Legendary Judge Dredd co-creator and well known Batman writer Alan Grant has died at 73

Alan Grant had a long and successful comics career, which has spanned more than five decades and includes acclaimed runs on several Batman and Judge Dredd titles. He started writing romance comics in the ’60s and he later teamed up with John Wagner to work on it Tarzan and 2000 AD for IPC Comics. After working on numerous horror/sci-fi titles, Grant and Wagner wrote together Judge Dreddon which Grant worked extensively in the 1980s.

In the 80’s Grant declared himself an anarchist and even wrote one Batman Sidekick Anarky, hoping to spread his political views through his art. According to an interview with Planeta DeAgostini, an Italian comics publisher, Grant expected Anarky to take on the role of Robin, but Tim Drake, the third Robin, was already in development. He tried to buy the rights to Anarky, but DC Comics refused.



According to the Planeta DeAgostini interview, one of his favorite Batman stories is the fight between Batman and Etrigan. “Batman is forced to fight Etrigan in the final part of the series, even though he knows the fight can only end one way….atman’s own death. But Etrigan changes his mind and gives a little speech to Batman: “I like you man. I like your ways. I wonder what power moves your bile. eh? What dark demon drives you to fight when even hope is gone? Cheer. It’s over. Go your own way – free. ‘Cause there’s something deep inside you, man, that’s a lot like me!”

In 1992, Grant received an Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic-Con International. According to that 2000 AD Website: “He continued to work for 2000 AD mainly in the 1990s Anderson, Psi Deptwhere his partnership with artist Arthur Ranson has produced incredibly beautiful stories such as shamballa and Satanand the three-volume series labyrinth worldinspired by three months he spent in prison for possession of half a pill of LSD in 1969.”
Although Alan was ill for some time, he continued to write. His last work for 2000 AD was a Judge Anderson Story in 2018 and a war story in the Battle special in 2020.
More info about Alan Grant here

I'd somehow managed to completely forget his Demon series!!