Alan Grant, whose work on Batman in the late ‘80s and ‘90s helped define the character for a generation, has passed away. His passing was announced this morning on Facebook by his wife, Sue, early Thursday morning.
Grant’s comics career began in 1967 as an editor for Scottish publisher DC Thomson. Several years later, he met John Wagner, who too had worked for the publisher, and together they began a writing partnership that spanned decades.
Soon, Grant’s work with Wagner on the comic strip Starlord (not to be confused with the Marvel character of the same name) led to an editorial position in 2000 AD, which became his main concern throughout the latter half of the ‘70s and much of the ‘80s. With Wagner, Grant co-wrote Judge Dredd for many years, delivering some of the character’s most iconic storylines, such as “The Apocalypse War.”
By the late ‘80s, the so-called British Invasion of Comics was in full swing, and impresarios such as Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Peter Milligan, and Neil Gaiman were reinventing comics for a new era. Grant was swept up in this movement and soon found himself (at first alongside Wagner but eventually as a solo writer) in the enviable position of writing the highly-coveted Detective Comics title and helping chart Batman’s path post-Crisis. With artist Norm Breyfogle, Grant greatly expanded Batman’s world, including villains Mr. Zsasz and the Ventriloquist, antihero Anarky, and introducing Tim Drake as Robin.
Grant’s Batman career eventually segued to the eponymous Batman title, along with Breyfogle, launching the then-unheard of fourth monthly Bat title, Shadow of the Bat, in 1992. He was also a key figure in crafting the “Knightfall” trilogy, in which Batman’s back was broken, and antihero Azrael temporarily replaced him. He would continue to serve the Bat-office well in subsequent crossovers “Contagion,” “Legacy,” and “Cataclysm.”
Grant continued to work at DC through the rest of the ‘90s and into the early 2000s, with works including Lobo, The Demon, and DC’s half of the Batman/Spawn crossover.
After the turn of the century, Grant turned his attention back to Scottish and British publications and animation. He remained active in 2000 AD circles and published two novels, The Stone King and Last Sons.
Alan Grant’s legacy in comics cannot be overstated. For a generation of fans, his work with Norm Breyfogle set the standard and tone for Batman stories. Heavily steeped in the detective side of the character’s biography, Grant’s stories seamlessly blended mystery, high adventure, and the macabre, all brilliantly brought to life by Breyfogle’s unique, impactful art.
He leaves behind a legacy of work that few could aspire to, much less match. In an industry where careers can come and go seemingly overnight, Alan Grant sustained a legacy across four-plus decades and contributed hundreds of cherished stories.
Rest in power, Alan Grant.