Comic writer James Hudnall passed away this week, according to a Facebook post by his sister; he was 61.  Hudnall had been active in comics since the mid-80s, when his first published work, Espers, was released by Eclipse Comics.  He wrote for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and helped found the Ultraverse for Malibu Comics.

The Harris Publications comic Harsh Realm, which Hudnall co-created with Andrew Paquette, was developed into a TV series by X-Files producer Chris Carter and aired for one season beginning Fall 1999.

In addition to his work in comics, Hudnall worked in web development and wrote for the Andrew Brietbart blog Big Hollywood, which eventually became Brietbart News.

We saw Hudnall at a recent San Diego Comic-Con and shared our memories of the Deadline magazine launch party we’d attended together in London in the 80s.  He had lost his right leg to diabetes (he got support for the prosthetic from Hero Initiative and other sources), but remained fully engaged in the day and the conversation.

Most recently, Hudnall had been working on a crowdfunded comic, Agenda, with Matt Cossin.