Gilbert Shelton was born on 31st May 1940. After a early career as a magazine editor and a spell in the army, his artistic ability came to the fore and he began creating cartoons and comic book characters.

In 1968 he co-founded Rip-off Press and created the famous Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers with their irredeemable pet Fat Freddy's Cat.

He now lives in France, but continues to work and has been recently collaborating on an animated version of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers