11th: So who actually owns the rights to the comic?

Hudnall: Well, it's a very complex thing, and this is why it burns so much. The main bulk of our lawsuit is against the publisher. The Fox thing is just over the credits. In the comic industry, you have a problem with deals, especially at the time that this was done, that the rights are tied up by a publisher. So even though you theoretically own it, they have control of the rights.
   This deal allowed us to get our rights back, and ironically, the year that we get them back is this year, but only on the condition that Harris doesn't agree to continue the comic book in some form that we accept. We told them that we wanted the rights back this year. And they dicked around and they really lost the rights, as far as we're concerned, but we're going to court to make sure that that's official. We know that these guys are so weaselly that they will try to get around that.

11th: It seems strange that people would try to get away with this kind of thing, when the details of who is entitled to credit are so widely known.

Hudnall: Oh yeah, believe me, I've gotten tons of sympathy e-mail from people that I've never talked to in my life, people who didn't even read the comic or really know who I was. But they heard about the comic, and they're shocked. A lot of people are shocked. Carter is doing himself a great disservice by not giving us a credit. I'm sure he really understands that by doing that, he's making himself look incredibly bad. I would never do that, even if I was an egomaniac I wouldn't do that, because I'm not stupid.

11th: It seems very audacious.

Hudnall: Yeah. I don't know him, I've never talked to him, but I don't hear too many good things about the guy. He's somebody who made good with a show which was really not that original.

11th: It also wasn't just him. There were people like Howard Gordon, or Glen Morgan and James Wong.

Hudnall: Yeah those guys -- those were the guys who made it work. The episodes that they wrote, they had those elements that everyone thinks of as the great X-Files elements. And now that they're missing, those elements are gone. But they're really the ones who came up with that whole inner monologue thing, where Mulder goes off on these long, esotericmonologues. They're the ones who came up with the Lone Gunmen, I believe.

11th: They came up with many of the supporting characters.

Hudnall: Carter just likes to take credit for other people's work. Which is nothing new, a lot of people do that. But he shouldn't get away with it, and I'm not someone who will let him get away with it. I just don't care. I mean, I want a career in Hollywood, but I don't want anyone to step on me either.

11th: What are you seeking from the lawsuit? Are you looking to settle?

Hudnall: If they settle, and give us credit, then they're out of the suit. That's all they have to do. It's not a big money thing, they just have to give us a credit. If they do, then, fine. They should have done this in the first place. I talked to Carter's agent months ago, and said, "Look, if you don't give me credit, there's going to be a problem."

11th: When did you find out he was not going to give you credit?

Hudnall: I saw a copy of the pilot around July. In the front credits, which weren't on the credits that they aired, it says "Created by Chris Carter" in huge letters. There is no mention of the comic. I knew he was going to do that, I just knew it. I just had that vibe. Because when people don't talk to you, and they don't answer your messages, you know they're planning to screw you.
   It really hurts. It's rude, but not only that, I was a fan. It's like getting abused by your dad or something. Somebody that you respect, that you think is good, and then they abuse you. And that's what I consider it, is abuse.