Looking Back with Alan Davis
Alan Davis is an acclaimed comic-book writer, artist, and storyteller. He first began working in British comics in 1980 for Marvel UK (Captain Britain), Warrior (Marvelman), and 2000 AD (Harry Twenty on the High Rock and D.R. & Quinch). His first U.S. work came from DC Comics in 1985 with Batman and the Outsiders, which brought him to enormous recognition within the comics community.
High points since that time have included some of the most famous and pivotal books in American comics over the past 20 years: Detective Comics, Excalibur, Clandestine, JLA: The Nail, various X-Men books, Superboy’s Legion, The Avengers, Killraven, Fantastic Four: The End, and Thor: The Truth of History. Not a bad body of work at all. Here, Alan Davis opens up about his career and a life spent in comics.
I want to begin by asking you where you were born and how visible and accessible comic books were to you during your childhood.
I was born in a small town in the Midlands, England. British comics were available in newsagents and U.S. comics would appear intermittently at a local market book stall—where they had been traded by U.S. airmen from a nearby base.
What about them first captured your interest and imagination?
The infinite possibility.
Do you remember the first comic you ever read?
Not specifically. Comics were just part of life. In the ’60s and early ’70s, there were no videos or computers and little good TV for kids, so entertainment was a book, a ball, or a comic.
When did you first begin drawing?
Again, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.
How did you break into the comic industry, initially?
Sheer luck. I had made contact with Mike Conroy and Les Chester, who ran a small fanzine, Fantasy Forum, and they introduced me to Paul Neary, then editor-in-chief of Marvel UK. At the time, he was looking for someone cheap to work on a relaunch of Captain Britain.
Then you began working on Captain Britain and 2000 AD, collaborating with Alan Moore…
A not uncommon misapprehension thanks to those intent on rewriting history, but I was working on Captain Britain for 18 months before Alan Moore took over from Dave Thorpe. Dave and Paul Neary devised most of the Captain Britain concepts. Paul was mentor to all of the Marvel UK creators—none of us had any professional experience and he taught us all, artists and writers, many of the basics.
What can you tell me about your tenure on Marvelman? Did you know that the series would enjoy so much success with audiences?
Sadly, my memories of the creative process have been tainted by the petty politics, inflated egos, and, ultimately, the fact my Marvelman work was published against my wishes by Eclipse comics. The fact that I was never paid is secondary to the fact people I trusted behaved so shabbily.
How did you come to work on Batman and the Outsiders for DC Comics?
I met Dick Giordano when DC made its second headhunting expedition to the U.K. I was originally assigned to draw an Aquaman miniseries, but after handing in the first issue of Aquaman pencils, I was asked to move onto the higher-profile Batman and the Outsiders.
What did you most like about the book’s concept and about working on Batman and the Outsiders?
I was intimidated because I was a huge Jim Aparo fan [Aparo had been the original artist on the series], but Mike Barr, writer and editor, was a great guy to work with. He taught me a lot.
What can you tell me about the creative synergy between yourself and Mike?
Mike was the most visual writer I ever collaborated with. He worked full script and nine times out of ten his panel descriptions were spot on and easy to draw—but if I had a better idea for a layout, scene, or even a story alteration, Mike would welcome the input.
Your work with Mike on Batman and the Outsiders enjoyed almost immediate success among North American audiences. I remember reading these issues as they came out here in Canada. Your artwork was gorgeous, month in and month out, consistently. What can you tell me about your art style? How would you describe it?
I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had only been working in comics for 18 months fulltime (the first few years I had kept down a regular job and the comic work was a hobby), and I had no formal art education. Also, I was still drawing Captain Britain when I started on Batman and the Outsiders—so I was producing around 36 pages of pencils and inks, plus plots and writing on the later Captain Britain, so it was a frantic time and a steep learning curve.
When you first began reading comics, who were your favorite artists?
The ones I’m most conscious of are Neal Adams, Frank Bellamy, Gil Kane, Nestor Redondo, Jesus Blasco, and Steve Ditko…to name a very few.
How long did it typically take you to create a page for Batman and the Outsiders? Do you work at a faster or slower pace now, or about the same?
I’d pencil and ink between one or two pages a day. The pace was much faster then because comics were about story, so there wasn’t as much emphasis on illustrative finish as there is nowadays.
Batman and the Outsiders was cocreated by legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo. I’ve always felt that Aparo should be widely celebrated because his contributions to the Batman universe were, and are, just so enormous. What made Aparo a truly great Batman artist, in your estimation?
Although I’m a big Neal Adams fan, I hadn’t seen his work on Batman until after I was working on Batman and the Outsiders, so I regarded Jim Aparo as the definitive Batman artist. In retrospect, I could see Jim Aparo had been influenced by Neal Adams, but there were a lot of elements that were pure Jim Aparo. Certain physical distortions and forms that gave his Batman a power and grace that was unique (likewise, his Aquaman and Spectre). Jim Aparo was a massively underrated artist.
In 1986, you began working on Detective Comics, again teaming up with writer Mike W. Barr—the late 1980s were an exciting time to be a Batman fan! What are your memories of the transition and of working on Detective generally?
I always enjoyed working with Mike and I regard him as one of the very best Batman writers, but the editor on Detective was constantly unavailable. That is, he never answered his phone, and as I was based in the U.K., that was my only contact with the office. I got more and more frustrated as the problems mounted, and I quit halfway through the run.
The cover of Detective Comics #575 featured Batman holding up a revolver. What can you tell me about that cover?
It was Mike’s idea and fun to do, but the final version of the cover was unsatisfactory due to changes necessitated by the previously mentioned editorial oversights.
At that point in your career, what did you envision for the future?
I didn’t have a goal. I have always taken things one day at a time.
In 1987, you moved to Marvel Comics, working on The New Mutants and Excalibur. Were there any differences for you after the jump, in terms of the professional culture at Marvel versus DC?
Marvel and DC are corporate structures. When I work on a book, I relate to the editor and writer and ignore the rest. Chris Claremont had actually asked me to pencil X-Men shortly after I agreed to pencil Batman and the Outsiders and had kept in regular contact, offering me other X-projects. Excalibur was set to be my next job after Detective, but when I quit Detective early, Marvel gave me the fill-in annuals. Chris made the transition to Marvel very easy. He was a great collaborator, and I learned a lot from him. And some time later, Terry Kavanagh became my editor and a good friend—so it was a good move.
At what point did you first become interested in undertaking both writing and drawing?
I always had regarded myself as a writer/artist. I wrote some of the original Captain Britain run and plotted a lot more. When I moved into U.S. comics, the idea of writing a 22-page comic a month was daunting and I didn’t try until Terry Kavanagh encouraged me to take on Excalibur as writer/artist.
What’s the process you undertake? Do you write a plot and begin drawing?
My plots are dialogue-heavy and light on visual description but are close to being full script, as opposed to Marvel-style plots.
What makes a great superhero comic book?
A great character in a great story.
In what ways has the superhero concept changed over time?
Sadly, the bulk of comics have chased the aging readership and comics have become more “mature.”
How did you come to work on the Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics in 1988?
I heard that the assigned artist had let Marvel down at the eleventh hour, so I asked Bob Harras if he would like me to pencil three fill-in issues. Bob had offered me the Fantastic Four book to write and draw two years previously, and I liked the idea of at least doing two or three issues while there was a chance. The FF are great characters.
Regarding JLA: The Nail: I read this miniseries, which you wrote and drew, as it was released, and my immediate thought was, “Alan Davis absolutely loves superheroes!” Please tell me what inspired this work.
The comics from my youth and the desire to recapture the sense of wonder I felt in my youth and share it with a modern generation.
I want to ask you about your relationships with Paul Neary and Mark Farmer. What can you tell me about your collaborations with them over the years?
Paul was my mentor, and a successful writer/artist in his own right, and I had never collaborated with an inker previously, so we both learned a lot. Mark was a friend and seasoned inker when we began to work together. Mark is a terrific inker but also dedicated to making my pencils work, and he never skimps.
You were discussing a moment ago how comic books and superheroes had inspired your imagination throughout your formative years. What sparks your imagination now, after working professionally within the industry for almost three decades?
I really don’t know. I’m focused on the job at hand with no thought of the future. When I finish the story arc, get bored, or move on, I usually find some new challenge is waiting.
The best comic book you’ve ever read? Do you have a personal favorite?
That’s impossible to answer. The last time I was emotionally involved in a story was the Claremont/Byrne Dark Phoenix saga. As for my own work, I’m never satisfied with the final job. Killraven came the closest to my original conception.
I don’t have a view from the inside, but from the outside looking in, I would imagine that you could work on any comic-book property that you might like at this point. What influences your choices regarding what books that you opt to work on at this stage?
If I have an idea for a good story.
