When the science-fiction title 2000 AD was set up in the mid-1970s, Gibbons contributed artwork to the first issue, Prog 01 (February 1977), and went on to draw the first 24 instalments of Harlem Heroes, one of the founding (and pre- Judge Dredd) strips. One of his earlier works was a 12-part comic-series titled Year of the Shark Men for DC Thomson's The Wizard magazine, in April 1976 – July 1976. Gibbons entered the British comics industry by working on horror and action titles for both DC Thomson and IPC. Gibbons's earliest published work was in British underground comics, starting with The Trials of Nasty Tales, including the main cover illustration, and continuing in cOZmic Comics produced by Felix Dennis. He left his surveyor job to focus on his comics career. Gibbons became a building surveyor but eventually entered the UK comics industry as a letterer for IPC Media. A self-taught artist, he illustrated his own comic strips. He began reading comic books at the age of seven.

Gibbons was born on 14 April 1949, at Forest Gate Hospital in London, to Chester, a town planner, and Gladys, a secretary. He was an artist for 2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story ' For the Man Who Has Everything'. David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer.

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