Jason is one of my favorite creators working in comics today. The Eisner, Harvey and Ignatz award winning Norwegian comic artist, whose work includes Hey, Wait..., Meow Baby!, I Killed Adolf Hitler and others, deftly uses sparse line work and a minimalist style to depict the anthropomorphic characters in his work in a fashion that is at once simple and incredibly expressive. His comics typically feature few, if any, captions or word balloons, which further emphasizes his talents as a storyteller.

His blog, Cats Without Dogs, is an excellent way for his fans to follow what the artist is currently reading, watching, enjoying or drawing. Over the last few months he's provided followers with some impressive depictions of famous figures and characters -- including Alfred Hitchcock, David Bowie, Charles Bukowski and more -- and a few clever mashups of different movies and comics.

[Click images to enlarge]

Alfred Hitchcock


Frida Kahlo


Ernest Hemingway


David Bowie


Leonard Cohen


Steve Martin


Charles Bukowski 1


Charles Bukowski 2


Charles Bukowski 3


Perhaps most impressive about these is that, despite his minimalist style, each of the characters above are immediately recognizable as long as you have a basic familiarity with them. It's a testament to Jason's ability as an artist.

In addition to the depictions of these famous figures, he's done homages to a few comics, movies and artists.

Corto Maltese


Heavy Metal's Frank Grubert


Love and Rockets


Nighthawks


Pinhead

Per his blog, Jason has gone through a recent Nancy phase, reading the Fantagraphics reprints of Nancy creator Ernie Bushmiller's famous strip. This has led to him doing a few great Sluggo and Nancy mashups. Jason does an impressive job of mimicking Bushmiller's style while still making it recognizably his own.

Nancy/Taxi Driver



Nancy/David Lynch



Sluggo C.K.


Sluggo Picasso

Jason's work is some of the best storytelling you'll find in comics. If you're interested, you can find his books at your local comic shop, or online at Fantagraphics' website. And be sure to check out his blog, Cats Without Dogs.