Brian Augustyn Remembered

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Lots of comics industry pros and fans have been sharing their thoughts on the loss of writer Brian Augustyn. His body of work as both a writer and editor — even on just the DC comics side of things — was incredibly eclectic and diverse, but for those of us firmly planted in the Batman side of fandom, the clear standout is of course BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT. GASLIGHT is a book both equally understated and bold. It ushered in the “Elseworlds” branding that is now ubiquitous across the comics industry for stories that take existing characters and throw them into wild out-of-continuity alternate worlds.

That book always stuck out to the deep-cut Batman fans, but it really began to get its due in 2018 when WB released a fantastic animated adaptation of the story. With the renewed interest the book and film were getting, I was eager to see if I could get anyone involved in either project to come on a BOF Podcast, and I started by asking Augustyn himself. I didn’t have to ask anyone else — he responded to my invite quickly and team BOF had a blast chatting with him. Brian was incredibly humble, kind, and gracious with his time — he joined us for two full episodes: #107 where we talk about his career and GBG the book, and #109, where he returned to literally watch the animated GBG adaptation with us to provide a commentary track.

It was clear that Augustyn was forever passionate about the craft of comics and how these characters stood the test of time. Hearing him elucidate on the cosmic irony of his adaptation of the Batman character for his “Elseworlds” story that then got adapted into an entirely different medium was absolutely delightful. Rest in peace. – Ryan Hoss

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Ryan Hoss
Senior Contributor Ryan Hoss began writing for Batman-On-Film in 2006, after following the site since its inception. His work for the site expanded over the years to support his mission to highlight Batman's malleability and worth across all forms of media. His articles, reviews, and op-eds cover a wide range of topics from comics, movies, and television shows to video games and even cereal. Currently, Ryan joins in on BOF podcasts and runs BOF's Instagram and Batman Podcast Network social media accounts. Ryan is also the Founder and Webmaster of the Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive Website, dedicated to the cult 1993 film. When he isn’t contributing to BOF, Ryan spends his days as a VFX Artist in the video game industry and being a dad to one amazing Batgirl. Check out his portfolio website at RYANHOSS.COM and follow him on Twitter @SMB_RYAN.