francisco,Scene of the Crime was critically acclaimed and brought Brubaker to the attention ofHollywood producers for the first time.[13]
In late 2000, Brubaker signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics.[14] That same year, he wrote his first mainstreamsuperhero work, taking overBatman with issue #582 (Oct. 2000).[15] Brubaker would continue writing various series starringBatman and hisancillary characters until late 2003, including contributions to inter-title crossover storylines such as "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?"[16] and "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive",[17] as well as a stint onDetective Comics[18][19] that was cut short due to an unspecified dispute with the editors.[20] Also in 2000, Brubaker launched his second creator-owned property at Vertigo, the science fiction seriesDeadenders with artistWarren Pleece, which lasted 16 issues before its cancellation in 2001.[21] Brubaker's last work for Vertigo wasDead Boy Detectives, a four-issueThe Sandman spin-off limited series illustrated by artistBryan Talbot.[22]
In 2001, Brubaker teamed up with artistDarwyn Cooke to revampCatwoman, redesigning and redeveloping the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi.[23] The pair's stint started with a four-part serial "Trail of the Catwoman", published inDetective Comics #759–762, in which private detectiveSlam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, and continued into the newCatwoman series which launched in late 2001. Brubaker stayed on the series until #37 (Jan. 2005). During this time, Brubaker and Marvel writerBrian Michael Bendis discussed co-writing a team-up tale between DC's Batman and Marvel'sDaredevil. The two writers were enthusiastic about their ideas, which included a fight between Batman and Marvel villainBullseye as well as another fight between Catwoman andElektra. DC editors Matt Idelson andBob Schreck were also enthusiastic, but DC PublisherPaul Levitz objected to the project due to a prior disagreement with Marvel's Editor-in-ChiefJoe Quesada.[24]
In 2002, Brubaker did his first work forWildstorm, another DC imprint, penning the five-issueWildcats spin-offPoint Blank. The series, drawn by New Zealand artistColin Wilson and starring Wildcats' memberGrifter, took existing characters and concepts from the Wildstorm Universe and used them to set up Brubaker'sSleeper series which debuted later that year. A collaboration with artist Sean Phillips,Sleeper starred Holden Carver, a secret agent who goes undercover in a supervillain's powerful organization only to have his only contact in law enforcement fall into a coma. With the authorities believing him a dangerous criminal, Carver is caught between the two warring sides with unclear allegiances. AlthoughSleeper was a success with critics and fans on the Internet, the series underperformed commercially. In December 2003, in a unique publicity stunt conceived to help promote the first trade paperback collection ofSleeper, Brubaker organized anarm wrestling competition at San Francisco's Isotope Comics. If participants were able to beat Brubaker at arm wrestling, they were awarded free signed comic books. According to Brubaker, he wrestled around 40–50 people and won most of the time, losing only to eight or nine contestants.[25]
During the series' run,Sleeper also took part in the line-wide crossover "Coup d'Etat", with Brubaker scripting the first issue of the eponymous limited series. "Coup d'Etat" featured a series of events that ledthe Authority, a powerful team of superhumans in the Wilstorm Universe, to take over the United States. Following the crossover, Brubaker and artistDustin Nguyen produced the 12-issueThe Authority: Revolution series which explored the ramifications of the team's actions,[26] whileSleeper was relaunched with theSeason Two subtitle under the first volume's creative team.[27]
Brubaker's last major project at DC wasGotham Central, co-created by Brubaker, writerGreg Rucka and artist Michael Lark. The series focused on the activities of theGotham City Police Department, with writers either co-scripting storylines or alternating between the arcs.[28][29][30] After Brubaker and Lark left the series due to their newly-signed exclusive contracts with Marvel,[31] Rucka decided to discontinue the title, andGotham Central was cancelled with issue #40 (Apr. 2006).[32]
Brubaker's first work for Marvel wasvolume five of theCaptain America series.[33] Paired with artistSteve Epting, Brubaker introduced new villains and resurrected the long-dead supporting characterBucky Barnes as "the Winter Soldier". The relaunch was a commercial and critical success from its first issue, with its most well-known storyline involvingthe assassination of Steve Rogers and subsequent passing of theCaptain America mantle to Bucky Barnes.[34][35][36] Brubaker wroteCaptain America for eight full years, from November 2004 to October 2012, alongside several spin-off titles and associated series based around the character, including the 2009 mini-seriesCaptain America: Reborn, which featured the return of Rogers, the eight-issueThe Marvels Project limited series, as well asSecret Avengers, an ongoing series that followed the adventures of the eponymous team formed in the aftermath of the company-wide crossover storyline "Siege".[37]
Brubaker's workload at Marvel increased in 2006. He wrote two limited series,Books of Doom with artist Pablo Raimondi, retelling and expanding on the origin ofDoctor Doom, andX-Men: Deadly Genesis with artistTrevor Hairsine,retconning the origins of theAll-New, All-Different X-Men team that debuted in 1975. After finishingDeadly Genesis in July 2006, Brubaker became the regular writer ofUncanny X-Men, working with artistsBilly Tan andClayton Henry.[38] In addition to that, he also took overDaredevil, having already planned his run with outgoing writer Brian Michael Bendis.[39] Once again teaming up with hisScene of the Crime andGotham Central collaborator Michael Lark,[40] Brubaker explored the ramifications of thecharacter's imprisonment which occurred at the close of Bendis' run. Another notable launch of the year wasThe Immortal Iron Fist, an ongoing series co-written by Brubaker andMatt Fraction which started in November 2006.[41]
Also in 2006, Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips launched their first creator-owned seriesCriminal, published under Marvel'sIcon imprint.[42][43] The title received generally positive reviews[44] and its first arc, "Coward", won the 2007Eisner Award for Best New Series.[45] In 2008, after two volumes ofCriminal, Brubaker and Phillips took a break from the series to launch another Icon title,Incognito, which Brubaker described as being "about a completely amoral guy with super-powers forced to pretend he's a normal law-abiding citizen, because he's in Witness Protection, and how that shapes what he becomes. It's also a brutal noir twist on the super-hero/super-villain genre that delves more into their roots in the pulps, and it's going to be pretty over-the-top and action-packed."[46]
In February 2010, a controversy arose aroundCaptain America #602, which depicted a group of anti-tax protesters, understood by some readers to be aTea Party, which was characterized by theFalcon as exclusively white and racist group. Brubaker and Marvel's Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada apologized for the matter, explaining that, although Brubaker did not intend the protesters to represent any particular real-life group, one of the signs depicted in the scene read, "Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!". The slogan was not in Brubaker's script and was instead added by letterer Joe Caramagna, who, under deadline pressures, used messages from signs he found online at the last minute. Quesada further assured that the error would not appear in future reprints of the issue.[47][48][49] In an interview following the controversy Brubaker stated, "I had to shut down my public email because I started getting death threats from, y'know, peaceful protesters."[50]
In January 2012, Brubaker and Phillips launchedFatale atImage Comics. The series was initially announced as a twelve-issue maxi-series but was extended to an ongoing title in November 2012.[51] Jesse Schedeen ofIGN stated that "You can't go wrong with a Brubaker/Phillips collaboration. Even so,Fatale is making a strong case for being the best of their projects."[52] In October 2013, Brubaker signed a five-year contract to produce comics exclusively for Image. Under the terms of the deal, Image would publish any comic Brubaker brought to them without having to pitch it. Brubaker stated this arrangement was something he has always wanted.[53] The first series released under this contract wasThe Fade Out, a Hollywood period piece made with frequent collaborator Sean Phillips.[54]
Brubaker's other projects for Image includeVelvet, a spy series illustrated by hisCaptain America collaborator Steve Epting.[55][56]
In 2019, Brubaker partnered withNicolas Winding Refn to produceToo Old to Die Young, a 10-partneo-noir miniseries forAmazon.[61][62] In 2022, it was announced that Brubaker would serve ashead writer and executive producer on the animated seriesBatman: Caped Crusader.[63] In 2023,Criminal was announced to be in development atAmazon Prime Video with him serving as writer, executive producer and showrunner. A year later, in 2024,the series was ordered to series with Jordan Harper joining as co-showrunner and Phillips as executive producer.[64][65]
Coup d'Etat #1 (of 4) (withJim Lee, Eye of the Storm, 2004) also collected inCoup d'Etat (tpb, 112 pages, 2004,ISBN1-4012-0570-4)
Coup d'Etat: Afterword: "Sleeper Prelude" (with Sean Phillips, co-feature in one-shot, 2004) also collected inSleeper: Season Two (tpb, 296 pages, 2009,ISBN1-4012-2493-8)
Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus (collects #1–25,Captain America 65th Anniversary Special andWinter Soldier: Winter Kills, hc, 744 pages, 2007,ISBN0-7851-2866-2)
The Death of Captain America Omnibus (collects #26–42, hc, 464 pages, 2009,ISBN0-7851-3806-4)
Captain America Lives! Omnibus (collects #43–50, 600–601,Captain America: Reborn Prelude and #1–6, hc, 560 pages, 2011,ISBN0-7851-4514-1)
The Trial of Captain America Omnibus (includes #602–619, 615.1,Captain America: Reborn — Who Will Wield the Shield? andSteve Rogers: Super-Soldier #1–4, hc, 928 pages, 2014,ISBN0-7851-9272-7)
Return of the Winter Soldier Omnibus (includes #620–628,Fear Itself: Book of the Skull,Fear Itself #7.1 andWinter Soldier #1–14, hc, 752 pages, 2015,ISBN0-7851-9271-9)
Captain America vol. 6 (withSteve McNiven (#1–5),Alan Davis (#6–10), Patrick Zircher (#11–14), Scot Eaton (#15–18) and Steve Epting (#19); issues #15–18 are co-written by Brubaker andCullen Bunn, 2011–2012) collected as:
Issues #500–503 are co-written by Brubaker andMatt Fraction.
Daredevil vol. 2 (with Michael Lark, David Aja (#88 and 116), Lee Weeks (#94),Leandro Fernández (Annual), Stefano Gaudiano, Paul Azaceta (#103–106),Clay Mann (#111) andTonči Zonjić (#115), 2006–2009) collected as:
Annual #1 is co-written by Brubaker andAnde Parks; issues #107–110 are co-written by Brubaker and Greg Rucka.
Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark Omnibus Volume 1 (collects #82–105, hc, 608 pages, 2009,ISBN0-7851-3785-8)
Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark Omnibus Volume 2 (collects #106–119, 500 andAnnual #1, hc, 472 pages, 2010,ISBN0-7851-4520-6)
"Men of a Certain Deadly Persuasion" (with Howard Chaykin,Dan Brereton and Jelena Kevic-Djurdjević, inAnnual, 2007)
"The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven" (with David Aja, Roy Martinez,Scott Koblish, Kano, Javier Pulido, Tonči Zonjić and Clay Mann, in #8–14, 2007–2008)
"The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay" (with Travel Foreman, Leandro Fernández and Khari Evans, in #7, 2007)
Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death (with Russ Heath, Mitch Breitweiser, Nick Dragotta and Lewis LaRosa, one-shot, 2008)
The Origin of Danny Rand (with Kano, two-page framing sequence for a reprint ofMarvel Premiere #15–16, one-shot, 2008)
"The Story of the Iron Fist Bei Bang-Wen (1827–1860)" (with Khari Evans, in #15, 2008)
"Happy Birthday Danny" (with David Aja, in #16, 2008)
Omnibus (collects #1–16,Annual,Civil War: Choosing Sides,Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death andThe Origin of Danny Rand, hc, 560 pages, 2009,ISBN0-7851-3819-6)
The Complete Collection Volume 1 (collects #1–16,Annual,Civil War: Choosing Sides,Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death andThe Origin of Danny Rand, tpb, 496 pages, 2013,ISBN0-7851-8542-9)
Incognito #1–6 (with Sean Phillips, Icon, 2008–2009) also collected asIncognito (tpb, 176 pages, 2009,ISBN0-7851-3979-6)
Incognito: Bad Influences #1–5 (with Sean Phillips, Icon, 2010–2011) also collected asIncognito: Bad Influences (tpb, 144 pages, 2011,ISBN0-7851-5155-9)
After collaborating onSleeper for DC Comics, Brubaker and Sean Phillips took their partnership to Marvel to createCriminal. In 2016, the duo moved the series to Image Comics, producing a series of one-shots and original graphic novels, before launching a new ongoing series in 2019.
Following the success ofCriminal with Marvel's Icon imprint,Incognito was the second series launch for Brubaker and Phillips. It tells the story of Zack Overkill, who was placed in witness protection after informing on his supervillain boss.[90] The series was reprinted by Image Comics in 2017.
With art from Phillips, and colors from Dave Stewart,Fatale is a part-pulp, part-horror story of a femme fatale, set between the 1950s and 1970s.
Brubaker said the story came from trying to push himself creatively. "It seemed like a bigger challenge to try to do three noir tales that are wound around a horror story examination of the idea of the femme fatale archetype."[91]
Co-created withCaptain America artist, Steve Epting, Brubaker saidVelvet was "A Cold War-era story about a spy that nobody sees coming, even—or especially—all the spies around her".
The story came to comics after being rejected as a television pitch. Brubaker said: "The notes that we got from everybody were that she needed to be 25, and an agent-in-training learning from the cool male secret agent. I was just like 'OK, this is... just appalling to me.' Rather than a character that had lived a real life, they wanted a woman 20 years younger, stripped of Velvet's expertise and maturity."[92]
Set in Hollywood 1948, Brubaker and Phillips'The Fade Out tells the story of a screenwriter who awakens in a room with a dead actor. Brubaker said: "It's all based on things that have happened. Not the murder itself and the coverup, but the details. The way that the FBI had informants and people fronting, pretending they were working for the studios."[93]
Brubaker and Phillips collaborated to tell a 20-issue story in which a relatively normal art student turns into a gun-toting antihero.Kill Or Be Killed was described asDeath Wish meetsBreaking Bad.[94]
Co-created with Phillips,Reckless is set in Los Angeles during the early 1980s. It tells the story of former FBI agent, Ethan Reckless, and projectionist Anna, with their crusade for payback on villains.
Brubaker's inspiration was to wonder what a pulp hero would look like without "all the blatant racism and sexism" that was prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s version of the genre. The idea came out of the Covid-19 pandemic. "(Sean and I) were both looking for some kind of escape. Something that we could throw ourselves into."[95]
Originally published on Panel Syndicate as an e-comic,Friday was co-created with Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente. The series was re-released as a trio of paperbacks by Image Comics.
Black Sails (with Sean Phillips, unreleased 3-issue limited series — initially announced in 2004[9][10] but abandoned in favor of Brubaker and Phillips'Criminal)[11]
In addition to this short story, Brubaker provided commentary for the section of Darwyn Cooke's preliminary and promotional art for theParker series and the section commemorating Cooke.
Friday (withMarcos Martín, drawings, and Muntsa Vicente, colors; digital,Panel Syndicate, 2020–2024). Publisher on-line in English and Spanish, published in print in English, Spanish, and Catalan. Collected in print viaImage as:
The First Day of Christmas (collects #1–3, tpb, 120 pages, 2021,ISBN1-5343-2058-X)
On a Cold Winter's Night (collects #4–6, tpb, 120 pages, 2022,ISBN1-5343-2459-3)
Christmas Time is Here Again (collects #7–9, tpb, 128 pages, 2024,ISBN1-5343-2459-3)
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "2000s".Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 252.ISBN978-1-4654-2456-3.Ed Brubaker became a regular Batman scribe with this issue, partnering with artist Scott McDaniel.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Cowsill, Alan; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "2000s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 304.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.One of DC's longest running characters got a makeover courtesy of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke asCatwoman was relaunched...With Brubaker's tight, noir-like scripting and Darwyn Cooke's stylish artwork,Catwoman's new direction made the character more popular than ever.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "2000s".Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 325.ISBN978-0-7566-4123-8.When acclaimed writer Ed Brubaker made the switch from DC to Marvel, he brought with him yet another relaunch for Steve Rogers. A critical and financial hit, this newCaptain America series featured the art of realistic draftsman Steve Epting.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Manning "2000s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 335: "Surprising an unsuspecting fan base who thought the worst was over for Steve Rogers, Captain America's death captured worldwide media attention."
^Manning "2000s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 331: "Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Michael Lark had quite a challenge ahead of them when they took over the reins ofDaredevil from the popular team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev."
^Manning "2000s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 334: "Ed Brubaker teamed with co-writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja to give Iron Fist another shot at an ongoing title."
