James D. Hudnall
Encyclopedia
James David Hudnall is an American
writer
who began his career in the comic book
field in 1986 with the series Espers, published by Eclipse Comics
. He later worked for Marvel
and DC
on such titles as Alpha Flight
, Strikeforce: Morituri
, and his own creation Interface, which was a sequel to Espers. He also wrote graphic novels such as Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, Sinking, Streets and The Psycho.
His series Harsh Realm
was adapted to television by X-Files
producer Chris Carter
in 1998. Hudnall and co-creator Andrew Paquette sued
Carter and Fox Television when they failed to give them credits on the show. The suit was later settled and as part of the settlement Hudnall and Paquette received credit in the opening titles of the show, in a precedent setting decision by New York Federal court judge John Martin.
Hudnall's other works includes: The Age of Heroes, Aftermath, Shut Up And Die, Two to the Chest, Chiller, Devastator, Hardcase
and The Solution. He writes a libertarian leaning blog under the Pajamas Media
group, a network of political blogs.
in the 1970s, and after graduating from Point Loma High School
, Hudnall joined the U.S. Air Force in 1976. He was stationed in England
.
After his discharge from the Air Force, Hudnall went to Coleman College in San Diego where he majored in computer science
. He worked as a computer software consultant in Orange County, California
, Sonoma County
, and briefly in England.
, Dark Horse
and Malibu
.
Hudnall switched from writing comics to internet development in the late 1990s, while producing more limited work over the years, such as Trigs for Humanoids and 2 To the Chest from his own company Dark Planet Productions.
In 2009 he began writing for the conservative media criticism blog Big Hollywood, which was founded by Andrew Breitbart
. He since created the weekly comic strip "Obama Nation" with comics artist Batton Lash
for Big Hollywood, which is now running on Big Government
and the news media criticism comics strip "Useful Idiots" with comics artist Val Mayerik
which runs on Big Journalism.
of a schizophrenic
, earned him an Eisner Award
nomination. The Spanish
translation of Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography won an award in Latin America
for best graphic novel.
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who began his career in the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
field in 1986 with the series Espers, published by Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
. He later worked for Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and DC
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...
on such titles as Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
, Strikeforce: Morituri
Strikeforce: Morituri
Strikeforce: Morituri is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1986 to 1989. The series was created by writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Brent Anderson....
, and his own creation Interface, which was a sequel to Espers. He also wrote graphic novels such as Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, Sinking, Streets and The Psycho.
His series Harsh Realm
Harsh Realm
Harsh Realm is a science fiction television series about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It was developed by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files and Millennium, and began airing on the Fox Network on October 8, 1999. The series fared poorly in the ratings and was removed from...
was adapted to television by X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
producer Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
in 1998. Hudnall and co-creator Andrew Paquette sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
Carter and Fox Television when they failed to give them credits on the show. The suit was later settled and as part of the settlement Hudnall and Paquette received credit in the opening titles of the show, in a precedent setting decision by New York Federal court judge John Martin.
Hudnall's other works includes: The Age of Heroes, Aftermath, Shut Up And Die, Two to the Chest, Chiller, Devastator, Hardcase
Hardcase
Hardcase is a comic book series written by James Hudnall for Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse imprint, which lasted 26 issues. The series was about Tom Hawke, who became one of the first publicly known Ultras ....
and The Solution. He writes a libertarian leaning blog under the Pajamas Media
Pajamas Media
PJ Media is a media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news.Founded in 2004 by a network primarily, but not exclusively, made up of conservatives and libertarians led by mystery writer, screenwriter, and blogger Roger L...
group, a network of political blogs.
Early life
Hudnall's parents divorced when he was two and his mother remarried to a man in the US Navy. The family settled in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
in the 1970s, and after graduating from Point Loma High School
Point Loma High School
Point Loma High School is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California. It is located in the Loma Portal neighborhood of Point Loma. The school serves the neighborhoods of Point Loma and Ocean Beach. In addition, students who live in Mission Hills may...
, Hudnall joined the U.S. Air Force in 1976. He was stationed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
After his discharge from the Air Force, Hudnall went to Coleman College in San Diego where he majored in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. He worked as a computer software consultant in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, and briefly in England.
Comics career
In 1985 he started working with Eclipse Comics as a marketing director in order to learn the comics business. In 1986 his first comic, Espers, got him enough acclaim to get a job at Marvel and DC. From there he went on to work for almost all the major publishers in American Comics, including ImageImage Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, Dark Horse
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
and Malibu
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
.
Hudnall switched from writing comics to internet development in the late 1990s, while producing more limited work over the years, such as Trigs for Humanoids and 2 To the Chest from his own company Dark Planet Productions.
In 2009 he began writing for the conservative media criticism blog Big Hollywood, which was founded by Andrew Breitbart
Andrew Breitbart
Andrew Breitbart is an American publisher, commentator for the Washington Times, author, an occasional guest commentator on various news programs who has served as an editor for the Drudge Report website...
. He since created the weekly comic strip "Obama Nation" with comics artist Batton Lash
Batton Lash
Batton Lash is a comic book creator. His art is inspired by Steve Ditko and Charlton Comics horror stories.Since 1979, he has been writing and drawing Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre which first appeared as a weekly newspaper strip in The Brooklyn Paper and The National Law Journal, later...
for Big Hollywood, which is now running on Big Government
Big government
Big government is a term generally used by political conservatives, laissez-faire advocates, or libertarians to describe a government or public sector which they consider to be excessively large, corrupt and inefficient, or inappropriately involved in certain areas of public policy or the private...
and the news media criticism comics strip "Useful Idiots" with comics artist Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...
which runs on Big Journalism.
Awards and recognition
His graphic novel, Sinking, which is the fictional autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of a schizophrenic
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, earned him an Eisner Award
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...
nomination. The Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
translation of Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography won an award in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
for best graphic novel.
Interviews
- Interview with Futureal Studio
- http://web.archive.org/web/20041020024805/www.pulp-mag.com/archives/5.09/interview_hudnall.shtml