Single-panel comics may look simple, but fitting an entire joke into one illustration isn’t always easy. Mat Barton keeps his drawings minimalist, using short dialogue and unexpected ideas to create comics about everything from everyday frustrations to disability and cowboys.
The cartoonist has been creating comics since he was a kid, when he was obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is also a paraplegic, and disability has become a recurring subject in his work. As he explained to Bored Panda in a previous interview, he uses humor to cope with his frustrations and point out the little things he’s noticed as a disabled person. Cowboys, meanwhile, appear simply because he really likes them.
We’ve collected some of Barton’s recent comics below. Scroll down to see his takes on everyday life, and whatever else he finds funny.
More info: Instagram | matbarton.com | newmobility.com
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Many of Mat’s ideas come from conversations with his best friend Adam Cooper, who is credited as a co-writer on much of his work. They talk on the phone several times a week, mostly trying to make each other laugh, and those conversations often turn into new comic ideas.
Barton’s influences include cartoonists William Steig, George Booth, and Jack Ziegler, as well as writer Charles Portis. His own advice to other cartoonists is straightforward: draw what you think is funny rather than trying to create something you think will sell.
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