Born: April 14, 1949 in London, England, UK
Living
Dave Gibbons is primarily a comic book artist, but he is also a writer and letterer. Best known for his collaborations with Alan Moore on Watchmen and the Superman story “For the Man Who Has Everything,” Gibbons has worked on other projects with Frank Miller (Martha Washington Goes to War and Give Me Liberty) and his own graphic novel, The Originals.
Biography
David Chester Gibbons was born in London to Chester, a town planner, and Gladys, a secretary.
Gibbons was first introduced to comics at the age of 7 when his grandfather bought him his first Superman issue. In an interview with Time, Gibbons said, “From that point on, all I wanted to do is draw comics. And specifically, superhero and science fiction comics. Basically I used to copy comic books, and draw my own comics on scrap paper . . . I came to think that nobody from England could draw American comic books, because they were clearly all done by this sort of Mafia, all these guys with Italian and Irish names who had the whole thing sewn up.”
He became a building surveyor until his early 20s. After seeing an American comic book drawn by Englishman Barry Smith, Gibbons set his sights on the comics industry; and he eventually broke into the British comics industry working for IPC and DC Thomson.
Aside from his work in comics, Gibbons creates art for clients in the advertising and educational industries, and he occasionally designs album covers for musicians.
Dave Gibbons lives in England with his family.
Career
Dave Gibbons began working as a letterer and illustrator for IPC and DC Thomson. By 1975 Gibbons had worked with Brian Bolland on Powerman for the Nigerian market. In the mid to late 1970s, Gibbons began contributing to and became the art director of 2000 AD. Upon leaving 2000 AD, Gibbons started working as the lead artist on Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly. He drew all but four of the main strips in issues 1 through 69 while with the magazine.
Gibbons finally made it into the American comics market in 1982 when he was recruited to DC Comics by Len Wein, and he was, then, hired to draw for Green Lantern. While at DC, Gibbons worked on covers and stories for nearly every character in the DC universe, including Batman and Wonder Woman. Gibbons illustrated “For the Man Who Has Everything,” the main story of the 1985 Superman Annual #11; this Superman story was written by Alan Moore and edited by Julius Schwartz.
Gibbons began collaboration with Alan Moore on Watchmen in 1986. Gibbons became one of the most influential artists on the comics scene, and the pair won two team 1987 Jack Kirby Awards for their work on Watchmen.
As an artist, Gibbons has collaborated with writers such as Frank Miller on Martha Washington Goes to War and Give Me Liberty and Harvey Kurtzman on Strange Adventures. Gibbons is not only an artist, but he has also demonstrated that he is a skilled writer: he wrote World’s Finest with art by Steve Rude, Captain America #17-20 with Lee Weeks, and Hellblazer #250 with Sean Phillips.
In 2004, after two years of work, Gibbons completed his own graphic novel The Originals, which he wrote and illustrated. Gibbons published Watching the Watchmen with Chip Kidd and Mike Essl in 2008. Writer Mark Millar and Gibbons will release The Secret Service in late February 2012.
Work
Gibbons’s artistic influences include Wally Wood, Will Eisner, Frank Bellamy, and Jack Kirby.
Gibbons often draws characters in manner which makes them distinguishable from characters in other comic books. With weighty lines and dark and detailed panels, Gibbons has created a rich, realistic, and dramatic style.
Vincent Connare designed the Comic Sans font, which was part of a software project for Microsoft. Of the font which partially derived from Gibbons’s Watchmen lettering, he told Jack Schofield of The Guardian, “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.”
Bibliography
- 2000 AD (IPC Media, 1977–1983)
- Doctor Who Magazine (Marvel UK, 1979–1992)
- Green Lantern (DC Comics, 1983–1985)
- Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything" (with Alan Moore, DC Comics, 1985)
- Watchmen #1-12 (with Alan Moore, DC Comics, 1986–1987)
- Harvey Kurtzman's Strange Adventures: "The Super Surfer" (with Harvey Kurtzman, graphic novel, Epic, 1990)
- Give Me Liberty #1-4 (with Frank Miller, Dark Horse, 1990–1991)
- Batman vs. Predator #1-3 (with Andy Kubert, DC Comics, 1991–1992)
- Martha Washington Goes to War #1-5 (with Frank Miller, Dark Horse, 1994)
- Captain America #17-20: "Captain America Lives Again" (with Lee Weeks, Marvel, 2003–2004)
- Martha Washington Dies (with Frank Miller, one-shot, Dark Horse, 2007)
- Hellblazer #250: "Happy New Fucking Year" (with Sean Phillips, Vertigo, 2009)
- The Originals (script and art, graphic novel, Vertigo, 2004)
References
- The Comic Book Database, “Dave Gibbons”
- Comic Book Resources, “POP!: - - Meet Dave Gibbons,” by Jorge Khoury, Oct. 12, 2008
- Comics Alliance, “Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons Team For ‘The Secret Service’ in February,” by Caleb Goellner, Oct. 19, 2011
- The Wall Street Journal, “Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will,” by Emily Steel, April 17, 2009
- The Guardian, “Computers draw a new chapter in comics,” by Jack Schofield, Aug. 12, 2009
- 1987 Jack Kirby Awards
- Time, “Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons,” by Lev Grossman, Nov. 10, 2008
Further Reading
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