John Arcudi is an American
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
writer, best known for his work on ''
The Mask'' and ''
B.P.R.D.'' and his series ''
Major Bummer''.
Early life
Arcudi grew up in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
. He attended
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
as an English major and developed an appreciation for the works of
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
and
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
.
Career
Arcudi worked for
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...
upon its founding in 1986, working on its Eternity line. That same year he started writing for comics, making his first sales to ''
Savage Tales'' and ''
Savage Sword of Conan'' for
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, and becoming a regular contributor to the humor magazine ''
Cracked''.
Arcudi worked on a number of
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
s based on films, including ''
RoboCop
''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...
'', ''
Terminator'', ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'', ''
Alien'', and ''
The Thing''. Two of these graphic works were subsequently adapted as full-length novels published by
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...
. Arcudi's series ''
Barb Wire
file:Barbed Wire Roll.jpg, Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern United States, Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp ...
'', featuring bounty hunter and bartendress Barbara Kopetski, was adapted into a
film of the same name starring
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress, model and media personality. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month. She went on to make regular appearan ...
.
Arcudi also scripted several stories for ''
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...
'', such as the series "The Creep", and the police procedural "Homicide". Arcudi's comics crime fiction also includes several scripts for ''
Batman: The Dark Knight'' and ''
Batman: Black and White''.
For
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
, Arcudi worked on developing the second incarnation of the character ''
The Mask'' first in ''Mayhem'' #1–4, and then in a series of books illustrated by
Doug Mahnke
Douglas Mahnke () is an American comic book artist, known for his work and penciller, penciling books including ''The Mask (comics), The Mask'', ''JLA (comic book), JLA'', ''Batman (comic book), Batman'', ''Final Crisis'', and ''Green Lantern (co ...
. Arcudi's work formed the basis of the
1994 feature film starring
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...
. He later also worked on the spin-off television series. Arcudi and later Mahnke teamed up for several projects following ''The Mask'', including the
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
series ''
Major Bummer'', which focused on a group of ineffectual superheroes.
Arcudi also served as writer on the
Wildstorm Productions
Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC ...
series ''
Gen13'', illustrated by
Gary Frank and
Cam Smith, and during a run on DC's ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...
'', illustrated by
Tan Eng Huat.
Arcudi invented the character Captain Daimio for the series ''
B.P.R.D.'', which he writes with
Mike Mignola. Arcudi had contributed a "B.P.R.D." story to the
Hellboy comic issued in conjunction with the film as a premium from
Wizard Entertainment. Arcudi later wrote a number of separate ''B.P.R.D.'' series.
Arcudi contributed the
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
story to ''
Wednesday Comics''. He also created a graphic novel called ''
A God Somewhere'' with
Peter Snejbjerg providing the art.
Aside from working in the comic media, Arcudi has also worked briefly in animation. He has written two episodes of ''
The Mask: Animated Series'', and one episode of the
motion comics based on the comic ''
Batman Black and White''.
Bibliography
Comics
* ''
Abe Sapien'' (with Mike Mignola)
** ''The Haunted Boy''
** ''The Abyssal Plain'' #1–2
** ''The Devil Does Not Jest'' #1–2
** ''The New Race of Man'' #1–2
** "Subconscious" published in ''Dark Horse Presents'' (2014) #11
* ''
Aliens'': Alchemy #1–3
* ''Aliens: Genocide'' #1–4
* ''Aliens: Stronghold'' #1–4
* ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
'' #25–29, 32–39
* ''
Batman Black and White'' vol. 5 #6 (with James Harren)
* ''Batman: Gotham Nights'' #4, 7
* ''
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #162-63
* ''
B.P.R.D.'' (with Mike Mignola)
** "Born Again" published in ''
Hellboy: Premiere Edition''
** ''The Dead'' #1–5
** ''The Black Flame'' #1–6
** ''The Universal Machine'' #1–5
** ''Garden of Souls'' #1–5
** ''Killing Ground'' #1–5
** "Revival" published in ''MySpace Dark Horse Presents'' #8–9
** ''War on Frogs'' #1–4
** ''The Ectoplasmic Man''
** "Out of Reach" published in ''Free Comic Book Day: Hellboy'' (2008)
** ''The Warning'' #1–5
** ''The Black Goddess'' #1–5
** ''King of Fear'' #1–5
** ''Casualties''
** ''1948'' #1–5
* ''
B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth'' (with Mike Mignola)
** ''New World'' #1–5
** ''Seattle''
** ''Gods'' #1–3
** ''Monsters'' #1–2
** ''Russia'' #1–5
** "An Unmarked Grave" published in ''Dark Horse Presents'' (2011) #8
** ''The Long Death'' #1–3
** ''The Devil's Engine'' #1–3
** ''The Return of the Master'' #1–5
** ''A Cold Day in Hell'' #1–2
** ''Wasteland'' #1–3
** ''Lake of Fire'' #1–5
** ''The Reign of the Black Flame'' #1–5
** ''The Devil's Wings'' #1–2
** ''The Broken Equation'' #1–2
** ''Grind''
** ''Flesh and Stone'' #1–5
** ''Nowhere, Nothing, Never'' #1–3
** ''Modern Prometheus'' #1–2
** ''End of Days'' #1–5
** ''Cometh the Hour'' #1–5
* ''
Barb Wire
file:Barbed Wire Roll.jpg, Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern United States, Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp ...
'' #1–8
* ''Baseball Greats #1: The Jimmy Piersall Story''
* ''Brass'' #1–6
* ''The Creep'' #0–4
* ''Dark Horse Comics'' #1–7, 17–19
* ''
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...
'' (1986) #23–29, 46, 48–49, 53–58, 60–61, 63–64, 115, 122–23, 146–49
* ''
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...
'' (2011) #8, 11–13
* ''
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...
'' (2014) #11, 19–21, 26
* ''Dark Horse Presents Annual'' 1997
* ''Dark Horse Presents: Aliens'' #1
* ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...
'', vol. 3, #1–22
* ''
Excalibur
Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...
'' #104, 105
* ''
Flinch'' #12
* ''
Gen 13'', #25–40
* ''Gen 13: Carny Folk'' #1
* ''
The Goon: Noir'' #2
* ''
Hellboy and the
B.P.R.D.: 1952'' #1–5
* ''
Hellboy: Weird Tales'' #4—"Abe Sapien: Star of the B.P.R.D."
* ''Homicide'' #1
* ''Image+'' (2017) #2
* ''
Justice League of America
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
: Destiny'' #1–4
* ''Justice League of America: Superpower'' #1
* ''Lobo/Mask'' #1–2 (with Alan Grant)
* ''
Lobster Johnson'' (with Mike Mignola)
** ''The Burning Hand'' #1–5
** ''The Prayer of Neferu''
** ''Caput Mortuum''
** ''Satan Smells a Rat''
** ''A Scent of a Lotus'' #1–2
** ''Get the Lobster'' #1–5
** ''A Chain Forged in Life''
** ''The Glass Mantis''
** ''The Forgotten Man''
** ''Metal Monsters of Midtown'' #1–3
** ''Garden of Bones''
** ''The Pirate's Ghost'' #1–3
** ''Mangekyō''
* ''The Machine'' #1–4
* ''
Major Bummer'' #1–15
* ''
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...
'', vol. 2 #5
* ''Mayhem'' #1–4
* ''
The Mask'' #0–4
* ''The Mask Returns'' #1–4
* ''The Mask Strikes Back'' #1–5
* ''Motorhead'' #1
* ''MySpace Dark Horse Presents'' #6, 8–9, 12, 26
* ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
: Big Game'' #1–4
* ''RoboCop: Prime Suspect'' #1–4
* ''RoboCop: Roulette'' #1–4
* ''Rumble'' (2014) #1–15
* ''Rumble'' (2017) #1–17
* ''
Savage Sword of Conan'' #150-52, 158, 165, 182
* ''
Savage Tales'', second series, #5, 7–8
* ''
Silver Sable'' #26
* ''Sledgehammer 44'' (with Mike Mignola)
** ''Sledgehammer 44'' #1–2
** ''Lightning War'' #1–3
* ''
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity
* Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character
* Napoleon Solo, fr ...
'' #2, 6
* ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #38 (cover image only)
* ''Terminator'' #1–4
* ''
The Thing from Another World: Climate of Fear'' #1–4
* ''
Thunderbolts'' #76–81
* ''Total Carnage'' #1–4, 6–10
* ''Walter: Campaign of Terror'' #1–4
* ''
Warlock and the Infinity Watch'' #34–35, 37–40, 42
* ''
What if...?'' Vol. 2, #50
* ''
Wednesday Comics'' #1–12 –
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
(writer), with art by
Lee Bermejo
Lee Bermejo is an American comic book writer and artist whose published work includes interior illustrations and cover art. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Brian Azzarello including '' Lex Luthor: Man of Steel'', the '' Joker ...
. (2009)
* ''Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever'' #1–5 (with Mike Mignola)
Graphic novels
* ''
A God Somewhere'' with
Peter Snejbjerg, published by
WildStorm
Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...
, June 2010, 200 pages, / (New edition)
Collections
Magazines
* ''
Cracked'' (1987)
* ''Monsters Attack!'' (1989)
* ''
The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'' (Winter 2003 Special Edition)
Notes
References
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcudi, John
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American comics writers
Columbia College (New York) alumni
American writers of Italian descent
Writers from Buffalo, New York