Dave McKean is a British illustrator, comics creator and filmmaker whose work crosses drawing, painting, photography and digital image-making. Born in Berkshire in 1963, he established a long collaboration with Neil Gaiman through Violent Cases (1987), Black Orchid and the covers for The Sandman. He also illustrated Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum (1989) and wrote and drew the substantial graphic novel Cages.
McKean’s images often treat the page as a space for overlapping materials and competing realities. His practice extends to record sleeves, children’s books and films, including the feature MirrorMask (2005).
Reviewed 2026-09-05
Selected sources
Dave McKean — BiographyBirth and background, major comics collaborations, Cages, work across media and the 2005 release of MirrorMask.
