From Artbomb (and updated by DF): Ed Brubaker is the second son of a retired spy and a neurotic school-teacher, both very literary drinkers. His father started feeding him comics at age 2 to get him jumpstarted on reading, and it's been all downhill from that point on.

His work as a cartoonist has received Harvey, Eisner and Ignatz nominations, and as a writer he's been nominated for several Eisner's, as well. His work includes, A COMPLETE LOWLIFE, DETOUR, SCENE OF THE CRIME (drawn by Michael Lark), AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH (drawn by Eric Shanower), THE FALL (drawn by Jason Lutes) and a lot of issues of Batman and the highly successful relaunch of CATWOMAN (drawn by Darwyn Cooke and Mike Allred) from DC Comics well as POINT BLANK (drawn by Colin Wilson) and SLEEPER (drawn by Sean Phillips) for Wildstorm Production and now Captain American and X-Men: Deadly Genesis for Marvel.

He is also currently hard at work on the screenplay for THE FALL for David Goyer's Phantom Four Films.

DF: Earlier in your creative career you started out as an artist and a writer but now focus mostly on writing, with a heavy bent towards “noir”. What about this genre is so appealing and how do you think you best apply it to comics?
ED BRUBAKER: I'm not sure what attracts me the most to noir, but I think it's always applied well to comics, from the very early days as the comics grew out of the pulps, in a way. That dark and claustrophobic look on some old Eisner Spirit's, and in Johnny Craig's EC comics has always felt so perfect to me for what I like about comics. I always say that the true noir story is very much like a classic tragedy but with modern circumstances. Hamlet was like the first noir, if you think about it, this doomed protagonist, gunning for the truth even though it kills him and everyone he cares about. I enjoy that epic tragic feel, and I like writing about flawed people in a flawed world. It just feels comfortable, for some reason.

DF: Do you still draw?
ED BRUBAKER: Not that much, no. I find it pretty fulfilling to write stuff and let other people draw it, actually. Occasionally I think of a cartoon I'd like to draw, but I always struggled as an artist, so I was rarely satisfied with what I drew.

DF: In the Authority you have taken, what some call, a group of super fascists and given them the chance to take over the US government. If you could take over the government for one week, what would you try and change?
ED BRUBAKER: A lot of things. For one, I'd do whatever was necessary to break up the Two Party monopoly. Then I'd institute public-financed elections with weighted ballots (which means you get to vote for more than one person per category, so you can vote both your conscience and for the lesser of the more popular evils) and get the corporate donations and lobbyists out of politics. I'd also like to see our President actually have to debate the opposition parties regularly like they do in Parliament in the UK, I think that would really change the way we do political business over here. And term limits... Get rid of career politicians.

And I'd get religion and philosophy out of science classes and back into the religion and philosophy classes where they belong.

DF: Speaking of politics you’re currently writing Captain America and have turned it into a politically-heavy action comic book, do you find your politics influencing the stories?
ED BRUBAKER: Not really. I don't think Cap's view of the world and mine would always jibe completely, honestly, and I'm writing about him, not me. The only thing I've done so far that shows my own politics, as far as I know, is showing how important giant corporate interests are to governments, which is hardly a controversial position. The thing is, I'm fairly progressive, but I'm not a party-line kind of guy, so I take every issue on its own merits, which is how I think we all should. I'd never be one to spout "talking points" or have Cap do the same. And ultimately, it's a superhero comic, so that's what it should be.

DF: Who's your favorite Captain America writer/artist team?
ED BRUBAKER: That's a tough one, honestly. My all-time favorite Cap issues are probably the Steranko issues, but I also love the early Kirby/Lee stories, too. I learned to read on the Englehart/Buscema issues, though, so I always have a soft spot for that run, though it doesn't exactly hold up to modern scrutiny. The storyline and art are pretty good, except for the Colletta inks here and there, but the comic really feels of its time, very over-written, thought balloons, dialog, and captions, all telling you the same thing.

I also like the Stern/Byrne run, the DeMatteis/Zeck run, and the Waid/Garney run quite a bit. And there are parts of the Gruenwald run I like a lot, too. There's been a lot of good Cap over the years, really, and a lot of not-so-good Cap around it all.

DF: How much do you feel you inject from creators of the past while creating all new directions for Captain America?
ED BRUBAKER: I hope at the most, I'm bringing a feel that might remind readers of an era that went before from time to time, really. I want this Cap to have a modern feel, but to also use all those cool Cap characters that have been part of the series over the years. If my book feels like those Steranko issues, though, if it feels like it's from that same school, that's my subconscious taking over.

DF: Speaking of taking over established and classic characters, just recently it had been announced that you would be taking over the writing duties for Daredevil after Bendis. Any hints as to where you’re going to be taking Matt Murdock?
ED BRUBAKER: I can't really say anything about it, because I don't want to ruin Brian's ending. It's going to be a thrill ride, and it's going to be dark, and there's going to be lots of messed up stuff that people aren't expecting, I hope.

DF: You had a lengthy run and revitalized the feline fatale, Catwoman awhile back. Selina has always been a character that as teetered on the edge of good/evil…hero/villain. How did you envision her when you were writing Catwoman? How do you see her today?
ED BRUBAKER: I just always thought she was one of the coolest characters in the DCU, because she was tough, and sexy, and smart. She wasn't all caught up in the tragedy the way Batman was, but she knew what justice was, and that a lot of people who deserve it get off because they're in power positions. She saw the real corruption in the world in ways Batman couldn't, I thought.

How do I see her today? Pretty much the same.

DF: What’s your most memorable convention moment?
ED BRUBAKER: When Anissa proposed to me when I was on a panel -- oh wait, that's Geoff Johns most memorable moment.

Be sure to check out DF's complete collection of Ed Bubaker comics here and check back in next week for another DF Interview!

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