Terry Kevin Austin^[3] (born August 23, 1952)^[4] is an Americancomic book creator working primarily as aninker.

Austin grew up inDetroit, Michigan, and attendedWayne State University.^[1] He started inking comics as an assistant toDick Giordano andNeal Adams, doing "Crusty Bunker" work for Adams'Continuity Associates.^[1][5] Austin came to prominence in 1976–1977, inkingMarshall Rogers' pencils on a celebrated run ofBatman stories forDC Comics'Detective Comics collaborating with writerSteve Englehart.^[6] During this same period, Austin inkedMichael Netzer (Nasser) on DC'sMartian Manhunter inAdventure Comics andGreen Arrow/Black Canary inWorld's Finest Comics, as well asAl Milgrom onMarvel Comics'Captain Marvel. He later teamed with Rogers again on Marvel'sDoctor Strange.^[7]

In 1977, Austin and pencilerJohn Byrne became the new art team onUncanny X-Men. With writerChris Claremont they produced a series of stories — particularly "The Dark Phoenix Saga" — which elevated the title into the top-selling American comic book.^[8] Austin was given theEagle Award for Favourite Inker three times during this period.

Austin leftUncanny X-Men in 1981 and has since worked on a variety of titles for both Marvel and DC, includingDoctor Strange (overPaul Smith andDan Green pencils),Superman vol. 2 (over Byrne),Justice League (overKevin Maguire) andGreen Lantern (overDarryl Banks).^[7] Austin contributed to several anniversary issues for DC includingJustice League of America #200 (March 1982),^[9]Superman #400 (Oct. 1984),^[10] andBatman #400 (Oct. 1986).^[11] He was the regular inker of DC'sSuperman Adventures for nearly six years, from 1996–2002. His inking work since 2002 has included over fifteen years of inking theSonic the Hedgehog comic book series forArchie Comics, which he continued until the series was cancelled in 2017.^[7]

Austin's inking — especially in the period of the 1970s and early 1980s — is notable for its smooth, precise rendering; and extremely detailed backgrounds, making his embellishing work easily identifiable. His style has been highly influential on a subsequent generation of inkers includingAl Gordon,Andy Lanning,Scott Williams,^[12] andRob Liefeld.^[13]

Austin has also worked as a writer, primarily for Marvel'sX-Men titles and a run onCloak and Dagger.^[7] Austin wrote and inked theDark Horse Comics' adaptation ofSplinter of the Mind's Eye published in 1995.^[14]

His rare penciling jobs can be seen on the covers ofUncanny X-Men #123, #142 andAnnual #3 (withFrank Miller), as well as his self-published book,Austin Art: 60 Pages of Drawings by Terry Austin (2003).^[15]

Austin resides nearPoughkeepsie, New York, where he plays volleyball and gets together often with fellow comics veteranFred Hembeck.^{[citation needed]} Austin's affection for the comic strip characterPopeye is well-established,^[2] and over the years Austin has included drawings of Popeye in various published comics as "Easter eggs" for sharp-eyed readers.^[16]

Austin's work has gained him frequent and notable recognition over the years, including multipleEagle Awards for best inker,^{[17][18][19][20][21][22]} anInkpot Award,^[23] multipleComics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards for Favorite Inker,^[24] and theInkwell Awards 2008 "Favorite Inker (Retro) Award"^[25] and the 2009 "Joe Sinnott Award".^[26]

• Cerebus Jam #1 (1985)

• Phoenix #3 (1975)

• Sonic the Hedgehog (2002–2017)

• Star Wars:Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1995–1996)

• Savage Dragon #3 (1993)
• WildC.A.T.s #23 (1995)

• Hardcase #15 (1994)
• Mantra #7 (1994)
• Ultraforce #5 (1995)

• Austin Art: 60 Pages of Drawings by Terry Austin (self-published, 2003)

• Terry Austin at the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
• Terry Austin at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
• Terry Austin at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

• 1952 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American artists
• 21st-century American artists
• American comics artists
• American comics writers
• Artists from Detroit
• Comics inkers
• DC Comics people
• Inkpot Award winners
• Marvel Comics people
• Wayne State University alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2021
• Use American English from August 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Comics infobox without image
• Comics creator pop
• Comics creator BLP pop
• Track variant DoB
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022