Among them was The Minotaur’s Tale crafted by relative newcomer and unique authorial voice Al Davison who had first come to the industry’s attention in 1988 with his incredible autobiography The Spiral Cage: Diary of an Astral Gypsy. Of mainstream publishers, Gollancz was the first to fully embrace the nascent form, creating the VG Graphics imprint and going all out by releasing a game-changing selection of mature and challenging confections by comics glitterati. This after decades in which sequential narrative had been deemed a ghetto for children and idiots. Thanks.During the 1990s, following the stunning success and huge mainstream sales of Watchmen, T he Dark Knight Returns and Maus, graphic novels were finally accepted by the publishing industry as a viable and valuable market for adults. My Patreon page helps pay the rent on my studio, more Patrons would allow me to buy art materials, cover costs of going to conventions, and also help support me during down times, when I’m not well enough to work. Take a look and if you like the work, please consider supporting me.

There will inevitably be distressing scenes throughout the series, but it is also an optimistic and often funny look at my life, because that’s how I am. I want to make it clear that this is not a story of victimisation, but a story of survival and of winning against the odds. MUSCLE MEMORY: A survivors tale, is even more of a challenge than the first volume, as it not only continues to look at disability issues, but also addresses my experiences of physical child abuse at the hands of my Father. Discovering PATREON, via a tweet by Neil Gaiman, has inspired me to have another go.

I have been trying to complete the 2nd volume: MUSCLE MEMORY, for over 10 years, but the pressure of having to take on commercial work to pay the rent, and health problems, meant that I had to put it on hold. I’m probably best known for my graphic memoir THE SPIRAL CAGE, which explored my experiences growing up with Spina-Bifida, a condition I was born with and wasn’t expected to survive, and living with M.E. My latest graphic novel is Future Echoes from Liminal Comics, Written by myself and art in collaboration with Yen Quach. James: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary adapted by Leah Moore and John Reppion for Self Made Hero. More recently I drew the comics adaptation of ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ for M.R.

I have also drawn Doctor Who comics for IDW. I’ve worked extensively for DC/Vertigo on such titles as: HELLBLAZER, VERMILLION, HOUSE OF MYSTERY, CMYK, THE DREAMING & THE UNWRITTEN.

The Spiral Cage by Al Davison