I am the law! That’s not my catchphrase (that’s verging on vigilantism, something itsonitsgone.com does not condone) but Judge Dredd’s. Which is a slightly laboured way to say that 2000AD and Batman writer (and Dundee-born) Alan Grant is coming to Edinburgh on his Lawmaster on Tuesday 29 January.
This is pretty exciting news for anyone brought up on the weekly adventures of Dredd or with a passing interest in comics. Grant will be presenting a lecture titled “Writing tomorrow yesterday: how fiction became reality” and according to the Edinburgh Lecture website:
In the 1980s Alan Grant co-wrote a series of stories featuring Judge Dredd set in the USA around the year 2100. Reality has swiftly overtaken fiction and many of his made-up problems have already become part of everyday life: the ever-increasing fascism of state police forces; society’s inane fascination with celebrity; the empowerment of the rich and famous at the expense of ordinary people – in short, the crushing of the ordinary person as an agent in the world. Can things only get worse?
Cheery stuff from our Alan. But he’s got a point: the sooner the cult of celebrity is banished to the depths of Mega City One, along with Heat magazine (does anyone remember when it was a half-decent film and TV review mag?) and it’s associated hangers on, the better.
Oh, and the lecture is chaired by crime writer Denise Mina – I saw her a few years ago at a Book Festival talk with Ian Rankin and she was great. Roll on the 29th!
Event: The Edinburgh Lecture: Alan Grant (you need to scroll down the page a bit to find him)
Venue: Quincentenery Hall, Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh
Date/Time: Tuesday 29 January, 7pm
Filed under: Talk Preview | Tagged: 2000AD, Alan Grant, Batman, Denise Mina, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Lecture, Heat Magazine, Judge Dredd, Preview, Talk
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