Brian K. Vaughan

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Brian K. Vaughan

Vaughan at the 2012 New York Comic Con.
Born 1976
Cleveland, Ohio
Nationality American
Awards 2005 Eisner Award for Best Writer
2007 Wired magazine Rave Award
2008 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series
2008 Eisner Award for Best New Series

Brian K. Vaughan (born 1976) is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, Pride of Baghdad, and Saga.

Vaughan was a writer, story editor and producer of the television series Lost during seasons three through five. He was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the fourth season.[3] The writing staff was nominated for the award again at the February 2010 ceremony for their work on the fifth season.[4] He is currently the showrunner and executive producer of the TV series Under the Dome.[5]

Wired describes Vaughan's comics work as "quirky, acclaimed stories that don't pander and still pound pulses". His creator-owned comics work is also characterized by "finite, meticulous, years-long story arcs", on which Vaughan comments, "That's storytelling, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Something like Spider-Man, a book that never has a third act, that seems crazy."[6] Erik Malinowski, also of Wired, has called Vaughan "the greatest comic book visionary of the last five years", comparing him to Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Paul Pope, and Steve Niles, and praised his addition to the TV series Lost as redeeming that series' third season.[7]

Early life

Brian K. Vaughan was born in 1976[8][9] in Cleveland, Ohio, to Geoffrey and Catherine Vaughan. He grew up in Rocky River and Westlake.[10] Vaughan and his older brother are both fans of writer Peter David, and according to Vaughan, their adolescent comics reading was largely defined by a shared love of David's 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk.[1] Vaughn also cites Joss Whedon as the reason he wanted to become a writer,[2] a decision he made while attending St. Ignatius High School, from which he graduated 1994. He then attended New York University to study film. While a student there, Vaughan took part in Marvel Comics's Stan-hattan Project, a class for fledgling comic book writers.[10]

Career

Vaughan's first credit was for Marvel Comics' Tales From the Age of Apocalypse #2 (December 1996). He would eventually write for some of the highest-profile characters at Marvel, including X-Men, Spider-Man, and Captain America. He would also write Batman and Green Lantern for DC Comics, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight for Dark Horse Comics.[10]

From 2002 to 2008, Vaughan, who came to prefer writing his own characters,[11] wrote the creator-owned monthly series Y: The Last Man, a post-apocalyptic science fiction series about the only man to survive the apparent simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth. The series was published in sixty issues by Vertigo and collected in a series of ten paperback volumes (and later a series of five hardcover "Deluxe" volumes). The series received Eisner Awards in 2005 and 2008, and numerous other nominations.[12][13] The film rights to the series were acquired by New Line Cinema.[14] Vaughan wrote his own screenplay for the project,[6] though it was reported in March 2012 that Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia were in final negotiations to write their own version.[15]

In 2006, Vaughan published the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad, which centers on a group of lions who escape from an Iraqi zoo after the start of the Iraq War.[6] IGN named it the Best Original Graphic Novel of 2006, calling it a "modern classic", and lauding it for combining a tale of survival and family with a powerful analogy of war, and praising Vaughan for representing various viewpoints through the different lion characters.[16]

From 2004 to 2010 Vaughan wrote another creator-owned series, Ex Machina, a political thriller that depicts the life of Mitchell Hundred, a former superhero known as the Great Machine who, in the wake of his heroism during the September 11, 2001 attacks, is elected Mayor of New York City. The story is set during Hundred's term in office, and interwoven with flashbacks to his past as the Great Machine. Through this, the series explores both the political situations Hundred finds himself in, and the mysteries surrounding his superpowers. New Line Cinema purchased the film rights to the series in July 2005, and commissioned Vaughan to write one of the two commissioned scripts,[17] which he was reported to be working on in 2007.[6] Following the conclusion of Ex Machina in 2010, Vaughan reiterated his previous statement that he would concentrate on creator-owned work, saying, "I realized when I turned in this final Ex Machina script that it would be the first time I wasn't under some kind of deadline at Marvel or DC since 1996. That's a huge chunk of my life to spend with those characters. I love them, and I still read Marvel and DC's superhero books. I just think I'm better when I'm working on my own creations. When there are so many talented creators out there who are better at that stuff than me, I should leave those characters to them. I should do what I'm fortunate enough to be in the position to do, which is to create more new stuff."[18]

Vaughan signing a poster for his creator-owned series, Saga.

Vaughan was a writer, executive story editor and producer for seasons 3 to 5 on the ABC TV series Lost, a job he earned on the basis of his work on Y: The Last Man,[6] of which Lost co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof was an ardent fan. Lindelof showed that book to series showrunner and executive producer Carlton Cuse. Lindelof relates, "And I told him, 'We need a guy like this on the show, but I don't think he'd ever do it. I don't think he even works in L.A.' And the next thing we knew, he was on the show." He began his stint on the series as executive story editor with the episode "The Man from Tallahassee", which premiered in March 2007. Vaughan continued as story editor on several episodes until he began writing episodes, beginning with the episode "Catch-22", which Vaughan co-wrote with Jeff Pinker, and premiered in April that year.[10] That episode was praised by Wired writer Erik Malinowski, who stated that the themes that Vaughan's carried over to Lost from his comics work, including intricately weaved storylines typified by pathos and hope, as well as pop culture references, redeemed that series' third season.[7]

Vaughan would write a total of 12 episodes, the last of which was the April 2009 episode "Dead Is Dead". He was first credited as a producer with the fourth season premiere "The Beginning of the End", eventually acting as producer on a total of 29 episodes. He was also a co-producer on Lost: Missing Pieces, a spinoff Internet short film series produced during the hiatus between the show's third and fourth seasons.

In November 2011 Steven Spielberg selected Vaughan to adapt the Stephen King novel Under the Dome into a television series for Showtime, which is Vaughan's first television work since Lost.[19] Vaughan is the showrunner and executive producer of the series.[5]

On March 14, 2012, Image Comics published the first issue of Vaughan and Fiona Staples' epic space opera/fantasy series, Saga, which he conceived to be a concept strictly relegated to comics, and not adapted to other media. Although Vaughan was a child[20][21] when he first conceived of the ideas for the book—which owes its inspiration to Star Wars—it was not until his wife became pregnant with his second child that he began to write the series, which harbors parenthood as an underlying theme. The series depicts two aliens from warring races trying to survive with their newborn daughter.[21] The book is Vaughan's first publication for Image Comics,[22] and represents the first time he has employed first-person narration in his comics writing.[20] The first issue sold out of its first printing ahead of its March 14 release date, with a second printing ordered for April 11, the same release date for issue #2.[23] The series has received positive reviews[24] from MTV,[25] Ain't it Cool News,[26] Comic Book Resources,[27] IGN,[28] Publishers Weekly[29] and Time magazine.[5] It has also appeared on the New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller List,[30] won three 2013 Eisner Awards,[31] and was nominated for a Hugo Award[32] and seven Harvey Awards.[33]

Personal life

Vaughan and his wife, a playwright, live in Los Angeles [11] and have two children.[21]

Awards and nominations

Wins

Nominations

  • 2005 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue or One-Shot for Ex Machina #1: "The Pilot" (with Tony Harris, and Tom Feister)[12]
  • 2005 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for Ex Machina #2-5: "State of Emergency" (with Tony Harris, and Tom Feister)[12]
  • 2005 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for Y: The Last Man #18-20: "Safeword" (with Pia Guerra and José Marzan Jr.)[12]
  • 2005 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series for Y: The Last Man (with Pia Guerra and José Marzan Jr.)[12]
  • 2006 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue or One-Shot for Ex Machina #11: "Fortune Favors" (with Tony Harris, and Tom Feister)[34][35]
  • 2006 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for Ex Machina #12–14: "Fact v. Fiction" (with Tony Harris and Tom Feister)[34][35]
  • 2006 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for Y: The Last Man #37-39: "Paper Dolls" (with Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, and Jose Marzan Jr.)[34][35]
  • 2006 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series for Ex Machina (with Tony Harris, and Tom Feister)[34]
  • 2006 Eisner Award for Best Writer for Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man and Runaways[34]
  • 2009 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story for Y: The Last Man, Volume 10: Whys and Wherefores.[36]

Bibliography

Marvel Comics

DC Comics

Vertigo

  • Swamp Thing v3:
    • "Sow and Ye Shall Reap" (with Roger Petersen, in Vertigo: Winter's Edge #3, 2000)
    • "In Lieu of Flowers" (with Roger Petersen, in #1, 2000)
    • "A Tree Falls in the Forest" (with Roger Petersen, in #2, 2000)
    • "Kill Your Darlings" (with Roger Petersen, in #3, 2000)
    • "Killing Time" (with Roger Petersen, in #4-6, 2000)
    • "Bitter Fruit" (with Cliff Chiang, in Vertigo Secret Files & Origins: Swamp Thing, 2000)
    • "Arcane" (with Roger Petersen, in #7-9, 2000-2001)
    • "Silk Cut" (with Roger Petersen, in #10, 2001)
    • "Red Harvest" (with Roger Petersen and Giuseppe Camuncoli, in #11-17, 2001)
    • "Last of the Loose Ends" (with Giuseppe Camuncoli, in #18, 2001)
    • "Rootless" (with Giuseppe Camuncoli, in #19, 2001)
    • "Saga" (with Giuseppe Camuncoli, in #20, 2001)
  • Y: The Last Man:
    • Volume 1 (hc, 256 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1921-7) collects:
      • "Unmanned" (with Pia Guerra, in #1-5, 2002-2003)
      • "Cycles" (with Pia Guerra, in #6-10, 2003)
    • Volume 2 (hc, 320 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2235-8) collects:
      • "One Small Step" (with Pia Guerra, in #11-15, 2003)
      • "Comedy & Tragedy" (with Paul Chadwick, in #16-17, 2004)
      • "Safeword" (with Pia Guerra, in #18-20, 2004)
      • "Widow's Pass" (with Goran Parlov, in #21-23, 2004)
    • Volume 3 (hc, 320 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2578-0) collects:
      • "Tongues of Flame" (with Pia Guerra, in #24-25, 2004)
      • "Hero's Journey" (with Pia Guerra, in #26, 2004)
      • "Ring of Truth" (with Pia Guerra, in #27-31, 2004-2005)
      • "Girl on Girl" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #32-35, 2005)
      • "Boy Loses Girl" (with Pia Guerra, in #36, 2005)
    • Volume 4 (hc, 296 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2888-7) collects:
      • "Paper Dolls" (with Pia Guerra and Goran Sudžuka, in #37-39, 2005-2006)
      • "The Hour of Our Death" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #40, 2006)
      • "Buttons" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #41, 2006)
      • "1,000 Typewriters" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #42, 2006)
      • "Kimono Dragons" (with Pia Guerra and Goran Sudžuka, in #43-46, 2006)
      • "The Tin Man" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #47, 2006)
      • "Gehenna" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #48, 2006)
    • Volume 5 (hc, 320 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3051-2) collects:
      • "Motherland" (with Pia Guerra, in #49-52, 2006-2007)
      • "The Obituarist" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #53, 2007)
      • "Tragicomic" (with Goran Sudžuka, in #54, 2007)
      • "Whys and Wherefores" (with Pia Guerra, in #55-59, 2007-2008)
      • "Alas" (with Pia Guerra, in #60, 2008)
  • Pride of Baghdad (with Niko Henrichon, graphic novel, hc, 136 pages, 2006, ISBN 1-4012-0314-0)

Other US publishers

Other works

Television

Films

  • Y: The Last Man (screenplay)[39]
  • Ex Machina[40]
  • Runaways[41]
  • Roundtable (screenplay)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vaughan, Brian K. (w), Staples, Fiona (a). "Chapter Ten" Saga 10: 23 (February 2013), Image Comics
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Heyman, Marshall (February 17, 2008). "The Last Man Exits". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ "2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America, West. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  4. ↑ "2010 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America, West. 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Wolk, Douglas (August 5, 2013). "Masters of the Universe. The space story Saga is the comic world's big hit". Time. p. 54.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Rogers, Adam (April 24, 2007). "The 2007 Rave Awards: Print: The Storyteller". Wired
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Malinowski, Erik (April 19, 2007). "10 Reasons Why Brian K. Vaughan’s 'Lost' Was the Best Ever". Wired.
  8. ↑ "Brian K. Vaughan." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Biography In Context. Web. 11 Aug. 2013.
  9. ↑ "Brian K. Vaughan." The Writers Directory. Detroit: St. James Press, 2013. Biography In Context. Web. 11 Aug. 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Dawidziak, Mark (January 19, 2009). "'Lost' writer Brian K. Vaughan is a Cleveland native". Cleveland.com.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bendis, Brian Michael (July 25, 2006). "BRIAN BENDIS PRESENTS...Marvel scribe Brian Bendis interviews creators in and around the comics industry." Wizard World.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 "2005 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Eisner Awards Celebrate the 'Magic of Comics'". San Diego Comic-Con International. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  14. ↑ McNary, Dave (July 23, 2007). "Caruso, Ellsworth take on 'Man'; Bender, Spink, Novick, Goyer to produce". Variety. Retrieved 2007-07-24. 
  15. ↑ Kit, Borys (March 14, 2012). "New Line Sets Writers for Y: The Last Man". The Hollywood Reporter. 
  16. ↑ IGN.com presents "Best of 2006: Best Original Graphic Novel". IGN. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  17. ↑ "New Line Adapting Ex Machina". IGN. July 14, 2005
  18. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (August 12, 2010). "What's Next for Brian K. Vaughan?". IGN.
  19. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (November 8, 2011). "Brian K. Vaughan to adapt Stephen King's Under The Dome for Showtime ". The A.V. Club.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Uzumeri, David (March 14, 2012). "'Saga': Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Bring a Stellar Sci-Fi Comic Into the World". Comics Alliance.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Kit, Borys (March 14, 2012). "'Lost' Writer Brian K. Vaughan Debuts New Comic With Damon Lindelof and Friends". The Hollywood Reporter.
  22. ↑ "CCI EXCLUSIVE: BKV Builds 'Saga' at Image". Comic Book Resources. July 23, 2011.
  23. ↑ "THE START OF AN EPIC SAGA SELLS OUT: SAGA #1 gets a second printing". Comics Bulletin. March 13, 2012.
  24. ↑ Hayes, P.S. (March 13, 2012). "Comic Review: Saga #1". Geeks of Doom.
  25. ↑ Zalben, Alex (March 5, 2012). "The 'Saga' Of Brian K. Vaughan: How He Went From Runaway Kids To Epic Fantasy". MTV Geek.
  26. ↑ "AICN COMICS REVIEWS: Brian K. Vaughan’s SAGA! FAIREST! UNCANNY X-MEN! AKA! & MORE!!!". Ain't it Cool News. March 14, 2012.
  27. ↑ McElhatton, Greg (March 13, 2012). "Review: Saga #1". Comic Book Resources.
  28. ↑ Esposito, Joey (August 15, 2012). "Saga #6 Review". IGN.
  29. ↑ "Saga, Vol. 1". Publishers Weekly. October 8, 2012.
  30. ↑ Kepler, Adam W. (October 26, 2012). "Graphic Books Best Sellers: Fiona Staples Talks About 'Saga'". The New York Times.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Hennon, Blake (20 July 2013). "Comic-Con: 'Building Stories,' 'Saga' top Eisners (winners list)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 July 2013. 
  32. ↑ "2013 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2013. 
  33. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (July 15, 2013). "'Hawkeye' and 'Saga' lead Harvey Award nominations". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 16, 2013. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 "2006 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 "Master Nominee List: 2006 Eisner Awards". San Diego Comic-Con International. 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  36. ↑ "2009 Hugo Award Nominations". Hugo Awards. 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  37. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (December 20, 2006). "Brian K. Vaughan Joins Writing Staff of Lost". Newsarama.
  38. ↑ Warmoth, Brian (July 6, 2009). "Brian K. Vaughan Leaves Lost Writing Staff". MTV.
  39. ↑ George, Richard (March 2, 2007). "WonderCon 07: Vaughan, The Last Man". IGN.
  40. ↑ Brady, Matt (August 2, 2005). "Brian K. Vaughan on Ex Machina's Movie News". Newsarama.
  41. ↑ "Marvel Studios to Adapt Runaways". Superhero Hype! May 21, 2008

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Preceded by
Joss Whedon		 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight writer
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Joss Whedon
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