courtesy of John Burdis
Per a statement from his son on Facebook, British artist and writer Ian Gibson passed away in the early hours of Monday, December 11, following a battle with cancer. He was 77. Active since the 1970s, Gibson created countless stories for “2000 AD,” including various Judge Dredd comics, and the original storylines “The Ballad of Halo Jones” with Alan Moore, and “Robo-Hunter” with John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Born in 1946, Gibson’s earliest work included “Pocket Chiller Library,” the “Bionic Woman Annual,” and various “House of Hammer” comics. He worked with John Wagner for the first time in 1975 on the World War II adventure “Death Wish” (published in the pages of “Valiant” magazine), and joined him on “2000 AD” when it launched two years later. Gibson worked regularly with Wagner and Grant on the Judge Dredd stories for the next four years, while also taking on “Robo-Hunter,” stepping in after editorial became dissatisfied with original artist José Ferrer.
He worked with Alan Moore for the first time on the 1981 ‘Tharg’s Future Shock’ story ‘Grawks Bearing Gifts,’ and reteamed to launch “The Ballad of Halo Jones” a few years later in 1984. A feminist space adventure, the comic ran for only three of nine intended “books,” which would’ve covered the protagonist’s entire life, as a result of a dispute between Moore and publisher Fleetway over the rights to the character. Gibson always hoped to revive the series, but struggled to get back in touch with Moore, and at one point conceded he had “discarded the story from his future.”
Gibson moved to the United States in the late 1980s, where he worked on the 1988 DC crossover ‘Millennium,’ the Mister Miracle series written by J.M. DeMatteis, the First Comics series “Meta 4,” and “Star Wars: Droids” and “Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire” (which reteamed him with Wagner) at Dark Horse during the mid-to-late ’90s.
He also branched into TV, designing characters and visuals for the groundbreaking CG animated series ReBoot, which ran from 1994 to 2001. He eventually returned to “2000 AD,” continuing to create for them until 2008; one of his final stories was a 2005 revival of “Robo-Hunter,” starring the original lead character Sam Slade’s granddaughter, Samantha Slade. Earlier this year, he crowdfunded a new original sci-fi graphic novel, “Lifeboat,” which was released by The77 Publications.
Gibson’s survivors include his son Luke, who told fans, “He loved all of you so much, and he always spoke of how much you all meant to him, continuing to draw right up until he could no longer hold a pencil. Your kind words have helped us through this dark time, and now my father has gone to be with the many legends he helped create I know that he will live on, in all of our hearts and minds as the hero he was to so many.”
2000 AD stated, “Gibson never lost his ability to make the fantastical into something which felt relatable, exciting and real; his gift for humour marks him as one of ‘2000 AD’s’ most expressive and human artists, who left an indelible mark on comics history. His passing represents another profound loss from the golden generation of artists and writers who established ‘2000 AD’ as an artistic and cultural powerhouse, his work enthralling and thrilling generations of children. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to all of Ian’s family and friends.”
