Known for his work on Batman, Judge Dredd, the news of Alan Grant’s death is a blow to comic fans everywhere.
Alan Grant was best known for his work on Batman, Judge Dredd, where he brought a grounded-in-reality approach to the beloved characters. The saddening news was first reported by the late Alan Grant’s wife, Sue, on Facebook this morning saying “I have no words. Alan died this morning.” And if Michael Jordan was born to play basketball, Alan Grant was born to write comics.
Grant was a pioneer in an industry that has immense staying power for over half a century. His beginnings in comics were humble enough with first starting work on the science-fiction anthology comic series 2000AD, but before that, he was a simple daily horoscope columnist according to the 2000AD website. With Grant’s undeniable sense of satire and humour, this became a competition with fellow writers.
…he and fellow sub-editors John Hodgman and John Wagner would compete to see who could write the most ridiculous predictions. ‘It got worse and worse,’ Grant told the Judge Dredd Megazine in 2008.
– 2000AD Website
Grant was also able to extend his budding influence near the beginning of his career by not only working as an editor in the 1970s but recognizing and encouraging new writers whom he believed could do the thing. One such instance is with then unknown writer, Alan Moore‘s script being unearthed during excavations through the 2000AD submissions pile.
From such humble beginnings to the prolific talent that is seen and read in comics everywhere, Alan Grant used his influence to inspire other writers to be great this way, advancing the industry far. There is huge support online for the loss of the icon, and by just searching Alan Grant on Twitter you can find an outpouring of grief over the loss.
The comic book industry will surely mourn the loss of a legend, but his legacy will live on through his iconic works that inspired the imagination of many.
