Posted By Dan Greenfield on Nov 7, 2024 | 3 comments

A terrific series that just didn’t find its audience…

By PETER STONE

After Alan Davis had drawn most the characters from the Marvel and DC universes, what other worlds did he have to conquer? Well, Davis decided he could create his own superheroes. So, in 1994, that’s exactly what he did.

Davis had spent more than a decade drawing everything from the Avengers, to the X-Men, to the JLA, to Batman, and even Marvelman (Miracleman here in the States). For a man who had never real intention of becoming an artist, he was very professional, inventive and punctual (a trait every editor loves). Now he obviously felt the need to stretch his artistic and writing wings.

Marvel Comics, where he had done a tremendous amount of high-caliber work, was more than happy to accept an Alan Davis-created series. This new series would exist in the MCU and eventually interact with other Marvel heroes like the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Daredevil. The book, launched in 1994, was called ClanDestine and it was basically a family (or clan) named Destine. The family was started in 1168 A.D. in England and grew from there. They were a group of superpowered beings who had little desire to be heroes and lived in the shadows, using their abilities to better their own lives. Davis, creating, writing and penciling the entire run, showed that he had a sense of drama and a sense of humor. He was proving to be quite a good writer.

The first series lasted only 12 issues (Davis did the first eight) before it was cancelled, mainly because it didn’t seem to find its audience. (That, and probably because Wolverine was not in the first eight issues.) Davis’ penciling work was sincere and detailed as all his work was, but there was an elevated sense of intensity because he was in charge of the entire show. If it succeeded, it was because of him but if it failed he would have to take the blame.

The characters were unique but not strange enough to push the average reader away. There’s the “Big Guy” named Wallop, the “Crazy One” named Hex, the “Tough Woman” named Argent, and the erstwhile heroes of the series and the youngest members of the family, Crimson Crusader and Imp. Youthful and funny, they are the reader’s way into the story as they discover the true history of their family. Alan was an artist who had worked with some of the best writers in comics: Alan Moore, Chris Claremont and Mike Barr. He certainly knew what made a good writer and how to tell a story.

The best part of the entire run (eight regular issues, two mini-series and some crossover annuals) was when they met the X-Men. Seeing Alan Davis draw the X-Men sends me… so when I saw the classic mutants in brilliant double-page spreads fighting ClanDestine it made me so happy. It brings me (a hard-core X-Fan) back to a time when the team was Cyclops, Storm, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Wolverine. Of course, the two teams figure it all out and become friends. It’s a wonderful series that should have continued.

A lot of people view Alan Davis as a penciler, but he’s also a very talented writer. He has been a treasure in comics for decades, giving us so much quality work. ClanDestine was obviously his baby and he nurtured it, loved it, and made it as wonderful as it could be. He brought in the X-Men to help its sales but, unfortunately, the fans never truly responded.

I highly recommend getting the trade paperback ClanDestine vs. the X-Men, which includes the first eight issues of the original series, plus the tw0-part mini X-Men: ClanDestine. It’s a wonderful weekend read. It tells you everything you need to know about these characters and their history.

And if you like comic books, you can’t get much better than Alan Davis.

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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s twice-weekly online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com.