Cutting his teeth back in the 1970s, his clean lines, assured draughtsmanship and fluid storytelling graced the pages of many a British weekly, the pages of 2000AD in particular were home to his iconic depictions of its many and varied characters, Ro-Busters, Harlem Heroes and especially his definitive rendition of Rogue Trooper were stand outs. His abilities did not go unnoticed overseas and the DC talent scouts soon came calling.
Dave was destined to work in America, and big things were about to happen, despite a memorable run on Green Lantern (a boyhood ambition realized for Dave) nothing could have prepared the comics world for what happened next.
Teaming up with his fellow Brit and long time collaborator: Alan Moore, the two created a new series for DC, initially to be a revamping of the recently acquired Charlton characters: Watchmen (as it came to be known) would take on a life force of it’s own, completely transcending the original project brief, the mammoth 12 issue series would become a publishing phenomenon, redefining the medium and challenging the perceptions of what was actually possible in a “humble” comic book.
The complex tale was radical in its conception, revolutionary in its execution and production, it quite simply changed the industry forever and comics would never be the same again.
Since those heady days, Dave has not rested on his laurels, building on the success of Watchmen, he co-created the critically acclaimed Martha Washington series with Frank Miller for Dark Horse comics, designed album covers for Madness and Kula Shaker and these days is increasingly active as a writer, “Worlds Finest” for DC and “Aliens: Salvation” for Dark Horse showcase his considerable scripting abilities and true mastery of the medium he has helped shape and define.
Now exclusive to DC comics his recent hardcover graphic novel: “The originals”, an Eisner award winning retro-futuristic story of mods and rockers in an alternative Britain, was a re-imagining of his own teenage years, hard hitting, heartfelt and stunningly rendered in black and white. One of his finest works, the books proves that Dave has lost none of his powers as one of the medium’s most gifted graphic storytellers.
Returning to Watchmen in 2008 Gibbons collaborated with Chip Kidd and Mike Essel to produce “Watching the watchmen” for Titan books, a lavish hard cover collection tracing the gestation, production and impact of his landmark series.
Fans were treated to a rare insight into the creative process, as he opened up his files to reveal the incredible “behind the scenes” efforts that contributed to the groundbreaking work. Fascinating in its own right as a document of how history was made, it also serves as a perfect companion to the comics themselves.
Simon’s Cat is an animated cartoon series created by English animator Simon Tofield. Best known for its humorous observations of cat behaviour and simple black and white presentation, the series has now amassed over 65 million views on YouTube alone.
In 1991, Charles shared the prestigious World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story with Neil Gaiman for their collaboration on Sandman #19 (DC Comics) — the first and only time a comic book has held this honor. In the summer of 1997, Charles won the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Penciler/Inker for his work on The Book of Ballads and Sagas (which he self-publishes through his own Green Man Press) as well as Sandman #75. Soon after Charles finished the last of 175 paintings for Stardust, a novel written by Neil Gaiman, for which he was given the 1999 World Fantasy Award as Best Artist.
