UK Comic Book Legend Alan Grant Passes Aged 73

Comic book legend Alan Grant has passed away at his home this morning aged 73. His wife, Sue Grant, posted to Facebook “I have no words. Alan died this morning.”

Grant featured heavily in the seventies and eighties as a writer on 2000 AD and later on DC Comics’ Detective Comics where he co-created longstanding Batman characters Anarky, Ratcatcher and the Ventriloquist. While at DC Comics he wrote for a number of titles. L.E.G.I.O.N., The Demon and more.

Born in Bristol on 9th February 1949, it wasn’t too long until he moved with his family to Scotland where he spent his younger years before heading to London, then heading back to Scotland and Dundee where he met John Wagner.

Before this Grant worked on romance comics in the sixties and teamed up withWagner for Tarzan before co-writing many a Judge Dredd with Wagner too. Including the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover illustrated by Simon Bisley.

Over the course of his writing career he wrote not just for comic but other medium too, including novels (Kidnapped), animation (Action Man) and helped create, again with Wagner, Rok of the Reds which saw artist Dan Cornwall get his big break.

As a young comic book reader of the late eighties, he seemed to be everywhere, and a huge part of my own comic book education. I was fortunate enough to have interviewed him twice and saw his dry, sly wit up close and personal. He will be missed by many a fan and my thoughts go out to his surviving family and many, many friends.

Alan Grant (9 February 1949 – 21 July 2022)