Brian Augustyn


Brian Augustyn was an American comic book editor and writer. He often worked as editor or co-writer with writer Mark Waid, such as on The Flash in the 1990s. He wrote Gotham by Gaslight – which imagines Batman tracking Jack the Ripper – the prototype of DC's Elseworlds imprint, which featured versions of their characters in alternate settings.

Career

Editing

Augustyn got his start in the industry in 1986 as an editor for Tru Studios' Trollords. He then edited Syphons and Speed Racer for NOW Comics in 1987. In 1988, he joined DC Comics, starting out as a co-editor on Action Comics during its period as a weekly title, and later The Flash, Justice League, and the Impact Comics line of titles.
As editor of The Flash beginning in 1989, Augustyn hired Mark Waid as writer in 1992, which led to an acclaimed eight-year run. Other Augustyn/Waid editor/writer partnerships included The Comet and Flash spin-off Impulse. He won the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Editor in 1994.
He served as the managing editor of Visionary Comics Studio. He worked as story editor for publisher Red Giant Entertainment and their Giant-Size Comics line of free print comic book titles which debuted in 2014.

Writing

As a solo writer, Augustyn worked on DC's Gotham by Gaslight, its sequel Batman: Master of the Future, and Black Condor; Marvel's Imperial Guard; Wildstorm Productions' Out There and Crimson; and Dreamwave Productions's Mega Man.
As co-writers, Augustyn and Mark Waid scripted The Crusaders for DC/Impact in 1992, Painkiller Jane and Ash: Cinder & Smoke for Event Comics in 1997, X-O Manowar, vol. 2, for Valiant Comics in 1997–1998, and JLA: Year One for DC in 1998–1999. After leaving his position as editor in 1996, Augustyn teamed with Waid to co-write The Flash in 1996–1997 and 1998–2000. They collaborated on The Life Story of the Flash graphic novel and co-wrote the story in The Flash #142 in which Wally West married Linda Park.
In 2014, Red Giant Entertainment announced that Augustyn was scripting a new Amped comic series which debuted in November as part of the monthly Giant-Sized line.

Personal life and death

Augustyn was born on November 2, 1954. He died from a stroke on February 1, 2022, at the age of 67 and is survived by his wife Nadine and daughters Carrie and Allie.

As writer

Archie Comics

  • New Riverdale:
  • *Archie: 1941 #1–5 collected as Archie: 1941
  • *Archie: 1955 #1–5, Rick Burchett, Ray-Anthony Height, Derek Charm and Joe Eisma

    Dark Horse Comics

  • Hell #1-4
  • Star Wars Tales #15

    DC Comics

  • Batman:
  • *Detective Comics Annual #2: "Blood Secrets" collected in Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 4
  • *Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #4: "Citizen Wayne" collected in Superman/Batman: Alternate Histories
  • * Gotham by Gaslight
  • * Batman: Master of the Future
  • Black Condor #1-12
  • Black Mask
  • Crimson
  • Firebrand #1-9
  • Gross Point #1: "Welcome to Gross Point"
  • Justice League of America:
  • *JLA: Year One #1–12 collected as JLA: Year One
  • Out There
  • Robin + Impulse
  • Showcase '93 #12
  • Showcase '94 #2-4, 10-12
  • Showcase '96 #4
  • The Flash:
  • *The Flash vol. 2 Issues #118–150, 152–159 and 162 are co-written by Waid and Brian Augustyn, 1991–2000) collected as:
  • ** The Flash by Mark Waid Book Six
  • *** Includes the "Overrun" short story from Showcase '96 #12
  • *** Includes the "Present Tense" short story from DC Universe Holiday Bash #1
  • *** Includes Flash/Green Lantern: Faster Friends #2
  • *** Includes the Flash + Nightwing one-shot
  • ** The Flash by Mark Waid Book Seven
  • *** Includes the "A Run of Luck" short story from The Flash Secret Files & Origins #1
  • *** Includes the "Burning Secrets" and "The Sacrifice" short stories from Speed Force
  • *** Includes The Life Story of the Flash prose novel
  • ** The Flash by Mark Waid Book Eight
  • *** Also collects the "Twenty-First Century Rogue" short story from The Flash Secret Files & Origins #2
  • *** Also collects The Flash vol. 2 #151
  • *** Also collects The Flash vol. 2 #160

    Dreamwave Productions

  • Duel Masters #1-8
  • MegaMan #1-4
  • Warlands: Dark Tide Rising #1-6

    Impact Comics

Titles published by DC Comics' Impact imprint include:
  • The Crusaders #1–4, 8
  • Crucible #1–6

    Other publishers

Titles published by various comics publishers include:
  • Acclaim:
  • *X-O Manowar vol. 2 #1–6
  • ** Issues #7–13 are written by Brian Augustyn and drawn by Scot Eaton, with Waid credited as "story consultant".
  • *Operation: Stormbreaker
  • Event:
  • *Ash :
  • ** Ash #½
  • ** Ash: Cinder and Smoke #1–6
  • *Painkiller Jane :
  • ** Painkiller Jane #1–5 collected as Essential Painkiller Jane
  • ** Vampirella/Painkiller Jane: "Miss Hemoglobin 1998"
  • Legend of the Sage #1-4

    As editor

  • Action Comics #615-622, 636-642
  • Action Comics Weekly #601-642
  • Bugs Bunny #1-3
  • Blood and Shadows #1-4
  • El Diablo #1, 9, 15
  • Elongated Man #1-4
  • Extreme Justice #0-6
  • Green Arrow #4-20
  • Hawkworld #1-3
  • Justice League America #0, 61-100, 105-106, 108-113, Annual #6-7
  • Justice League Task Force #0-17, 19, 36
  • Justice League International #51-68, Annual #4-5
  • Justice League Europe #36-50
  • Justice League Quarterly #5-11, 13, 15-17
  • JLX #1
  • Justice Society of America #1-10
  • Impulse #1-16, Annual #1
  • Metamorpho #1-3
  • Outlaws #1-8
  • Plastic Man #1-4
  • Starman #13-25
  • The Comet vol. 2 #1-6, 1991–1992)
  • The Darkstars #1-15
  • The Fly #1-6
  • The Phantom #7-13
  • The Ray #0-28
  • The Shadow Strikes #1, 21, 23-24
  • Triumph #1-4
  • Wonder Woman #67-84
Collected editions:
  • Associate editor on collections edited by Mike Gold:
  • *The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told
  • *The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told
  • *''The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told''