Ibáñez worked in a bank while publishing his first drawings before dedicating himself fully to his craft in 1957. A year later, "Mortadelo y Filemón" appeared for the first time in the publication "Pulgarcito". After that Ibáñez created several other characters. Since 1988, he has drawn six new "Mortadelo y Filemón" albums a year. Many of them concern common issues of the day.