Paul Grist

Paul Grist (born 9 September 1960) is a British comic book creator, noted for his hard-boiled police series Kane and his unorthodox superhero series Jack Staff.

Biography

Grist was born in Sheffield, England. His first work was published in the 1980s by DC Thomson and Fleetway. His early work also includes St. Swithin's Day (written by Grant Morrison and published by Trident Comics), Grendel: Devil in Our Midst (written by Steven T. Seagle and published by Dark Horse Comics), and a Judge Dredd adventure, Kinky Boots authored by Robbie Morrison.

He later founded his own publishing company, Dancing Elephant Press, under which Kane and Jack Staff were first published, but both titles later moved to Image Comics. He also published Burglar Bill under the Dancing Elephant umbrella (though it had partly appeared in an earlier form published by Trident Comics).

Grist's art is notable for its spare - sometimes stiff - style, heavy use of shadow, and inventive layouts. His writing is marked by a penchant for sudden cuts between events occurring in different time periods, without the gradual transitions common to the comic book medium. Following the structure of Grist's stories can be a challenge, but he provides subtle visual clues to aid the alert reader.