Alan McKenzie

Alan McKenzie got into publishing straight out of Uni, joining HOUSE OF HAMMER and MAD magazines as Assistant Editor. After a short stint on puzzle mags and reprint comics at Gold Star, he then joined Marvel UK to edit STARBURST and DOCTOR WHO magazines for the next six years. After leaving Marvel, McKenzie wrote the books THE HARRISON FORD STORY, HOLLYWOOD TRICKS OF THE TRADE and HOW TO DRAW AND SELL COMIC STRIPS for various UK publishers. It was around this time that he also began writing scripts for comic strips, starting with a short run on DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE but then moving on to IPC titles like BATTLE ACTION FORCE and the legendary 2000AD.

For the next nine years, McKenzie worked almost exclusively on 2000AD, writing scripts for, initially, FUTURE SHOCKS, then UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, BRADLEY and what was to become THE JOURNAL OF LUKE KIRBY. After an editorial reshuffle, McKenzie was asked to join the magazine as a freelance contributing editor, and during this six-year period he was the voice of Tharg, contributing an unbroken run of over 300 ThargNotes. He also created and scripted the characters BRIGAND DOOM and MOONRUNNERS, wrote the scripts for SOUL GUN WARRIOR from Shaky Kane plots and contributed stories to TALES FROM BEYOND SCIENCE.

For the last two years of his association with 2000AD, McKenzie became a full time member of staff at Egmont and edited the magazine.

After leaving the 2000AD staff, McKenzie continued to write scripts for the magazine, creating VECTOR 13, R.A.M. RAIDERS and contributing the script for a CHOPPER story "Supersurf 13".

But as the 1990s came to a close, McKenzie succumbed to the internet's promise of instant publishing and began creating websites, his first for PRINCE'S TRUST GRADUATE FASHION WEEK. McKenzie then joined Planet Three Publishing as an assistant editor on the part-work AT HOME WITH YOUR PC, but pretty soon became Online Editor for the supporting website. In 1999 the site won Internet Magazine Readers' Choice in the BT Yell! Awards.

For the next six years McKenzie worked at the BBC, where he managed the web design team at BBC Worldwide. During this period, despite a full-time job, McKenzie found time to write the third edition of HOW TO DRAW AND SELL COMIC STRIPS and to act as Martial Arts Consultant on the Planet Three partwork HONG KONG LEGENDS.

More recently, McKenzie has published THE ART OF BRETT EWINS and a third edition of THE HARRISON FORD STORY through his own Air Pirate Press imprint. And two of his stories are included in the Image Comics collection of TALES FROM BEYOND SCIENCE, with art by Rian Hughes.