To a generation of British comic readers Ian Gibson defines the poles of 2000ad. Gibson is an exemplary comedic artist, with a real grasp of the dynamism needed to actually make slapstick funny on the printed page, as can be seen in stories such as Robo-Hunter or The Banzai Battalion. It’s a deceptively difficult trick to pull off, and it’s to his credit that he makes it look so easy. On the other side of the coin, he is also capable of producing character work that really gets under the skin of his protagonists, providing a psychology that normally you just never see. It would be impossible to avoid talking about The Ballad of Halo Jones here, which has long been held up as the gold standard of 2000ad stories, and justifiably. His work throughout the story, and especially in the third and final book, is wonderful, though like many Alan Moore collaborators his contribution is often overlooked in discussion of the piece. It’s always worth a visit though, as Gibson creates not only a believable world, but a believable universe, complete with alien life and language.

Outside of these, his best known works, there are still a myriad of classy projects for the interested reader to go out and find. Gibson provided some lovely art on Mister Miracle, giving the whole a fluidity that showed off the feats of escapology beautifully. The hard to find Steed and Mrs Peel series, mostly written by Grant Morrison, is a treat too, though the reproduction seems a little poor in every copy that I’ve ever seen. It’s a loving tribute to the 1960s TV series The Avengers, and surely it’s about time that it was collected up into a book. Back in the Judge Dredd fold, his Return of the Taxidermist series for the Megazine has become one of the highpoints of its history, again, quite deservedly.

That’s his comics though, I caught up with him to chat about other things…

So, seen any good films lately?

‘Lately’ is loose enough for me to go back a while? Then it would have to be The Fifth Element ( again! ) I don’t have a TV and I don’t go to the cinema. So my options here are limited!

What books do you have on the go at the moment?

The dictionary is always at hand – cos my spelling is atrocious! But in the way of book books I’m re-reading Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions 3; The Serrano Legacy by Elizabeth Moon (I read her Vatta’s War series and enjoyed it enough to sample some more!); Opening the Energy Gates of your Body by Bruce Frantzis (he’s a little pompous but I’m working my way through it.) A better book is: The Way of Energy by Master Lam Kam Chuen, which is also being digested.

What about music? Heard anything good lately?

I just bought The Eagles ‘Long Road out of Eden’. Some nice tracks on it if somewhat self indulgent in places. But I do like Don Henley’s words – his following of Thoreau shows up quite a lot. And I bought the CD version of Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’. I’d forgotten what a great album it is!

What’re you having for tea tonight?

I’m cooking myself Murkha Dal. Simple yogin food! Fry some black mustard seeds, add garlic, onion and ginger. Cook till the garlic is brown then add some tumeric and chili then the lentils. Fry for a couple of minutes then add four times the volume of water compared to the lentils. Add some coconut milk and salt and simmer for about 40 minutes. Tasty!

Oh, go on then – what comics are you working on?

Not enough! I have a Dredd episode to finish that I put aside as I wasn’t feeling too bright. I have a series with John Ostrander that I’m still developing the characters for. But most of the time I’m working through the heap of private commissions I have. I think there are something like twenty to get done as and when. I’m not as fast as I was in my youth!

Ian Gibson can be found on the Internet at www.ian-gibson.com. He also contributes regular columns to the Den of Geek website. You should pay a visit!