Exploring Denys Cowan’s Legendary Career in Comics and Animation

Available Now: Conversations with Denys Cowan, from University Press of Mississippi

Recently part of their “Conversations” series, Conversations with Denys Cowan, edited by Jake Zawlacki, highlights the remarkable career of an American artist who has left an indelible mark on comics, animation, and music

From his start at age fourteen as an assistant to Rich Buckler, Cowan, born in 1961, rose to prominence with groundbreaking work on series such as The Question, Deathlok, Detective Comics, Black Panther, and Power Man and Iron Fist.

However, Cowan’s influence extends far beyond the page. He was a driving force behind the creation of Milestone Comics, cofounding the imprint with Dwayne McDuffie, Derek Dingle, and Michael Davis to introduce unforgettable heroes including Hardware, Icon, Rocket, and the Blood Syndicate. His character Static made the leap to television with Static Shock, where Cowan served as director and producer.

From there, he went on to produce The Boondocks and later became senior vice president of animation at BET, developing acclaimed projects like Read a Book, Bid ’Em In, and the Black Panther miniseries.

This collection compiles interviews spanning Cowan’s decades-long career, including a new interview conducted for this volume. Together, they illuminate a career that defies simple categorisation, one defined by a commitment to social commentary, cultural critique, and artistic innovation.

• Conversations with Comic Artists Series | Published 15th September 2026 by University Press of Mississippi |  | 250pp | ISBN: 978-1496863720 | Paperback | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

• Check out the full Conversations with Comic Artists Series on the University Press of Mississippi web site

Jake Zawlacki is a writer, translator, and independent scholar. His critical interests include popular American comics of the early nineties, as well as Kazakh animation and film. His essays have appeared in Inks, ImageTexT, The Comics Journal, Canon, The Gutter Review, and Folklorica, and his translations of the Kazakh poet Akhmet Baitursynov have appeared in Guernica, Mantis, and Asymptote. He is translator of the first English-language translation of Baitursynov’s Mosquito by Academic Studies Press and editor of Conversations with Todd McFarlane, the latter published by University Press of Mississippi. Zawlacki holds degrees from Louisiana State University, University of San Diego, and Stanford University, and his creative work has been published in the Saturday Evening Post, The Journal, Citron Review, andRoanoke Review.

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John  is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of  comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.

• Available Now: Conversations with Denys Cowan, from University Press of Mississippi
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