Although so many of his characters are in TV and movies, Alan Grant was approachable to his fans and did what he could to connect with audiences and get more people interested in the comics. Following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001, Grant and his wife, Sue, created the Moniaive Folk Festival and Comic Festival to help revive their community (via Visit Moniaive). And after the hit of COVID-19, Grant once again went above and beyond to help.
In 2020, Grant asked people in his village of Moniaive to help him write their own stories about their lives in lockdown during the pandemic. Called “Moniaive Fights Back”, funds raised from the comic went to a financial recovery fund for the community, called Revitalize Moniaive. Due to the demand for the comic, it even had to be reprinted. “It’s absolutely amazing,” Grant said. The Daily Telegraph. “And I can’t fault the artwork. We had contributions from villagers aged four to 88, and they did an amazing job. The comic is truly a treat.”
Grant will be remembered not only as a pioneering writer, but also as someone who used his influence for good, helping the community around him. As comic book writer PJ Holden wrote on Twitter“A man whose contribution to comics is immense and I’m sure would have deserved something from the honors system but wouldn’t have hesitated to turn it down with disdain.”
