James Vance was born on April 2, 1953. His introduction into comics writing came in 1988, with his Kitchen Sink-published Kings in Disguise, later available from WW Norton with an introduction by the legendary Alan Moore, who calls it:

"One of the most moving and compelling human stories to emerge out of the graphic story medium."

This work, with art by Dan Burr, earned both a Harvey Award and an Eisner Award (both 1989) for best new series, as well as another Eisner Award for best single issue/story (also 1989). It also made the list of the one hundred best comic book stories of all time.

He also wrote Neil Gaiman's Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man for Tekno Comix in the mid-1990s, and was co-editor of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls as originally serialised by Kitchen Sink Press. He has also contributed scripts towards comics featuring The Crow, and the Dark Horse Comics-published licenced properties Aliens and Predator.

Comics work includes:

• Kings in Disguise (1988)
• Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man (1995)
• Aliens: Survival (Dark Horse, 1998)
• Predator: Homeworld (Dark Horse, 1999)
• Sizzle #28-30, 32, 34-35, 38 (Neurotica, NBM Publishing, 2005—2008)

In addition to his 1989 Eisner and Harvey Awards wins (with Dan Burr), Vance was also a 1990 Eisner-nominee with Burr for Kings in Disguise, and a 1991-nominee as best writer.