10 Cartoonists Who Could Be the Next Daniel Clowes

Influential cartoonist Daniel Clowes has made an enviable career out of misanthropy. He’s earned awards for introducing readers to a well-meaning kidnapper, a superhero whose powers are activated by cigarettes, and a teenage girl with a penchant for hearses. Sunday marks the release of The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist, featuring rare material from the Ghost World creator’s 25-year career.

As Daniel Clowes continues to produce top-quality work, it’s easy to overlook the rising talent in alternative comics. There are many young artists who share his storytelling skills, interest in surrealism, and eye for biting observations. Discover some of these cartoonists below.

Anders Nilsen

Ten years in the making and over 600 pages long, Nilsen’s epic Big Questions focuses on a group of thoughtful birds as they try to make sense of unexplainable circumstances. The two-time Ignatz award winner has made equally profound work in the comics Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow, Dogs and Water, and Monologues for the Coming Plague.

Filed Under:

Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest

You've gotten the names reversed on Monsters. Ken Dahl is the alias, Gabby Schulz is his actual "name".

Well, at least Fart Party didn't make it. Has the author of this article ever read an issue an Eightball? I'm a BIG fan of 8 of the people on this list, but I think the name should be changed to "10 of Elona Jones' Favorite Cartoonists."

I agree with you Patricia, I couldn't write it better!

Oh come on! Why would anybody waste their time doing this kind of list? Daniel Clowes is far from all the mentioned cartoonists on this list, besides he's been very productive for the past years and now and he is not dead or dying. Artists have their own way of communicating their own message and not hoping one day they'll be the next Dan Clowes. The media just makes art looks bad. I love Anders Nielsen's books and he has so much talent that it makes me feel bad for reading something like this, individuality is everything. One thing is supporting artists and spreading the good word but honestly this kind of comparison just puts me off.

I'm sure it was tough to narrow down a list like this with so much fantastic talent out there, but a few names I would like to have seen included are Paul Hornschemeier (Forlorn Funnies; Mother, Come Home), Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War; Meathaus), Sam Hiti (Tiempos Finales; El Largo Tren Oscuro; Death-Day), John Pham (Epoxy; Sublife), Sammy Harkham (Poor Sailor; Kramer's Ergot), Brandon Graham (Escalator; King City), Jordan Crane (Uptight; The Clouds Above), Jessica Abel (Artbabe; La Perdida), Brian Ralph (Cave-In; Climbing Out; Daybreak), David B. (Epileptic; Futuropolis) and Dan James AKA Ghostshrimp (The Octopi & The Ocean; Mosquito; Polyglot). There's so much great talent in your list, I'd be hard pressed to take anyone out, but luckily the list of talented and dedicated indie comic creators is never short of names.