Richard Bruning
Encyclopedia
Richard Bruning is an American
graphic designer
and comics creator who is currently the Senior Vice-President-Creative Director of DC Comics
.
in Madison, Wisconsin
called Abraxas Studios. In the early 1980s, he was a key part of Capital Comics' staff, acting as Editor-In-Chief and Art Director
over such publications as Nexus
, The Badger and Whisper until they ceased operation in 1984.
After a year of freelancing in San Francisco, he moved to New York City
in 1985 to become DC Comics’ Design Director
. For the next five years he supervised and/or contributed to the design of titles including the landmark series' Watchmen
(by Alan Moore
and Dave Gibbons
) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
(by Frank Miller
), as well as editing the DC-produced official sequel to the ITC TV series The Prisoner
, Shattered Visage
(by Dean Motter
and Mark Askwith
).
In 1990, he left DC to form Brainstorm Unlimited, Inc. a freelance graphic design
and corporate communications
firm in New York. The company’s client list included HBO, Fine Line Films, Xerox
, Children’s Television Workshop and others. He also wrote the Flash Gordon
Sunday newspaper strip for King Features. Of particular note was his branding of and logo design for the new Vertigo Comics mature readers comics line for DC Comics, and overseeing "the development and packaging of the upscale graphic novel
and prestige format
as well as the development of DC's first collected editions
".
He returned to DC full-time in 1996 as VP-Creative Director
responsible for overseeing the creative efforts of the entire company. He was promoted to Senior Vice-President in 2002/2003. He was instrumental in the creation of DC Comics’ new company logo in 2005.
Bruning is married to fellow-DC employee Karen Berger
.
miniseries Adam Strange
: The Man of Two Worlds, which revived the titular classic DC Sci-Fi character. The three issues were illustrated by the brothers Kubert, Andy
(pencils) and Adam
(colors). He also wrote and lettered (with versatile fellow-editor, and all-round artist Mark Chiarello
pencilling and coloring) the Eisner
-nominated short story "Electric China Death" for Gangland #4.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and comics creator who is currently the Senior Vice-President-Creative Director of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Biography
Richard Bruning was born on February 7, 1953. In 1979 he opened a design firmDesign firm
A design firm is an organization that designs any of a variety of things, in one or more of the design fields, such as graphic design, web design, architecture, engineering, interior design, or industrial design....
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
called Abraxas Studios. In the early 1980s, he was a key part of Capital Comics' staff, acting as Editor-In-Chief and Art Director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
over such publications as Nexus
Nexus (comics)
Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
, The Badger and Whisper until they ceased operation in 1984.
After a year of freelancing in San Francisco, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1985 to become DC Comics’ Design Director
Design director
A design director is a position usually found within the advertising, media, automotive or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well. The position has similarities to that of a creative director...
. For the next five years he supervised and/or contributed to the design of titles including the landmark series' Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
(by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight in 1986. When the issues were released in a collected edition later that year, the story title for the first issue...
(by Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
), as well as editing the DC-produced official sequel to the ITC TV series The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, Shattered Visage
Shattered Visage (The Prisoner)
The Prisoner: Shattered Visage is a four-issue comic book mini-series based on The Prisoner, the 1967 television series starring Patrick McGoohan. The name is a reference to Percy Shelley's famous poem Ozymandias, which forms part of the introduction.The series was illustrated by Mister X creator...
(by Dean Motter
Dean Motter
Dean Motter is an illustrator, designer and writer who worked for many years in Toronto, Canada, New York City, and Atlanta. Motter is best known as the creator and designer of Mister X, one of the most influential "new-wave" comics of the 1980s....
and Mark Askwith
Mark Askwith
Mark Askwith is a Canadian producer, writer, interviewer , and a familiar name in the fields of science fiction and comics.-Early life:...
).
In 1990, he left DC to form Brainstorm Unlimited, Inc. a freelance graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
and corporate communications
Corporate communications
Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate...
firm in New York. The company’s client list included HBO, Fine Line Films, Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, Children’s Television Workshop and others. He also wrote the Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
Sunday newspaper strip for King Features. Of particular note was his branding of and logo design for the new Vertigo Comics mature readers comics line for DC Comics, and overseeing "the development and packaging of the upscale graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
and prestige format
Prestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
as well as the development of DC's first collected editions
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
".
He returned to DC full-time in 1996 as VP-Creative Director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
responsible for overseeing the creative efforts of the entire company. He was promoted to Senior Vice-President in 2002/2003. He was instrumental in the creation of DC Comics’ new company logo in 2005.
Bruning is married to fellow-DC employee Karen Berger
Karen Berger
Karen Berger is an American comic book editor. She is best known as the Executive Editor of DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.-Biography:...
.
Writing
Bruning has also written comics, as well as acting in a behind-the-scenes role, writing in 1990 the Prestige formatPrestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
miniseries Adam Strange
Adam Strange
Adam Strange is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Showcase #17 .In May 2011, Adam Strange placed 97th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time....
: The Man of Two Worlds, which revived the titular classic DC Sci-Fi character. The three issues were illustrated by the brothers Kubert, Andy
Andy Kubert
Andrew "Andy" Kubert is an American comic book artist, son of Joe Kubert, and brother of Adam Kubert, both of whom are also artists...
(pencils) and Adam
Adam Kubert
Adam Kubert is an American comic book artist known for his work for publishers such as Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and DC Comics, including work on Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Superman and Ghost Rider.Kubert has established himself as one...
(colors). He also wrote and lettered (with versatile fellow-editor, and all-round artist Mark Chiarello
Mark Chiarello
Mark Chiarello is an American painter, art director and comic book editor.-Biography:As a painter, Chiarello has worked on such projects as the Batman story Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop and Clive Barker's Hellraiser...
pencilling and coloring) the Eisner
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
-nominated short story "Electric China Death" for Gangland #4.
As writer
- "A Sense of Obligation" (with Kevin NowlanKevin NowlanKevin Nowlan is an American comic-book artist who works as penciler, inker, colorist and letterer.He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic production, from "design to draftsmanship to dramatics".-Biography:Kevin...
) in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual 3, DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, 1987) - Adam StrangeAdam StrangeAdam Strange is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Showcase #17 .In May 2011, Adam Strange placed 97th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time....
: The Man of Two Worlds #1-3 (with AndyAndy KubertAndrew "Andy" Kubert is an American comic book artist, son of Joe Kubert, and brother of Adam Kubert, both of whom are also artists...
and Adam KubertAdam KubertAdam Kubert is an American comic book artist known for his work for publishers such as Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and DC Comics, including work on Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Superman and Ghost Rider.Kubert has established himself as one...
, DC Comics, March–May 1990) - "Reflections Of A Deep Fantasy" (with Steve Bove, in Secret OriginsSecret OriginsSecret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974...
#50, DC Comics, August 1990) - "Electric China Death" (with Mark ChiarelloMark ChiarelloMark Chiarello is an American painter, art director and comic book editor.-Biography:As a painter, Chiarello has worked on such projects as the Batman story Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop and Clive Barker's Hellraiser...
) in Gangland #4, Vertigo, September 1998) - "Rocket-Man" (with Jim LeeJim LeeJim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, in Flinch #1, Vertigo, June 1999)