The Hacker Files is a twelve issue DC Comics mini-series published from August 1992 to July 1993. It was written by Lewis Shiner and illustrated by Tom Sutton. "SoftWar" is the first story in the series in which Jack Marshall (Hacker) deals with a virus infecting the Digitronix computers used by the Pentagon, it had somehow spread over the internet and infected Arpanet (Advanced Research Projects Agency), Securenet (connects to bombers and missiles) and Milnet. Jack compiles an anti-virus and recounts his history with Digitronix after a confrontation with Sutcliffe. He's able to cure the virus everywhere except Cheyenne Mountain which isolated itself the moment a virus was detected. The virus takes over the Cheyenne Mountain system and uses it to begin deploying ICBMs. Jack uncovers a traitor in Cheyenne Mountain who dies while trying to escape, he later stops General Wade Eiling from accidentally launching a nuclear strike on Russia and prevents World War III.
Authors
Born as Mark John Buckingham May 23, 1966 in Clevedon, United Kingdom. He initially started working professionally on strips and illustrations for a British satire magazine called The Truth in 1987 where he first worked with Neil Gaiman illustrating some of his articles. His American debut came the following year as inker on DC Comics Hellblazer, taking over as penciller from issue 18. Some of Mark's earliest (non-professional) work appeared in early issues of the Clevedon Youth CND newsletter in the early 1980s (c.1982/83) in which he saterised members of the group in a fun and amusing manner. Copies of these are now very hard to find, although there a few still known to be in exsistance. He is most famous for his work on Marvelman (Miracleman, in the USA), Hellblazer, and Fables, including a story in the original graphic novel 1001 Nights of Snowfall. His Marvel work includes inking Chris Bachalo's pencils on Generation X, Ghost Rider 2099, and penciling Paul Jenkins' run on Peter Parker: Spider-Man. For DC Comics, Buckingham has inked the two Death miniseries and was the original penciller on the Titans series. In the 1990s Mark shared a studio with Beano and Marvel artist Kev F Sutherland, working together on Marvel's Star Trek and Dr Strange. During the Vert-igo Voices: Fables Forum panel at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, Fables creator and writer Willingham-Bill announced that he and Buckingham will switch roles in an up-coming one-off, for Fables issue #100. Buckingham will write and Willingham-Bill will illustrate.[4] He was married in Gijón, Spain in August 2006 to journalist and TV newscaster Irma Page. His best man was Neil Gaiman.[5] Buckingham currently resides in Spain.
