140 DAVIS, ALAN
Regan-esque president and fi ghts Russian troops and other communist armies in Th ird
World countries, evoking United States Cold War activities in the Middle East and in
Central and South America. In a moment chillingly prophetic of the September 11th
terrorist attacks, confl icts between the United Sates and its Cold War opponents result
in a plane crashing into one of Gotham City’s twin towers.
Th e artwork of Th e Dark Knight Returns serves as well as the narrative to question
the traditional superhero story. Miller’s stylized penciling, Klaus Johnson’s inking, and
Lynn Varley’s pale coloring suggest the ugly world hidden behind the historically bright
colors and clean lines of comic-book artwork, hinting at a disturbing world always lying
beneath the bright and upright adventures of superheroes.
Miller has written several other Batman stories in the vein of Th e Dark Knight
Returns. His Batman: Year One (1987) retells Batman’s origins, and details his early
successes and mistakes. Th e Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001–2), the sequel to his
original masterpiece, fi nds Batman reuniting the Justice League of America to fi ght
global dictators Lex Luthor and Brainiac. Th e ongoing series All Star Batman and
Robin, which debuted in 2005, reintroduces Robin and seems even more than Batman:
Ye a r O n e to set the stage for the events of Th e Dark Knight Returns and Th e Dark
Knight Strikes Again.
Grant Bain
DAVIS, ALAN (1956 –). Alan Davis is a British comics artist and writer. He is best
known for drawing Marvel UK’s “Captain Britain” strip alongside writer Alan Moore
and for co-creating the X-Men spin-off Excalibur with Chris Claremont. Davis is
renowned for his storytelling skills and his clean, robust pencil style in the mainstream
superhero tradition of John Buscema and Neal Adams.
Davis’s fi rst professional work, pencils and inks for the “Captain Britain” strip, was
published in 1981, in Marvel UK’s Marvel Super Heroes #377. Davis had been recruited
by editor and fellow creator Paul Neary, who became his mentor. In 1982, Davis was
joined on the strip by writer Moore, resulting in a critically acclaimed three-year run.
In 1985, Davis stayed on for a new Captain Britain series, initially written by Jamie
Delano. Between 1982 and 1987, he worked on a number of comics for various Brit-
ish publishers, also providing scripts for some of them. Among others, Davis also drew
the Moore strips “Marvelman” in Quality Comics’ Warrior and “DR & Quinch” in
Fleetway’s 2000AD.
Davis’s fi rst published work in the United States appeared in DC Comics’ Batman
and the Outsiders in 1985. Davis left the series along with writer Mike W. Barr to work on
Detective Comics in 1987, but quit after a few months, later citing “editorial diff erences.”
Davis has since returned to DC for various projects, notably drawing the 1990 special
Batman: Full Circle, writing and drawing the 1998 miniseries JLA: Th e Nail and its 2004
sequel JLA: Another Nail, and illustrating the 2001 miniseries Superboy’s Legion.
Th anks to writer Chris Claremont’s urging, Davis had drawn stray issues of
Marvel’s New Mutants and Uncanny X-Men since 1985. After leaving DC in 1987,
