The Art of Cartooning: Cartooning, as an art form, has often been associated with mainstream animation and newspaper comic strips. However, there exists a vibrant and eclectic underground scene of cartoonists who challenge conventions and push the boundaries of the medium. In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of underground cartooning and explore the work of some of its most influential artists.
Robert Crumb (1943): Underground Comix Pioneer and Satirical Illustrator
The Godfather of Underground Comics
Robert Dennis Crumb (born August 30, 1943), commonly known as R. Crumb, is an American cartoonist widely recognized as a founding figure of the underground comix movement of the 1960s. Known for his crosshatched pen-and-ink drawings and provocative content, Crumb’s work combines biting social satire with deep nostalgia for late 19th- and early 20th-century American folk culture.
Crumb rose to prominence as the creator and primary contributor to Zap Comix, the first widely successful underground comix publication. His characters—such as Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural, and the iconic Keep On Truckin’ figure—became symbols of the counterculture, often exploring taboo subjects with irreverence and dark humor. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he continued to challenge social norms through contributions to alternative comics and magazines like Weirdo, which he also founded and edited.
Over time, Crumb transitioned from psychedelic storytelling to intensely personal and autobiographical comics, earning a reputation as both a controversial and visionary artist. His work remains a cornerstone of alternative comics and graphic literature.
In 1991, Crumb was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, and his life and career were the subject of the acclaimed 1994 documentary Crumb, directed by Terry Zwigoff. He frequently collaborated with his wife, cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and their daughter Sophie Crumb has also become a cartoonist, continuing the family legacy.
Art Spiegelman (1948): Pulitzer-Winning Graphic Novelist and Comics Pioneer
Redefining the Graphic Novel
Art Spiegelman (born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman; February 15, 1948) is a renowned American cartoonist, editor, and comics theorist, best known for his groundbreaking graphic novel Maus. Widely credited with elevating the graphic novel to serious literary status, Spiegelman is also celebrated for his work as co-editor of the influential comics anthologies Arcade and Raw, and as a longtime contributor to The New Yorker.
Spiegelman’s magnum opus, Maus, chronicles his father’s Holocaust survival story using a postmodern allegorical style—portraying Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. The work, which took 13 years to complete, earned Spiegelman a special Pulitzer Prize in 1992 and remains a seminal text in both Holocaust literature and the graphic novel genre.
Beyond Maus, Spiegelman has made lasting contributions to underground comix, alternative publishing, and editorial cartooning. His commercial success began at Topps in the 1960s, where he co-created iconic parody collectibles such as Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids. A passionate advocate for comics as an art form, Spiegelman continues to influence generations of cartoonists through teaching, lecturing, and publishing.
He is married to designer and editor Françoise Mouly, with whom he has collaborated extensively, including on Raw and several New Yorker covers. Together they have a daughter, writer Nadja Spiegelman. In 2022, Spiegelman was honored with the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, affirming his role as one of the most important voices in modern visual storytelling.
Daniel Clowes (1961): Award-Winning Graphic Novelist Behind Ghost World and Eightball
Capturing the Absurdity of Modern Life
Daniel Gillespie Clowes (born April 14, 1961) is a critically acclaimed American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter, best known for his influential alternative comics and award-winning graphic novels. He rose to prominence through his solo anthology comic series Eightball, published from 1989 to 2004, which featured a mix of surreal short stories and serialized narratives that were later expanded into standalone graphic novels.
Among Clowes’s most celebrated works are Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron (1993), Ghost World (1997), David Boring (2000), and Patience (2016). His distinctive visual style and darkly satirical storytelling have earned him a cult following and critical acclaim in both the comics and literary worlds. Clowes’s illustrations have appeared in major publications including The New Yorker, Newsweek, Vogue, and The Village Voice.
Clowes co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for Ghost World (2001), adapted from his own graphic novel, in collaboration with director Terry Zwigoff. The duo reunited in 2006 for the film adaptation of another Eightball story, Art School Confidential. His work has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the PEN Award for Outstanding Work in Graphic Literature, Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, and a National Cartoonists Society Award.
Clowes continues to influence a generation of cartoonists and storytellers with his sharp observations of human behavior, genre-blending narratives, and groundbreaking contributions to the graphic novel medium.
Alison Bechdel (1960): Creator of Fun Home and Pioneer of Queer Graphic Storytelling
Breaking New Ground with Autobiographical Comics
Alison Bechdel (/ˈbɛkdəl/ BEK-dəl; born September 10, 1960) is an acclaimed American cartoonist and graphic memoirist best known for her groundbreaking work exploring themes of gender, sexuality, and family. She gained early recognition with her long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, a cornerstone of queer feminist literature that chronicled the lives and politics of a diverse group of lesbian characters.
Bechdel achieved widespread critical and commercial success with her 2006 graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, a deeply personal and literary exploration of her relationship with her father and her coming out. The memoir was hailed as a masterpiece and adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical in 2015, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
In 2012, she followed up with Are You My Mother?, another introspective graphic memoir focused on her relationship with her mother and her journey through therapy and self-understanding. Bechdel is also widely known for popularizing the Bechdel Test, a now-iconic measure of gender representation in film and media.
Honored with a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2014, Alison Bechdel remains one of the most influential voices in contemporary comics, known for combining emotional depth, intellectual rigor, and visual storytelling in a way that has helped elevate the graphic memoir as a respected literary form.
Harvey Pekar (1939 – 2010): Voice of the Everyman and Creator of American Splendor
Everyday Life as Art
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (/ˈpiːkɑːr/; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was a pioneering American comic book writer, cultural critic, and underground media icon best known for his autobiographical comic series American Splendor. Launched in 1976, the series broke new ground in the comic book medium by chronicling the ordinary and often gritty moments of daily life—stories about jobs, relationships, illness, and survival in Cleveland, Ohio, where Pekar spent most of his life.
Often referred to as the “poet laureate of Cleveland,” Pekar redefined the graphic narrative by transforming the mundane into compelling literature. His deeply personal, unfiltered style brought a raw authenticity to comics that influenced generations of writers and cartoonists. Collaborating with artists like Robert Crumb, Pekar used everyday realism and self-reflection to bring nuance and credibility to the genre of autobiographical comics.
In 2003, Pekar’s life and work reached a broader audience with the critically acclaimed film adaptation of American Splendor, starring Paul Giamatti. The film fused documentary and drama to mirror the spirit of Pekar’s comic world.
Over his career, Pekar earned numerous accolades, including the Inkpot Award, American Book Award, a Harvey Award, and posthumous induction into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. His legacy endures as a bold voice in American literature, comics, and independent storytelling.
Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez: Trailblazers of Alternative Comics and Creators of Love and Rockets
The Masters of Alternative Comics
The Hernandez Brothers, also known as Los Bros Hernandez, are three influential American cartoonist siblings—Mario (b. 1953), Gilbert (b. 1957), and Jaime Hernandez (b. 1959)—celebrated for their groundbreaking work on the long-running independent comic series Love and Rockets. Hailing from a Mexican-American family and raised in Oxnard, California, the trio brought a distinctive voice to the comics medium, blending punk aesthetics, Chicano culture, and deeply personal storytelling into a unique artistic legacy.
First self-published in 1981 and later picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982, Love and Rockets emerged as a cornerstone of the 1980s alternative comics movement. Each brother developed his own storytelling universe within the series: Gilbert Hernandez’s narratives often explore magical realism and socio-political themes in Latin American-inspired settings like the fictional town of Palomar, while Jaime Hernandez’s iconic Locas stories center on punk rock, friendship, and identity in a multicultural Southern California. Mario Hernandez contributed less frequently, but played a pivotal role in launching the series and setting its creative tone.
Spanning decades and multiple volumes, Love and Rockets has influenced generations of cartoonists and is widely credited with elevating the graphic novel as a serious literary form. With richly developed characters, explorations of race, gender, sexuality, and working-class life, the Hernandez brothers’ work continues to be hailed for its authenticity, emotional depth, and artistic innovation.
Chris Ware (1967): Visionary Graphic Novelist and Master of Emotional Realism in Comics
Pushing the Boundaries of Visual Storytelling
Franklin Christenson “Chris” Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an acclaimed American cartoonist and graphic novelist, best known for his groundbreaking series Acme Novelty Library and the award-winning graphic novels Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (2000), Building Stories (2012), and Rusty Brown (2019). Renowned for his meticulous design, intricate page layouts, and emotionally resonant storytelling, Ware has redefined the possibilities of the comics medium, elevating it to the level of fine art and literature.
Ware’s work often delves into themes of loneliness, alienation, memory, and personal trauma, rendered with clinical precision and an aesthetic that evokes early 20th-century Americana—reminiscent of ragtime-era design, antique typefaces, and nostalgic illustration. His vivid color schemes and innovative visual structures invite readers to engage with comics in complex, non-linear ways that challenge narrative conventions.
Celebrated for his self-effacing humor and intellectual rigor, Ware has become a revered figure in contemporary comics. His peers, including graphic novelists like Seth and authors such as Dave Eggers, have praised his contributions as transformative. As Seth famously remarked, “Chris really changed the playing field… I think I have to try harder.”
From intimate character studies to architectural explorations of memory and time, Chris Ware’s work continues to push the boundaries of graphic storytelling, solidifying his place as one of the most influential cartoonists of the 21st century.
Phoebe Gloeckner (1960): Groundbreaking Cartoonist, Graphic Novelist, and Visual Storyteller
Blurring the Line Between Comics and Literature
Phoebe Louise Adams Gloeckner (born December 22, 1960) is an acclaimed American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and novelist, best known for her bold, emotionally raw, and semi-autobiographical works that blur the boundaries between comics, fine art, and literature. Her graphic storytelling confronts themes such as adolescence, trauma, sexuality, and identity with unflinching honesty and visceral visual detail.
Gloeckner gained widespread recognition for her graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures (2002), a hybrid of prose, illustration, and comics based loosely on her own teenage experiences in 1970s San Francisco. The book was adapted into a critically acclaimed feature film in 2015, further cementing her cultural impact and reach beyond the world of comics.
Her earlier work, including A Child’s Life and Other Stories (1998), pushed the boundaries of what graphic novels could express, drawing controversy and acclaim for its depiction of abuse and coming-of-age struggles. Gloeckner’s signature style—anatomically precise and deeply expressive—reflects her background in medical illustration and fine arts, merging technical mastery with deeply personal narratives.
Praised as a pioneer in alternative and autobiographical comics, Phoebe Gloeckner continues to influence generations of visual storytellers and writers with her fearless exploration of difficult subjects and her unique fusion of artistic disciplines.
Joe Sacco (1960): Pioneering Comics Journalist and Graphic War Correspondent
Graphic Journalism and Social Commentary
Joe Sacco (/ˈsækoʊ/; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist widely recognized as a trailblazer in the field of comics journalism—a genre that combines graphic storytelling with investigative reporting. Sacco is best known for his immersive, illustrated accounts of life in conflict zones, offering a powerful blend of first-person narrative, on-the-ground reportage, and meticulous visual detail.
Sacco rose to international prominence with his landmark graphic narrative Palestine, which compiled his journalistic reporting on Palestinian life in the Occupied Territories. The work earned the American Book Award in 1996 and is hailed as a seminal achievement in both journalism and the graphic novel form. His follow-up, Safe Area Goražde (2000), provided an unflinching look into the Bosnian War and is often cited as one of the most impactful graphic non-fiction books of the early 21st century.
His 2009 work, Footnotes in Gaza, which investigates the little-known massacres in Rafah and Khan Younis during the 1956 Suez Crisis, won the Ridenhour Book Prize for its fearless excavation of buried histories. Sacco’s work continued with The Fixer (2003), another Bosnian conflict narrative, and Paying the Land (2020), which explores the impact of resource extraction and colonialism on Indigenous communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
Blending the disciplines of visual art, historical documentation, and investigative inquiry, Joe Sacco has elevated the comic book medium into a respected tool for war correspondence and social commentary. His work has been praised for its depth, human empathy, and journalistic integrity, making him a unique voice in both the comics and journalism landscapes.
Lynda Barry (1956): Trailblazing Cartoonist, Graphic Novelist, and Creativity Advocate
The Power of Doodling
Lynda Barry (born January 2, 1956), born Linda Jean Barry, is a celebrated American cartoonist, graphic novelist, educator, and creativity advocate, best known for her pioneering work in autobiographical and experimental comics. With a distinctive artistic voice that blends humor, poignancy, and visual storytelling, Barry rose to prominence through her long-running, offbeat comic strip Ernie Pook’s Comeek, which debuted in the late 1970s and quickly became a cult favorite.
Barry’s groundbreaking illustrated novels, including The Good Times Are Killing Me (1988)—a tender story of interracial friendship in 1960s America—cemented her reputation as a fearless chronicler of childhood, memory, and identity. Her later works such as Cruddy (1999), One! Hundred! Demons! (2002), and What It Is (2008) further expanded the boundaries of graphic narrative, blending memoir, fiction, collage, and instructional content. What It Is, a genre-defying meditation on creativity and imagination, earned the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work in 2009 and continues to inspire writers, artists, and educators alike.
Recognized for her enduring contributions to comic art and storytelling, Barry has received numerous accolades, including the Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Award (2013), induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame (2016), and the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (2019). Her creative influence extends beyond publishing—Barry is a passionate educator and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Creativity at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she leads workshops on the intersections of drawing, writing, and the neuroscience of imagination.
In 2020, her work was featured in the Society of Illustrators’ landmark exhibition Women in Comics: Looking Forward, Looking Back, underscoring her role as a trailblazer in a historically male-dominated medium.
Lynda Barry’s genre-blurring works have expanded the scope of what comics can be—transforming them into tools for healing, self-expression, and personal exploration. She remains a singular force in American art and literature, inspiring generations of creators to discover the stories only they can tell.
In Conclusion, underground cartooning is a rich and diverse landscape populated by visionary artists who challenge conventions, provoke thought, and inspire creativity. From Robert Crumb’s irreverent satire to Alison Bechdel‘s introspective musings, these cartoonists have left an indelible mark on the medium, shaping its evolution and expanding its possibilities.
FAQs about The Art of Cartooning: Exploring the Work of Underground Artists
Q: What defines underground cartooning?
A: Underground cartooning refers to creating comics and graphic novels outside the mainstream commercial industry. A focus on alternative subject matter, unconventional storytelling techniques, and a DIY ethos often characterize it.
Q: Are underground comics still relevant today?
A: Absolutely. While the landscape of comics has evolved over the years, underground cartooning continues to thrive, providing a platform for diverse voices and alternative perspectives that may not find a home in mainstream publishing.
Q: How can I discover more underground cartoonists?
A: Many resources are available, including independent comic book stores, online forums, and conventions dedicated to alternative comics, where you can discover new and emerging talent in underground cartooning.
Q: What impact has underground cartooning had on mainstream comics?
A: Underground cartooning has had a significant influence on mainstream comics, inspiring creators to explore new artistic techniques, tackle taboo subjects, and push the boundaries of storytelling in ways that continue to resonate with readers today.
Q: Can anyone become an underground cartoonist?
A: Absolutely. One of the defining features of underground cartooning is its accessibility and DIY ethos, which encourages anyone with a passion for comics and a desire to tell their own stories to pick up a pen and start drawing.
