P. J. Holden
Encyclopedia
Paul Jason Holden is a Northern Irish comic
artist
based in Belfast
.
He has worked for 2000 AD, Warhammer Monthly
, and Judge Dredd Megazine
. Among other stories for these publications, he has provided the art for Rogue Trooper
, Judge Dredd
and Johnny Woo.
in 1997 (Holy Cross #3) with Malachy Coney
and provided art for a story with Mike Carey from Caliber
in 1997.
Not professionally published again until 2000 AD (Judge Dredd
"Sino-Cit") in 2001 - has been working professionally since. This work has included further stints on Judge Dredd and most recently becoming the main artist on The 86ers
, taking over for the third instalment of the first story.
He has a long history within the British small press comics
, amongst other things providing the early covers for FutureQuake
, and this has continued until today with his providing forums to small press publishers on his Pencil Monkey message board. He has recently collected all his small press work into a single volume, Previously.
Holden got his break into the American comic book market with the Image Comics
, mini-series
Fearless
.
Holden has also formed Infurious Comics a company aiming to produce mobile comic
s for the iPhone
and iPod Touch
and he helped design the Comic Reader App to facilitate this, which the BBC highlighted as one of "four pioneering web innovations". He has also provided the art for their first comic Murderdrome
, written by Al Ewing
. Although this was banned by Apple for violent content, the publicity raised the profile of Comic Reader App, which resulted in NBC
licensing it for their Heroes
comics. This led the BBC to suggest "Mr Holden and his colleagues may have accidentally hit upon what could be the future of comic book publishing.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
based in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
.
He has worked for 2000 AD, Warhammer Monthly
Warhammer Monthly
Warhammer Monthly was a comics anthology published by Games Workshop's publishing arm, Black Library, from March 1998 to December 2004, running to 86 issues in total. The final two issues were published bi-monthly under the name Warhammer Comic...
, and Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
. Among other stories for these publications, he has provided the art for Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
, Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
and Johnny Woo.
Biography
First published by FantagraphicsFantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
in 1997 (Holy Cross #3) with Malachy Coney
Malachy Coney
Malachy Coney is a comics writer and cartoonist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Ardoyne in the north of the city.-Biography:Coney's first notable comics work was a two-episode installment of Third World War, "A Symphony of Splintered Wood", co-written with Pat Mills and painted by...
and provided art for a story with Mike Carey from Caliber
Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
in 1997.
Not professionally published again until 2000 AD (Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
"Sino-Cit") in 2001 - has been working professionally since. This work has included further stints on Judge Dredd and most recently becoming the main artist on The 86ers
The 86ers
The 86ers is a 2000 AD comic story set in the Rogue Trooper universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.The story stars G.I. pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe...
, taking over for the third instalment of the first story.
He has a long history within the British small press comics
British small press comics
British small press comics, once known as stripzines, are comic books self-published by amateur cartoonists and comic book creators, usually in short print runs, in the UK. A "small press comic" is essentially a zine composed predominantly of comic strips. The term emerged in the early 1980s to...
, amongst other things providing the early covers for FutureQuake
FutureQuake
FutureQuake is a British small press comic book founded by Arthur Wyatt, and edited from issue 5 onwards by Richmond Clements, David Evans, Mark Woodland and Edward Berridge. Issue 4 was edited by Clements, Evans and James Mackay...
, and this has continued until today with his providing forums to small press publishers on his Pencil Monkey message board. He has recently collected all his small press work into a single volume, Previously.
Holden got his break into the American comic book market with the Image Comics
Image 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...
, mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Fearless
Fearless (comics)
Fearless is four-issue limited series is written by Mark Sable and David Roth, with art by PJ Holden, and is published by Image Comics.The seris is the story of Adam Rygert, a superhero who must depend on an anti-fear drug to keep his crippling anxiety at bay.-External links:*, Comics Radar,...
.
Holden has also formed Infurious Comics a company aiming to produce mobile comic
Mobile comic
A mobile comic is a digital comic or cartoon strip that can be purchased, downloaded, read and sometimes edited or shared with friends via mobile phones.- Overview :...
s for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and he helped design the Comic Reader App to facilitate this, which the BBC highlighted as one of "four pioneering web innovations". He has also provided the art for their first comic Murderdrome
Murderdrome
Murderdrome is the title of a mobile comic created by Al Ewing and PJ Holden. It is an ironic pastiche of certain British 'boys adventure' comics of the late seventies, particularly Action...
, written by Al Ewing
Al Ewing
Al Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the five-page Future Shocks format for 2000AD...
. Although this was banned by Apple for violent content, the publicity raised the profile of Comic Reader App, which resulted in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
licensing it for their Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
comics. This led the BBC to suggest "Mr Holden and his colleagues may have accidentally hit upon what could be the future of comic book publishing.
Comics
Comics work includes:- Fantagraphics (with Malachy ConeyMalachy ConeyMalachy Coney is a comics writer and cartoonist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Ardoyne in the north of the city.-Biography:Coney's first notable comics work was a two-episode installment of Third World War, "A Symphony of Splintered Wood", co-written with Pat Mills and painted by...
):- Holy Cross #3
- The Moon Looked Down and Laughed with
- The DandyLion
- "Suicide Kings" (with Mike Carey, Caliber ComicsCaliber ComicsCaliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
, 1997) - Mega-City OneMega-City OneMega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
: "The Burning Red" (with Simon SpurrierSimon SpurrierSimon Spurrier is a British comics writer, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller and an art director for the BBC.Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write his own series for 2000 AD, like Lobster Random, Bec & Kawl, The Simping Detective and Harry...
, in ZarjazZarjazZarjaz is a comics anthology fanzine for the long-running British science fiction comic 2000 AD.-Publication history:Zarjaz was started in 2001 by Andrew J Lewis and ran for four issues. The fanzine contained comic strips based on various 2000 AD characters and also ran an in-depth interview with...
(vol. 1) #1, 2001)
- Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
:- "Sino-Town" (with Gordon RennieGordon RennieGordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
, in 2000 AD #1233, 2001) - "Unnatural Selection" (with Alan Grant, in 2000 AD #1278, 2002)
- "Waiting" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1312, 2002)
- "Meet the Flooks" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1359, 2003)
- "Dead Man Walking" (with Jonathan ClementsJonathan ClementsJonathan Clements is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi , as well as monthly opinion columns for Neo magazine...
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#226, 2004) - "The Magnificent Umbersons" (with Gordon Rennie, in Judge Dredd Megazine #235, 2005)
- "Warzone" (with John WagnerJohn WagnerJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine #240-243, 2006) - "House of Pain" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1488-1490, 2006)
- "Sanctuary" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1495, 2006)
- "On Campus" (with John Wagner, in 2000 AD #1522, 2007)
- "It Came From Bea Arthur Block" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1637-1639, 2009)
- "Tour of Duty: Interlude" (with John Wagner, in 2000 AD #1656, 2009)
- "Sino-Town" (with Gordon Rennie
- Tharg's Future ShocksFuture ShocksFuture Shocks is the name given to a long running series of short strips in the weekly comic 2000 AD in 1977. The name originates in a book titled Future Shock, written by Alvin Toffler, published in 1970.-Publishing history:...
:- "Alpha Team" (with Simon Spurrier, in 2000 AD #1262, 2001)
- "Skeleton Key" (with Richard McTighe, in 2000 AD #1276, 2002)
- "Autocrats Anonymous" (with Jaspre Bark, in 2000 AD #1370, 2003)
- Rogue TrooperRogue TrooperRogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
: "Realpolitik" (with Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1380-1385, 2004) - "The Cut Above" (in FutureQuakeFutureQuakeFutureQuake is a British small press comic book founded by Arthur Wyatt, and edited from issue 5 onwards by Richmond Clements, David Evans, Mark Woodland and Edward Berridge. Issue 4 was edited by Clements, Evans and James Mackay...
#2, 2004) - Johnny Woo: "A Bullet In The Head" (with Gordon Rennie, in Judge Dredd Megazine #231-233, 2005)
- Origins of the CadreThe CadreThe Cadre is a comic book created by Mat Nastos and published by Nifty Comics.- Plot :Deep within the mountains of Empire City, an ancient power has awakened, and it is up to six unlikely heroes to band together and save the city from the monster known as Monolith...
#2 (with Mat Nastos and Andrew Pellerito, Nifty ComicsNifty ComicsNifty Comics is a comic book publishing company founded in 1995 by film, television and comic book veteran, Mat Nastos. In 2005, Nifty Comics released its first feature length DVD film, Bite Me, Fanboy.-External links:* *...
, 2005)
- The 86ersThe 86ersThe 86ers is a 2000 AD comic story set in the Rogue Trooper universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.The story stars G.I. pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe...
:- "Touchdown" (with writer Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1482-1485, 2006)
- "Interference" (with writer Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1508-1510, 2006)
- "Walking to Eternity" (with writer Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD prog 2007, 2006)
- "Grendel" (with writer Gordon Rennie, in 2000 AD #1544-1549, 2007)
- "Under Pressure" (with writer Arthur WyattArthur Wyatt (comics)Arthur Wyatt is a writer for British comic 2000 AD, creating stories mostly in the Future Shock format. Wyatt was also selected as one of 2005's five best new comic book writers, contributing to the 2000AD Winter Special....
, in 2000 AD #1625-1630, 2009)
- FearlessFearless (comics)Fearless is four-issue limited series is written by Mark Sable and David Roth, with art by PJ Holden, and is published by Image Comics.The seris is the story of Adam Rygert, a superhero who must depend on an anti-fear drug to keep his crippling anxiety at bay.-External links:*, Comics Radar,...
(with Mark SableMark SableMark Sable , is an American writer for stage, screen, and comic books.-Biography:Sable has a B.A. in English from Duke University, an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a J.D from The University of Southern California Law School...
and Dave Roth, Image ComicsImage ComicsImage 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...
, 20072007 in comics-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
-2008) - Dead Signal (with Al EwingAl EwingAl Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the five-page Future Shocks format for 2000AD...
, in 2000 AD #1581-1587, 2008) - MurderdromeMurderdromeMurderdrome is the title of a mobile comic created by Al Ewing and PJ Holden. It is an ironic pastiche of certain British 'boys adventure' comics of the late seventies, particularly Action...
(with Al Ewing, mobile comicMobile comicA mobile comic is a digital comic or cartoon strip that can be purchased, downloaded, read and sometimes edited or shared with friends via mobile phones.- Overview :...
, 2008) - BattlefieldsBattlefields (comics)Battlefields is a comic book metaseries written by Garth Ennis, comprising three mini-series, each illustrated by a different artist and published by Dynamite Entertainment.-Publication history:...
: Happy Valley (with Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
, Dynamite EntertainmentDynamite EntertainmentDynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
, 2010, forthcoming)
Interviews
- Interview with Richmond Clements at 2000adreview.co.uk