Batman writer brings village’s superheroes to the rescue
A COMIC book writer who chronicled the adventures of Batman has swapped Gotham City for a remote Scottish village to illustrate the local fight against Covid-19 and help the rural economy.
Alan Grant, who has worked for internationally celebrated DC and Marvel Comics, has lent his pen to the locked-down community in Moniaive and helped his fellow villagers produce their own heroic strips.
Scores of locals from children to pensioners have joined him to tell the story of how this “amazing” spot in Dumfries and Galloway has hit back against coronavirus. Funds raised from selling the work will go to Revitalise Moniaive, which is intended to help start an economic “fightback” after lockdown, similar to the financial recovery the community achieved after the 2001 foot-andmouth crisis.
The vibrant pages Moniaive Fights Back show the malevolent cartoon virus plotting to despoil the community, and the daily rituals of video calls, deliveries and lockdown entertainment holding the ultimately victorious village together. Grant was urged by his wife Sue to swap Batman and Judge Dredd for more local heroes in a new comic, which will have to be reprinted due to overwhelming demand for the initial run.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Grant told The Daily Telegraph. “And I can’t fault the artwork.
“We’ve had contributions from villagers from four years old to 88, and they’ve done an amazing job. The comic really is a treat.” Locals contributed panels to the 16-page work, which Mr Grant wrote with his experience of working for international titles. His friends in the comic community, some as far away as Colombia, have already ordered their copies. “We’re going to have to order a reprint,” Mrs Grant said. “Lockdown has been a nightmare, but it’s amazing how we have all pulled together.
“Moniaive is a unique place, there are only 700 people, but we have two pubs, and shops. We have to continually fight to keep hold of that.
“All proceeds from the comic will go to Revitalise Moniaive, to help keep what we have here.”
As well as Moniaive Fights Back, villagers are also selling locally-themed merchandise to raise money for the community.