Although Gibbons has, as he puts it, "drawn a warehouseful of comics over the years and written a small hutful," THE ORIGINALS is his first major project as a writer/artist.

"I've been lucky enough to collaborate with some of the best creators in comics, from Alan Moore and Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, José Luis García-Lopéz and Steve Rude. It's hard to turn away from projects with the likes of them to concentrate on collaborating with, well, myself!" says Gibbons.

Once Gibbons hit upon the subject matter of THE ORIGINALS, he knew that he had found the perfect vehicle for his talents and passions.

"If I was going to spend a year or more on a single project, it was going to have to be something I had a real emotional investment in, something that related to the real world I've lived in. Not a science fiction story, although THE ORIGINALS is not set in mundane reality. Not a tedious real-life autobiography or a thinly disguised philosophical treatise, but a piece that communicated aspects of life that had been overpoweringly important to me when I was growing up."

In THE ORIGINALS, Gibbons creates a culture that is as convincing and tangible as the one we live in, but dramatically skewed and surreal. The attention to detail that characterizes his work are being brought to bear on both story and art, as are his storytelling and design skills.

"Just as Dave did with WATCHMEN, he is creating a distinctive world and art style for THE ORIGINALS," says Karen Berger, VP - Executive Editor, VERTIGO. "Dave has already proven himself a writer to be reckoned with, and he's overdue to create a body of work all his own. THE ORIGINALS marks the beginning of that body of work."

"I wanted to come up with a visual style and presentation that are unique to THE ORIGINALS and I think I've succeeded," adds Gibbons. "Actually, I'm having such a great time working on this that I really don't know why I waited so long!"