My interview with Alan Grant was so successful that I thought I would continue the conversation, with talk of the latest DREDD movie, the future of LOBO and his work with John Wagner. We also discuss new and upcoming material and the possibility of another Batman/Dredd crossover following the success of the recently compiled novel.
So here it is! And don’t forget, you read it here first…
Dylan: Have you ever looked at certain comic-book characters and thought to yourself, “man, I could write some killer plots for them!”?
Alan- I guess I’ve been lucky –I’ve been able to write the characters I like best, Although I’ve written quite a few that I don’t like over the years . Recently my 14-year-old grandson showed me a Marvel comic featuring a guy called Deadpool –I wouldn’t mind writing someone like him.
Dylan: Judge Anderson played a prominent role in the latest on-screen adaptation of DREDD, what are your thoughts on that and the movie over-all?
Alan – I actually went to the cinema to see it, for the first time in 5 or 6 years. I enjoyed the movie, but didn’t think it was sufficiently DREDD-IAN. I understand there were budget restraints, but I’d like to have seen more of the city and its weird inhabitants. Instead, it came across as a futuristic buddy-bonding tale.
However, it was considerably better than the Stallone version, which had money thrown at everything except for a decent script. The only thing in the recent movie that really jarred with me was towards the end, when the four rogue judges were brought in to take down DREDD . We established in the comics long ago that there were indeed rogue judges, but they were few and far between-so much so that they merited stories of their own. To get four together is a bit of a… mistake.
Dylan: Fans have rallied together in the masses to sign the petition for a DREDD sequel… So what are the chances?
Alan – I’ve no idea. I’m completely out of the loop. But I’d like to see a follow-up. I was in Mexico City when the DREDD movie was showing there, and the Mexican fans seemed to have enjoyed it immensely.
Dylan: You have worked closely with John Wagner for many years now, so will we be getting another Batman/Judge Dredd crossover, or any other crossover comics/novels in the future?
Alan – John and I never lived more than 20 miles from eachother, so it was easy to get together for work everyday. But now there are 350 miles between us –I’m in Scotland and he’s in the west of England. We’re still working together occasionally – most recently on Randy Truckers in Space, though the publisher might well insist on a title-change. We’re also in talks with a couple of companies regarding a Bogie Man hardback collection, and possibly a Bogie mini series.
I haven’t heard anything about possible Dredd/Batman team-ups but the previous ones all sold well, so I wouldn’t be surprised if another appears.
Dylan: We don’t see enough of LOBO these days! And it’s a damn shame… I think he should find a new home over at 2000AD, he would fit right in…
Alan – Yeah, I think maybe LOBO was always a 2000AD character – violence and humour, the eternal partnership. I’ve heard that DC have made a couple of (botched) attempts to re-introduce him to the comics, but haven’t come up with a fitting writer.
It’s funny how publishers work. When DC cancelled the LOBO monthly title, it was selling twice as many in Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico, Argentina, Spain itself) as in the U.S. I put in a proposal that would have first seen LOBO published in Spanish-speaking countries, and then put out in the States a couple of months later as a reprint comic. But the vice president just said “We don’t do things like that at DC”, and that was that.
Dylan: Finally how would you sum up your legacy for all those with a real interest in real comics in the generations that follow…
I’ve never, ever thought about my “legacy”. I just write comics. If future generations enjoy them as much as the current generation, I’ll be a happy guy.
Dylan: Great answer! It’s been an honour to have such an intriguing and revealing talk with you, and I’m sure we will catch up sometime in the near future to discuss more of your work, and unique style as a comic-creator…
The more I think about it, I really feel that LOBO belongs to 2000AD… In fact I feel another petition coming on, anyone?
By Dylan Butcher 