Al Davison is an English comic book writer and artist from Newcastle, England. He now resides in Coventry, where he runs The Astral Gypsy, his studio and comic shop in Fargo Village, Far Gosford Street, with his wife Maggie. He is most famous for his autobiographical graphic novel The Spiral Cage (Renegade Press, 1988, longer version Titan Books, 1990, Absolute edition from Active Images, 2003), which describes his lifelong struggle with spina bifida and his rise to successful comic book creator, martial arts instructor, film maker, and performer.[1][2]The Spiral Cage featured in Tony Isabella's 1000 Comic Books You Must Read.[3]
He is the subject of a documentary, also called The Spiral Cage, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson.[4]
As part of the 10-day Festival800, which took place in Lincoln from 28 August to 6 September 2015, he has been commissioned to create Manga Carta – a 10-page, 30-panel graphic tale of the journey and impact of the 800-year-old Magna Carta. Manga Carta is available for download from the festival website since mid-August 2015.
^McIlvenny, Paul, "Disabling Men: Masculinity and Disability in Al Davison's Graphical Autobiography The Spiral Cage in Soren Ervo, Thomas Johansson, Bending Bodies: Mounding Masculinities, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 1 Sep 2003
^Tuana, Nancy (2002). Revealing Male Bodies. Indiana University Press. p. 120. Al Davison spiral cage.
^Isabella, Tony (2009). 1,000 Comic Books You Must Read. Krause Publications.