WRITERS | PRODUCERS | STORY DEVELOPMENT
The Gibbs Sisters (Shawnee ́ Gibbs & Shawnelle Gibbs) are an award-winning writing team from Oakland, California with backgrounds in television, animation, and comics. The twin sisters and collaborators have created a brand of quirky, fun projects that have entertained audiences across the globe. They are the creators of the popular online animated series’ Adopted by Aliens and Old Ladies Driving, and the YA time-travel comic book series, Fashion Forward. Their adventure series, The Invention of E.J. Whitaker, a diverse re-imagining of the early 20th century, made its comic book debut in 2018. The pair are currently at work on a YA graphic novel for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Versify.
The Gibbs Sisters are members of Writers Guild of America, West, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Women in Animation. Their combined television credits included Producing for Emmy-Award winning series Top Chef and Project Runway, and popular television series' X-Factor, The Ultimate Fighter, Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship, Cupcake Wars, Discovery Network's Shark Week and National Geographic Channel's Wicked Tuna, as well as contributions to Disney’s Emmy winning sitcom, Wizards of Waverly Place. The pair are writers of the Akili and Me and Ubongo Kids international children's animated series for the Africa Channel.
The sisters are alumni of University of Southern California's Guy Hanks & Marvin Miller Screenwriters Fellowship.
The Invention of E.J. Whitaker -- Comic Book Series
(BopSee Books)
When Ada Turner, a young inventor's apprentice creates the patent for a flying machine, she's introduced to the dangerous side of the Industrial Age in this diverse steampunk adventure.
Fashion Forward -- Comic Book Series (BopSee Books)
When lowly fashion assistant, Sam Tate, and her physicist friend create the perfect time traveling device in the form of stiletto boots, they set off a series of events that may jeopardize New York's most elite and change the future of fashion forever.
Jessie and Bessie Are Outside --Comic Book Anthology
In the rough and tumble of the Wild West, Jessie and Bessie are two young African American sisters on a quest through a dusty California town to find and bring to justice the band of cowards who stole a treasured family chest.
Sule and The Case of The Tiny Sparks -- Animated Film
A young African girl solicits the help of Sule, a pint-sized proverb detective, to discover the meaning of the proverb: "Great Fires Erupt from Tiny Sparks."
Old Ladies Driving --Animated Short
Loosely based on the adventures of the Gibbs’ Sisters experience growing up around their maternal grandmother and her circle of eccentric friends. When these old ladies are driving, anything can happen.
Starring creators Shawnee Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs as "Erma" and "Ruth Anne." Comedy.
Adopted By Aliens -- Animated series
The animated web series revolving around the unusual life of Whitney Ward, a 12-year old orphan who must survive middle school and a new family of extraterrestrials.
Princess of The Strange -- Screenplay
The Gibbs Sisters spent five years researching the life of Harriett Elizabeth Thompson, an African American star of the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circuses of the early 1920s who came to be known to the world as "Princess Wee Wee." The fictional account of "Princess Wee Wee's" life dramatizes the adventures of the circus star and her life among the sideshow 'freaks'.
Ghost Roast -- Graphic Novel (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Versify)
The 15-year-old daughter of a renowned paranormal specialist is drawn into a dangerous romance after she discovers her own knack for communicating with ghosts.
AFRICA CHANNEL -- Dec. 2017
The Gibbs Sisters talk about their background in comics and animation with Africa Channel's Segun Oduolowu.
OXYGEN --Nov. 2016
The Gibbs Sisters talk with Sharon Lynn Pruitt of Oxygen about their serendipitous journey into television and their mission to create adventure stories for young women of color.
BLACK GIRL NERDS -- March 2016
The Gibbs Sisters chat with BGN's Caron about their upcoming comic book project, "The Invention of E.J. Whitaker" and their unconventional career path in comics, animation and television.
Read the article:
BLAVITY -- March 2016
Shawnee´and Shawnelle chat with Blavity's resident Blerd expert Ira Hobbs about their backgrounds growing up in Oakland, their love of science fiction and their greatest literary influence: Octavia E. Butler.
COMICS BEAT -- March 2016
The Gibbs Sisters talk steampunk comics and the complexities of being African American female comic creators in today's comic landscape. Article by Nicholas Eskey.
Read the article:
The Gibbs Sisters bring their vision of Steampunk in "The Invention of E.J. Whitaker"
Interested in more Press about the Gibbs Sisters?
NewsARama -- Apr. 2018
The Gibbs Sister’s first issue of The Invention of E.J. Whitaker has been nominated for five 2018 Glyph Awards including Story of The Year, Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Female Character, and the Rising Star Award.
GRAPHIC POLICY-- July 2018
Graphic Policy calls The Invention of E.J. Whitaker, Issue #1 'A hell of a ride...' in this 9/10 review.
BLACK SCI-FI -- June 2018
The Gibbs Sisters chat with Amber Hubbard of Black Sci-Fi about their careers in comics and television, and the inspiration for their Glyph Award nominated series, The Invention of E.J. Whitaker.
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY -- Dec. 2018
The Gibbs Sisters' "Ghost Roast," a paranormal YA graphic
novel with art by Emily Cannon is slated to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Versify imprint in Spring 2021.
The Gibbs Sisters' join fellow comic book writers Vita Ayala, Regine Sawyer and Jamila Rowser as guest panelists for the 7th Annual Schomburg Black Comic Book Festival's "Scripting Our Stories: Black Women Writers in Comics" panel moderated by Karama Horne.
Read the article:
"Celebrating Culture Through Comics | 2019 Schomburg Center Black Comic Book Festival"
by Annalisa Pešek
LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Jan. 2019
BLERDGURL -- Jan. 2019
SYFY contributor, The Blerdgurl, gives The Invention of E.J. Whitaker 9 out of 10 stars and declares it "an all-ages comic that...you can add to the list of Magical Books for Black Girls."
The Gibbs Sisters' chat with writer Danielle Davis of Kidlit TV's This Writers Life about their tips for inspiration, advice for collaborating as part of a writing team, and discuss their upcoming graphic novel, Ghost Roast, illustrated by Emily Cannon.
Watch the chat:
"This Writers Life: Storymap featuring Creative Advice from Shawnee´ Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs"
by Danielle Davis
KIDLIT TV -- Feb. 2020
The Invention of E.J. Whitaker: Issue #1
The Invention of E.J. Whitaker is an ongoing comic book series which follows the adventures of Ada Turner, a young African American college student who, against all odds, dreams of being an inventor at the dawn of the 20th Century.
The series combines elements of Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi, Steampunk and Romance for a diverse re-imagining of the Victorian Era.
Encyclopedia of Black Comics
The Gibbs Sisters are featured creators in Dr. Sheena Howard's Encyclopedia of Black Comics
Black Comix Returns
Professor John Jennings and Dr. Damian Duffy's second installment of their coffee table collection celebrating art from African American comic book creators features The Gibbs Sisters
(Published by Lion Forge Comics)
EMAIL:
thosegibbsgirls (at) gmail.com
SNAIL MAIL:
BopSee Books
Attn: The Gibbs Sisters
2007 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 806
Los Angeles, CA 90057