David Chester Gibbons[1] (born 14 April 1949)[2] is an Englishcomics artist, writer and sometimesletterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writerAlan Moore, which include the miniseriesWatchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything". He was an artist for2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977.
Gibbons was born on 14 April 1949, at Forest Gate Hospital in London, to Chester, a town planner, and Gladys, a secretary. He began reading comic books at the age of seven. A self-taught artist, he illustrated his own comic strips. Gibbons became a buildingsurveyor but eventually entered theUK comics industry as a letterer forIPC Media. He left his surveyor job to focus on his comics career.[1]
Gibbons spent his young adult years as part of England'sMod subculture, where he was immersed in club life and usedamphetamines at all-weekend parties. He paid tribute to that lifestyle in his graphic novelThe Originals.[3]
Gibbons's earliest published work was in Britishunderground comics, starting withThe Trials of Nasty Tales, including the main cover illustration, and continuing incOZmic Comics produced byFelix Dennis.[4]
Gibbons entered the British comics industry by working on horror and action titles for bothDC Thomson andIPC. One of his earlier works was a 12-part comic-series titledYear of the Shark Men for DC Thomson'sThe Wizard magazine, in April 1976 – July 1976.[5] When the science-fiction title2000 AD was set up in the mid-1970s, Gibbons contributed artwork to the first issue,Prog 01 (February 1977), and went on to draw the first 24 instalments ofHarlem Heroes, one of the founding (and pre-Judge Dredd) strips.
Midway through the comic's first year he began illustratingDan Dare, a cherished project for Gibbons who had been a fan of the original series and artistFrank Hampson who, alongsideFrank Bellamy,Don Lawrence andRon Turner are well-liked and inspirational artists to Gibbons, whose "style evolved out of [his] love for theMAD magazine artists likeWally Wood andWill Elder".[6]
Working on early featureRo-Busters (afterStarlord merged with2000 AD), Gibbons became one of the most prolific of2000 AD's earliest creators, contributing artwork to 108 of the first 131 Progs/issues. He returned to the pages of "the Galaxy's Greatest Comic" in the early 1980s to createRogue Trooper with writerGerry Finley-Day and produce an early run on that feature, before handing it over to a succession of other artists. He illustrated a handful ofTharg's Future Shocks shorts, primarily with author Alan Moore.
Gibbons was known, by sight but not by name, to readers of the short-lived IPC titleTornado. Whereas2000 AD was said to be "edited" by the alienTharg,Tornado was "edited" by superhero Big E, who as alter-ego Percy Pilbeam worked on the magazine. These characters appeared in photographic form within the comic, with Gibbons posing as both Big E and Pilbeam for the entire 22-issue run ofTornado before it was subsumed into2000 AD.
Gibbons departed from2000 AD briefly in the late 1970s/early 1980s to become the lead artist onDoctor Who Weekly/Monthly, for which magazine he drew the main comic strip from issue No. 1 until No. 69, missing only four issues during that time.
TheDoctor Who Storybook 2007 (released Christmas 2006) features a story called "Untitled" which includes the nameGibbons in a list of great artists of Earth history.
The 2023 special "The Star Beast" was based on his 1980 comic of the same name, written byPat Mills.
Gibbons was one of the British comic talents identified byLen Wein in 1982 for American publisher DC Comics: he was hired primarily to draw "Green Lantern Corps" backup stories within the pages ofGreen Lantern. Gibbons's first DC work was on the Green Lantern Corps story inGreen Lantern No. 161 (February 1983), with writerTodd Klein, as well as the concurrently released "Creeper" two-part backup story inThe Flash #318–319.[7] Gibbons drew the lead story inThe Brave and the Bold No. 200 (July 1983) which featured a team-up of the Batmen ofEarth-One andEarth-Two.[8][9] WithGreen Lantern No. 172 (Jan. 1984), Gibbons joined writer Wein on the main feature while continuing to illustrate the backup features. In issue No. 182, Wein and Gibbons made architectJohn Stewart, who had been introduced previously in issue No. 87, the title's primary character.[10] Ceding the "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" backup features to various other individuals from No. 181, Gibbons' last issue with Wein was issue No. 186 (March 1985). Gibbons returned to pencil the backup story "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" withAlan Moore in issue No. 188.
The cast ofWatchmen, created in 1986 by Gibbons and Alan Moore.
He is best known in the US for collaborating with Alan Moore on the 12-issuelimited seriesWatchmen, now one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, and the only one to feature onTime's "Top 100 Novels" list.[14] Gibbons's artwork inWatchmen is notable both for its stark utilisation of the formulaic comicbook nine-panel grid layout, as well as for its intense narrative and symbolic density,[15] with some symbolic background elements suggested by Moore, others by Gibbons.
Initially pitched by Moore to use theCharlton Comics characters which had been purchased by DC Comics,Watchmen was re-tooled to feature new, analogue characters when it became clear that the story would have significant and lasting ramifications on its main players.[16] Gibbons believes that his own involvement likely came about after the idea was already in its early initial stages. He recalls that he had:
... known Alan for a while and we had tried to get things off the ground with DC and hadn't really succeeded. Then Alan finally broke into DC withSwamp Thing and I guess I must have heard on the grapevine that he was doing a treatment for a new miniseries. I rang Alan up, saying I'd like to be involved with what he was doing. He said 'Oh, yeah great' and sent me the outline for it. Then I was at a convention in the US and askedDick Giordano, managing director of DC at the time, point blank whether I could draw this thing Alan was writing. He said 'How does Alan feel about that?' I said 'Yeah he's fine with it' and Dick said 'Yep, OK, it's yours!'[6]
To complement the story, Gibbons remembers working on rough character designs which ultimately changed little in their final appearance from "the descriptions that Alan had provided," trying to come up with "a classic superhero feel but be a little bit stranger ... a sort of operatic look ... an Egyptian kind of a look."[6]
Gibbons letteredWatchmen and it was his lettering style that later served as one of two reference sources used byVincent Connare when creating the controversial fontComic Sans in 1994.[17] Gibbons has commented that "It's just a shame they couldn't have used just the original font, because it's a real mess. I think it's a particularly ugly letter form."[18]
Comics historianLes Daniels noted thatWatchmen "called into question the basic assumptions on which the super hero genre is formulated".[19] DC Comics writer and executivePaul Levitz observed in 2010 that "As withThe Dark Knight Returns,Watchmen set off a chain reaction of rethinking the nature of super heroes and heroism itself, and pushed the genre darker for more than a decade. The series won acclaim...and would continue to be regarded as one of the most important literary works the field ever produced."[20]
Gibbons returned toWatchmen in 2008, producing the behind-the-scenes bookWatching the Watchmen to tie into the release of the 2009film.[21][22][23]Watching the Watchmen is his take on the creation of the seminal work, and features a number of rarely seen pieces of artwork including sketches and character designs, as well as "stuff," he says "that I just don't know why I kept but I'm really pleased I did."[6] Gibbons stated that "I'm basically thrilled with the movie, you know; it's been in the making for years. There have been proposals to make it – some I was excited about, some I was less excited about. But I think the way that it finally has been made is just great. I honestly can't imagine it being made much better."[24]
Rejoining Frank Miller in mid-1994 onMartha Washington Goes to War, the following year Gibbons wrote theElseworlds titleSuperman: Kal forJosé Luis García-López, meldingArthurian legends to the Superman mythos in an "out-of-continuity" tale set in an alternate DC Universe. In Marvel Edge'sSavage Hulk No. 1 (Jan 1996), Gibbons wrote, penciled, inked, coloured and lettered "Old Friends", a version of the events ofCaptain America No. 110 from the point of view of theHulk.[7] In 1996 and 1997, Gibbons collaborated withMark Waid andJimmy Palmiotti on two issues of theAmalgam Comics character "Super-Soldier,"[26] a character born from the merging of the DC and Marvel Universes after the events of the 1996 intercompany crossoverDC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs. DC.[7]
Among many other covers, one-shots and minor works, Gibbons worked with Alan Moore again briefly on the latter'sAwesome EntertainmentJudgment Day miniseries, providing (variant) covers to all three issues, on the first issue ofKitchen Sink Press'sThe Spirit: The New Adventures revival and within the pages of theAlan Moore Songbook. He designed the logo forOni Press in 1997.[27] In 1999 he penciled and inkedDarko Macan's four-issueStar Wars:Vader's Quest miniseries.[7]
Gibbons wroteCaptain America issues #17–20 (Nov. 2003 – Jan. 2004) for artistLee Weeks. In 2005, he drew covers forJSA, as well as producing the complete original graphic novelThe Originals,[7] a black and white graphic novel which he scripted and drew. Published byVertigo, the work is set in the near future, but draws heavily on the imagery of the Mods andRockers of the 1960s.
Gibbons was involved in two series released by DC/WildStorm when DC acquired American rights to the IPC stable of characters. He provided cover artwork for the flagship title,Albion, the six-issue limited series written byLeah Moore and her husband,John Reppion and co-plotted by her father, Alan Moore. Gibbons wrote theAlbion spin-offThunderbolt Jaxon (April–Sept. 2006), with art byJohn Higgins.
Gibbons provided covers for three issues of writersKurt Busiek andFabian Nicieza's run onAction Comics (issues #841–843) and co-penciled (withEthan van Sciver) theGreen Lantern: Sinestro Corps issue as part of the "Sinestro Corps" story arc. He contributed to the ongoingGreen Lantern Corps title on issues #18–20 (May–July 2007).[7] Gibbons andRyan Sook produced aKamandi serial forWednesday Comics in 2009.[29][30][31] In the late 2000s, he provided new alternative covers toIDW Publishing's reprints of his Marvel UKDoctor Who comics.
On 9 April 2011 Gibbons was one of 62 comics creators who appeared at theIGN stage at the Kapow! convention in London to set twoGuinness World Records, the Fastest Production of a Comic Book, and Most Contributors to a Comic Book. With Guinness officials on hand to monitor their progress, writerMark Millar began work at 9am scripting a 20-page black and whiteSuperior comic book, with various artists appearing on stage throughout the day to work on the pencils, inks, and lettering. The artists included Gibbons,Frank Quitely,John Romita Jr.,Jock,Adi Granov,[32]Doug Braithwaite,Ian Churchill,Olivier Coipel,Duncan Fegredo,Simon Furman,David Lafuente,John McCrea,Sean Phillips andLiam Sharp,[33] who all drew a panel each, with regularSuperior artistLeinil Yu creating the book's front cover. The book was completed in 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 38 seconds, and was published through Icon on 23 November 2011, with all royalties being donated to Yorkhill Children's Foundation.[32]
In 2014 he was appointed the UK's firstComics Laureate, to act as an ambassador for comic books and their potential to improve literacy.[34]
Works other than comics include providing the cartoon strip on the inside sleeve ofJethro Tull's 1976 albumToo Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!, background art for the 1994 computer gameBeneath a Steel Sky and the cover toK, the 1996 debut album by psychedelic rock bandKula Shaker. In 1988, he did the cover art of albumThe Madness. In 2007, he served as a consultant on the filmWatchmen, which was adapted from the book, and released in March 2009.Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut (2009) featured hand drawn art by Dave Gibbons.[36] Since 2021, Gibbons has delivered the annual Christmas Day Message on Forbidden Planet TV, the official YouTube channel of the UK'sForbidden Planet comics retail chain.[37] Also since 2021, Gibbons has performed the voices ofJacob Marley andThe Ghost of Christmas Present in the annualHard Agree Christmas Carol comics charity podcast.[38]
Orion #4: "Tales of the New Gods: Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down..." (a, withWalt Simonson, 2000) collected inO: The Gates of Apokolips (tpb, 144 pages, 2001,ISBN1-56389-778-4)
DC Universe: Legacies #3: "Powers & Abilities" (inks, with Len Wein and José Luis García-López) and "Snapshot: Resurgence!" (a, with Len Wein, co-feature); #4: "The Next Generation" (inks, with Len Wein and José Luis García-López) collected inDCU:Legacies (hc, 336 pages, 2011,ISBN1-4012-3133-0; tpb, 2012,ISBN1-4012-3134-9)
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 202.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Written by Mike W. Barr and featuring art by Dave Gibbons, the story continuously shifted art styles to reflect the various eras of the Batman's career.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 209: "Architect John Stewart was chosen as Green Lantern Hal Jordon's permanent replacement as guardian of space sector 2814 in this issue by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Gibbons."
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 214: "The legendary writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons teamed up once again with the just-as-legendary Man of Tomorrow for a special that saw Superman...held in the sway of the Black Mercy."
^Greenberger, Robert (August 2017). "It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at theDC Challenge!".Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:38–39.
^Grossman, Lev; Lacayo, Richard (6 January 2010)."All-Time 100 Novels".Time. New York City.Archived from the original on 14 November 2013.
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 220: "The story itself was a masterful example of comic book storytelling at its finest...Filled with symbolism, foreshadowing, and ahead-of-its-time characterization thanks to adult themes and sophisticated plotting,Watchmen elevated the super hero comic book into the realms of true modern literature."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 246: "Writer Dave Gibbons and artist Steve Rude presented a three-issue miniseries...that proved the World's Finest team of Superman and Batman was still relevant."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 279: "Super-Soldier (an amalgam of Superman and Marvel's Captain America) returned in his second Amalgam one-shot, by writer Mark Waid and penciller Dave Gibbons."
^"Oni Press Unveils New Logo".Comic Book Resources. 26 January 2012.Archived from the original on 29 January 2012.The original Oni Press logo was designed by the amazing Dave Gibbons and based on a small trinket that publisher Joe Nozemack's brother had brought back with him from a trip to Japan.
