We’re sorry to report the death of comic creator Ian Gibson, best known for his work on 2000AD, but who was also the creator of the recently-launched Ian Gibson’s Lifeboat and Annie Droid.
Ian passed on in the early hours of Monday 11th December 2023, after a long battle with cancer. He left us with family and friends to hand, knowing the love of fans, thanking them earlier this month for their love and support in his final days – not only before he “began his new adventure amongst the stars”, but throughout his long and much admired career.
Posting to the Imagination of Ian Gibson Facebook Group, his son Luke wrote, “It is with great sadness I bring the news that my father Ian Gibson passed away at 1.00am this morning, losing his battle with cancer.
‘He fought valiantly, and I was with him holding his hand right until his very last moments. The pain that swells inside me is immeasurable, but I know that he rests now his pain is over.
“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.”
Passing away with little money despite worldwide fame within the comics community, Luke has also announced a fundraiser is to be launched soon to honour Ian’s memory with a proper headstone for his grave. (You can donate here on GoFundMe).
While his credits are many, including creator owned work such as his own “Annie Droid” newspaper strip and as artist on Alan Grant and John Wagner’s The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad, first published by Marvel UK, Ian Gibson is probably best known for his work for 2000AD, especially as artist on “Robo-Hunter” and “The Ballad of Halo Jones“, as well as his long run on Judge Dredd.
Posting on social media, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’s creator Pat Mills said this week that “Ian was a mainstay of 2000AD, especially in its earliest days, and helped set the style for a new, cool direction of comic science fiction. He will be greatly missed.”
Ian also worked in the US comics industry, on various Star Wars titles, among other projects, was also a comics and feature writer as well as artist, with the first volume of his long term project, Lifeboat, published earlier this year by The77 Publications.
Plans are in place for further material created by this much-loved artist, whose work inspired many in their careers, exposed to his individual line and style in the pages of the weekly, comic, 2000AD.
In a company statement, the team at The77 Publications extended their sincere condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.
“We worked with Ian these past four years to enable him to finally see his magnum opus, Lifeboat realised. We hope that it stands as a fitting tribute to the man, artist, and friend of so many of us who have enjoyed his work over the past fifty years.”
Speaking to Steve Bull in an interview first published by The77 Publications and represented on downthetubes with permission in 2019, Ian described his entry into comics as “an accident”, going back to the age of seven, his college days and his time in computers – and had his first paid work published by major 2000AD contributor, the late Steve Moore.
His first story credits, however, were as a writer, devising an epic drama about a young man called Link who got caught up in the gods battling over control of the earth, during his college days. “I drew up a dozen or so pages and they were the ones my agent used to get me work,” Ian recalled in 2019, “But then I got tangled up in drawing other people’s scripts and hardly had time to work on my own ideas.
Another idea I was playing with, but never got round to doing much drawing for because my girlfriend of the time told me I couldn’t draw horses, was a saga called Axis about a sorceress who reached across dimensions to grab a ‘hero’ to defend her against three demons representing fire, earth and water.
“In 1973, in collaboration with my friend Paul Keatley [who went on to play with The Fortunes], I wrote an ‘eco’ saga called ‘Grain‘, or more properly, ‘Lump’s Chronicles of the Adventures of Grain’. I completed the first part of the story and I think it was published in a fanzine. [Lambiek notes Ian made his debut in the British comic fanzines Aspect and Orpheus. Paul Duncan published episodes of ‘Grain’ in Arkensword, in the late 1980s]. “But again being busy with other people’s scripts to make a living, it never went further. I was, at the time, writing and drawing a girl’s adventure [‘Petra‘] for a Swedish magazine [Starlet]. But it was very lightweight, silly stuff.”
“It was a few years before I sat down with my friend Paul again. to help him get some stories started for a Dutch publication, and in the process we came up with ‘Hippopo, the Hippopotamus Handyman‘, which I eventually turned into a TV series for the BBC. But that died when they found out the cost of animating it. So he turned into a greeting card instead! But we did dream up a little ‘recycling’ story called ‘Huey and the Tubes’. And another eco saga called ‘BinMan’. But circumstances halted any progess on those ideas.
“Then I started on a Mystical story called ‘Destiny‘, about a ‘phoney’ psychic and her adventure with the Tarot. That was about the time I was writing and drawing ‘Annie Droid‘ and how she saved us all from the Millennium Bug. At least that one got published in the times. But ‘Destiny’ wasn’t destined to make it.”
At this point, Ian got together with American writer John Ostrander, to work up an old idea of Ian’s. called Holly Day. “It was aimed at an online magazine,” Ian rcalled. “But John’s ideas, even though they were fun, didn’t quite match up with my original concept. So I dumped it.
“And then we come to ‘Lifeboat’, which is still ongoing.”
He also wrote a novel, but this project fell foul of transcription from an old Amiga onto a Windows machine into Word and Ian gave up on it in frustration hoping, someday, to translate it back into intelligible English.
In 1973, he worked for House of Hammer and the IPC Girl’s Comic Group, and created promotional art for various record companies.
Before joining 2000AD, Ian’s art credits also included work for Valiant, working wit John Wagner, and on various annuals, including Kung Fu, The Bionic Woman and The Invisible Man, the “Bionic Woman” stories possibly by Steve Moore. He also drew a number of longform strips for Pocket Chiller Library. “The silliest one I recall was called ‘The Finger’, he told Steve Bull in 2019. “You can imagine how ‘dramatic’ that was!”
It was Ian’s work for Valiant that helped him secure work on 2000AD, introduced to the comic’s creator, Pat Mills, by John Wagner.
“I’d always wanted to do sci-fi and had been writing my own stuff, but in the early 1970s there was none on the British market. So my agent showed them some of my old pencils from around 1971 and they said: ‘OK’… it was more a relief to be able to open up my imagination.”
His early work on “Judge Dredd” led John Wagner, Ian’s favourite writer, to dream up “Robohunter” to suit Ian’s talents for drawing robots (although early stories were drawn by Jose Luis Ferrer, because Ian was busy on other strips), and his undisputed ability to draw women must have assisted Ian as the artist for the 2000AD strip for which he is best known, “The Ballad of Halo Jones“, co-created with writer Alan Moore.
“In their wisdom, the editors decided it was time to run the Slade story and they figured that Jose would be a perfect blend with my style,” Ian told Steve Bull in 2019. “John had written the story for me. So I really don’t understand their thinking. But they did phone me up and say ‘Oops!’
“I said, ‘No worries. Just throw the pages away and we’ll start over!’ and they said ‘No can do! We’ve paid for this ‘stuff’ so can you ‘fix it’?? I said, give me two intro pages to set the style and I’ll do what I can with the rest.’ Editors, huh?”
Ian enjoyed a long working relationship with 2000AD until 2007, when he quit the title during his run on “Sammantha Slade“, in a rather public spat, his last work for the Prog, a Judge Dredd story, published in No. 1576.
Sadly, Alan Moore’s previous departure from the comic’s creative lineup meant “The Ballad of Halo Jones” was never completed by its original creators, although Ian did tease how he imagined Book Four might look in a commission for a fan, Ian Leonard.
There seemed a further distancing in 2013, when Ian created a scantily-dressed charity print of he titled “Halo” “as a joke for a friend… otherwise it was just a nameless pinup”, for the Bristol Comics Expo, which prompted outcry and concerns from 2000AD‘s publisher, Rebellion. The print was subsequently withdrawn. Ian described the who affair as “a storm in a D-cup” in comments to The Guardian.
Paying tribute to the creator in an obituary published focusing on his work for the title yesterday, the team at 2000AD noted Ian “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 2000AD’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 2000AD 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.”
Beyond 2000AD, Ian co-created The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad, working with Alan Grant and John Wagner, published by Marvel UK in 1990, and reprinted in Europe, and worked on a number of US comics, including Steed and Mrs Peel, for Eclipse, written by Grant Morrison, and Mister Miracle, for DC Comics, and Meta 4, for First Comics.
Apart from Lifeboat, a project Ian worked on for many years, the first arc published by The77 Publications earlier this year – a story he described as “Romeo and Juliet, in space”, which hopefully will continue with his blessing, Ian cited “Annie Droid“, a newspaper strip published by The Sunday Times, as one of his favourite projects.
Annie appeared in a story called “Millennium Bug”, published at the turn of the century when everyone was in a panic about the change of date on their computers, very few people ever saw it, although Ian did resurrect it for a short-lived mobile comics platform in 2008, and some early episodes were even translated and marketed in China by ROK Comics, which I headed up. I was immensely grateful for his support and enthusiasm for a fledgling comics form.
The strip is to be reprinted by The77 Publications in 2024, permissions completed before his passing. It will be wonderful to see it: it is a shame Ian is not here with us to enjoy its revival.
John Freeman
Ian Gibson, 20th February 1946 – 11th December 2023
“Thank you for your comments and your generous love, it makes his efforts worthwhile, love to you all.”
Ian Gibson to fans, 2rd December, 2023
Tributes to Ian…
“As a child, I queued outside the cafe near Forbidden Planet to get that magical looking signature from my favourite 2000AD artist. As a teenager I searched for my very own Halo Jones.
“As a parent I commissioned Ian to paint my daughter (Scarlett-Halo) with Halo and Toby.
“As a nostalgic Fan I created the Facebook group ‘Imagination of Ian Gibson‘ with him, so he could spend time with his fans.
“As a publisher, I helped him bring Lifeboat to the world. And as a friend I enjoyed every unfiltered story and every inappropriate comment about people he’d come across in his time within comics.
“Ian was as unique as his artwork and the world is a less beautiful place without him.
“Share your gifts with the stars now mate.”
Steve Bull, The77 Publications
“Ian Gibson was an absolute master of his craft, and one of my all-time comics heroes: the first time I met him I blurted that out, embarrassing both of us, I think, but he was very gracious, and extremely modest.
“I’ve loved his work since the earliest days of 2000AD — his characters always seemed fluid yet solid at the same time, the backgrounds rich with detail, the action immaculate and breathtaking, and the humour absolutely top-notch. And the humanity with which he imbued his work is just astonishing… Never mind the brilliant Halo Jones: Ian was the artistic genius who made us all fall in love with an electronic cigar!
“It’s heartbreaking that so bright a star has left us — but there’s a little comfort knowing that the light and warmth of his beautiful work remains to thrill so many generations to come.”
Michael Carroll, author and comics writer and archivist
“One of the finest British Comics artists of his – or any other – generation. The world looks a little bit less cool today.”
The team at Harrogate’s Destination Venus
“I’m sad to hear that comics artist Ian Gibson has passed on. One of the greats of 2000AD‘s heyday, he was rightly celebrated for his work on Judge Dredd and for co-creating and drawing Robohunter. He’ll surely be best remembered, for his collaboration with Alan Moore – the sublime Halo Jones.
“Ian Gibson was a huge influence on my linework back in the day. The swirling fluidity of his art nouveau inspired comic style was unique, and imbued his pages with an inate sense of action, even when things in a scene are still.
He’ll be sorely missed, but his legacy… legend.”
Comic artist and writer Mal Earl
“So sorry to hear about Ian Gibson, my love of his work was the main reason I read 2000AD. I was very grateful to Ian for being so generous with his time when I chose to write my dissertation about him, answering my inane queries with forbearance and humour. Ian, your work endures,”
“Rest in peace, Ian Gibson. It’s been amazing to see the 2000AD community coming together in the past week as Ian’s health worsened. He was a greatly respected artist among fans, including myself and a really nice guy. He’ll be greatly missed. Love and thoughts to his family.”
“A brilliant and unique cartoonist, and huge part of my comics-reading life. Much love and many thank yous, sir.”
“He was one of the great regulars in 2000AD when I read it in its newsprint heyday – he had a sleek style that seemed to come from somewhere else, unique without comics precedent. I read ‘Robohunter’, and ‘Halo Jones’, of course – that period threw up many memorable characters. I only met him once, at the Lakes Festival around eight or ten years ago, when he introduced himself and said some complimentary things about my comics design work. I could only gush like a fanboy about his work in return. I didn’t mention that I’d seen him earlier but kept my head down in case he’d not been too keen on my own version of ‘Robohunter’ – how do you follow Ian, especially on a strip he made his own? If I recall, he was polite enough not to mention it. I hear that he was generous with his encouragement, and was happy to have been included. A gentleman. Thanks for the memories and the adventures, Ian!”
Rian Hughes, author, designer and comic creator
“Hugely saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Ian Gibson. He was truly one of a kind and I’m glad he got to enjoy the love of our community before he moved on. All the best on your next adventure Sir.”
“Ian was a mainstay of 2000AD, especially in its earliest days, and helped set the style for a new, cool direction of comic science fiction. He will be greatly missed.”
Comic writer and publisher, Pat Mills
“A huge artistic influence when growing up. He helped forge some of the greatest British comic book characters of all time. His art/sketches absolutely blew me away. His style was iconic and he will be missed by us all. Thanks for all the 2000AD memories, sir.”
“Long before Alan Moore became world famous a bunch of us had been enjoying his work in 2000AD short stories. Because of that success the 1984 launch of ‘The Ballad of Halo Jones’, a new story created by Moore and artist Ian Gibson, looked very promising. It was incredible. The first female lead in 2000AD, a young girl who wants to get off world, Earth is a dull back-water, Halo wanted to experience the universe…and does she ever.
“Ian Gibson had been drawing for 2000AD since its inception, until recent years, there was never a time he wasn‘t there. He did a great deal of the world building along the way. He was a stone-cold fan favourite and I liked everything he did, but especially the character Stogie. I really enjoyed how his Dredd characterisation had evolved, a revelation I discovered backwards hunting out back-issues, going back further and further into his style development. It began early as something slick and futuristic, very distinct and ‘cool’, a hyper-modern biker. He had a unique style in comics. I don’t know anyone who drew like him.
“My favourite stories were Sam Slade and Halo Jones. In the Slade stories there was an entire ‘season’ that was done in song. It was a musical and all the songs were based on old musichall numbers. Musichall numbers in scifi, how about that for arcane?
“A great artist and by all accounts a great man and great dad. That’s all you need to be to be a success at the game of life.”
A clip from a longer tribute on Facebook by artist Stewart Kenneth Moore
“I was a Robo Hunter fanatic – filling eight exercise books with my own Robo Hunter tales. I loved the writing (thank you John and Alan). I loved the settings and I absolutely adored the artwork. Astounding, world building work with such character and verve… I truly admired it. But it wasn’t until the panel below (in Halo Jones Book 3) that I realised that I truly wanted Ian Gibson as part of my artistic DNA.”
“I first saw Ian’s unique artwork back in 1977 on ‘Robot Wars’ starring Judge Dredd, when attending Blackpool College as an art student with aspirations to becoming a comic creator myself.
“I only got the chance to work with him once for 2000AD, but it was an incredible honour to do so. It was on the Judge Dredd Mega Special way back in May 1991. They were painted in Acrylics on blue-lined watercolour paper, which had a blue version of Ian’s incredible inked artwork on – with his inked artwork printed onto an acetate sheet, which was placed over the top of the painted colour artwork at the print stage.
A strange way of working, but it kept the inked art totally intact and true to the original inks.
“Although the comic world lost a legend on Monday, Ian’s incredible legacy of artwork will live on forever.
“… Godspeed, Ian, mate – we miss you already, but thanks for the many chats, the inspiration, and most of all the wonderful comics you have left for posterity.”
Tim Perkins, comic artist and publisher – read his full tribute here on Facebook
“He was one hell of an artist. I definitely learned from his work, especially the way he drew figures.”
Artist and writer Paul B. Rainey
“I’m so sorry to hear the news that Ian Gibson has left this planet, something many of us had been dreading for ages now due to his lengthy illness, but it’s sill a shock. For anyone of my generation who grew up with the greats of 2000D, that incredible generation of artists who transformed comics, Ian was up there with the best of them, a true giant among giants, and completely unique. Thankfully he got to see his last great project – Lifeboat – published in his lifetime, which showed him to still be absolutely at the peak of his powers- incredibly. I’m sure that for so many of us, his artwork will never be forgotten.”
“Working with Ian Gibson on ‘The Ballad of Halo Jones’ was an absolute thrill, his art for book three was twice up and barely fit on my Rotring drawing board! It was the first time I was so impressed by such utterly gorgeous art that I was actually working on that I asked if Ian was selling any pages. He wasn’t, but he wrote me a little note on the last page of the last episode thanking me for my ‘sensitive lettering.’ What a gent. I cut that comment off the bottom of the page and have it somewhere! He later requested me to letter a couple of Dredds and even Robo Hunter. Such a pleasure, such a lovely man. My heart goes out to his family and friends.”
Letterer, Publisher, Writer Richard Starkings
“I didn’t really know Ian personally but naturally I knew his work from strips I’d seen over the years. His style was unique, his linework elegant and intricate with its mixture of drama and comedy. There’ll never be another artist like Ian. My sincere condolences to his family and many friends.”
Lew Stringer, British comics archivist, writer and artist
“He was always one of favourites from amongst an incredible stable of 2000AD artists. If you haven’t, read Halo Jones, and check out Ian’s distinctive and energetic style in the pages of Judge Dredd. RIP.”
Board game graphic designer and illustrator Ian O’Toole
“Another 2000AD founding father gone too soon. His fluid line, and ability to swing from humour to pathos was an essential texture in the diverse palette of the early progs. Like Halo, he’s gone… out…”
“Halo Jones will obviously be his legacy but growing up his Robo Hunter and Dredd were brilliant constants.”
Web Links
• Ian Gibson’s Official WebSite is at ian-gibson.com
• The Imagination of Ian Gibson Facebook Group
• Ian Gibson Art for sale on ArtDroids
• Graphic novels by Ian Gibson on AmazonUK
• Ian Gibson Art on ComicArtFans
• Read the 2000AD tribute to Ian Gibson here
• Read a 2022 interview with Ian Gibson on Tripwire
Talking to Paul N Neal in 2022, Ian Gibson is forthright in his views about 2000AD and his opinions on the colouring of “The Ballad of Halo Jones”
• Comic Book Resources (CBR): Ian Gibson, 2000 AD Star Artist, Co-Creator of Halo Jones, Passes Away at 77
A Tribute by Brian Cronin
• ComicScene: Remembering Ian Gibson – ComicScene Interview and secrets behind Halo Jones
ComicScene
• Tripwire: RIP Ian Gibson
An early tribute by Joel Meadows
• Read an interview with Ian Gibson on the downthetubes website, first published in 2019
This 1977-2000AD interview conducted by Steve Bull with Ian Gibson was first posted 7th July 2019 and was re-published on downthetubes with permission from Ben Cullis and The77 Team
• Singapore Comics: An Interview with Ian Gibson
Ian talks about his many creator-owned projects, citing “Annie Droid” as an all-time favourite, and why he quit working for 2000AD
• ECBT: The Ballad Of Halo Jones, An Ian Gibson Interview
An interview about Ian’s best-known strip, co-created with Alan Moore, published in 2007
“Alan and I decided on the length of the series even before the first episode was written. We planned her life and her ending – not in precise detail, but with a pretty good idea of where she was heading and what we could tell of her. And how much of a gap in her life we could leave between books.”
• In His Own Words: Ian Gibson on The Origins of Halo Jones
“While I was working on 2000AD on various stories I occasionally read some of the other tales featured in the mag. And one thing that disturbed me was the ‘use’ of women. I noticed that their dialogue was rarely feminine unless they were archetypically screaming or crying and such nonsense. Their words could just as easily have been spoken by male characters. I came to the conclusion that they were basically ‘men with tits’!! I felt that was shortchanging our female readers so I thought I should do something about it.”
• Eruditoum: All Known and Unknown Things (The Last War in Albion Part 103: The Not-End of Halo Jones)
Article by Elizabeth Sandifer on the Halo Jones we never saw, and now, never will
• Panelwise: The Ballad of Halo Jones Annotations Site
Joe Linton’s site includes annotations to the Halo Jones strip, including a short outline of what Books Four to Nine may have included based on interview quotes
• The Independent: The Ballad of Halo Jones, by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson
An ordinary superwoman who broke the mould – an article by Laura Sneddon, published 4th May 2013
• Boys Adventure Comics: Steel and Mrs. Peel Cover Guide
• Ian Gibson: Wikipedia Profile
2000AD, The Ballad of Halo Jones, Judge Dredd © Rebellion Publishing Ltd. Grain, Lifeboat and Annie Droid © Ian Gibson All other images © respective publishers
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries
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