Andrew Kozlowski is one of the most formally interesting cartoonists creating swipe comics today. His work is uniquely his own, from tone to color to layout, so it feels appropriate to call him an author of this genre. (Swipe comics refers to the way comics are read, not the origin of comics.)
Kozlovsky’s comics explore his inner world with a mature simplicity and serenity, refreshing in the chaotic hell that is Instagram and the internet at large. Most of Kozlovsky’s comics fall somewhere between diary comics and memoir comics. I say flashbacks rather than comics because his comics are often more interested in the tableau of Kozlovsky’s inner emotional life than in presenting a linear story.
Take a look at his piece “i Wanna Dance” from June 2025 (viewed above via @andrew.kozlowski on Instagram). Sure, the reading order of left, right, up and down is the same as in a regular comic, and there is some movement from panel to panel, but Kozlovsky’s solitude in each panel means that we actually experience the incredible feeling that we are dancing for the sake of dancing rather than real conversation. The imprinted lettering of his disgraced counterpart further frees Kozlovsky from the usual linear time constraints of, say, Spider-Man comics.
This feeling permeates much of Kozlovsky’s work, but calling his work escapist is an oversimplification. As I mentioned above, stumbling across Kozlovsky’s comics while scrolling through Instagram is like suddenly finding yourself in the eye of a cyclone as the storm continues to rage around you. Kozlovsky’s work constantly engages with the social anxiety and depression we all experience, from taxes to artist’s block to back pain. Nevertheless, Kozlovsky’s comics are always gentle, accepting that to exist is often to suffer and be hurt, and that accepting life with calm and kindness is the only way to stay sane and healthy.
Kozlovsky has a BA in printmaking and an MA in painting and printmaking, so it’s no surprise that his work has a tactility that I love. Whether using over-inked letter stamps, linocuts, or doodle markers, each panel is a joy to look at on its own, even on the flat, unworkable glass of a cell phone screen. Printmaking is an inherently physical medium, so it’s no wonder that Kozlovsky’s work has aspects of handmade craft.
Kozlovsky’s comics are reminiscent of Linda Barry’s work (The Hundred Demons, The Syllabus, What It Is, etc.). He has written extensively about valuing the unique and very human aspects of comics, which often leads us to crumple them up and throw them in the trash as bad or poorly drawn. One page of a sketchbook posted to Kozlovsky’s Instagram in December 2024 is covered in shaky hands with a stamped caption that reads, “Warning: No one knows how to draw hands, so just keep drawing.”
Barry himself states in his many books on cartoon teaching and learning that most people stop drawing when they realize they can’t draw a “good” hand or nose. She points out that much of her job as an art educator is to convince people who believe they are “bad artists” that they are not, in fact.
Another notable similarity between Barry and Kozlovsky is their preference for ink and paper as media. Digital art is often taken for granted as a medium for webcomics, leading to an unfair and reductive denigration of webcomics by so-called “print purists.” This has never been the case, as webcomics have always combined many media, but in the years since the pandemic, the rise of swipe cartoonists such as Simon Hanselman, Alex Graham, and Kozlovski who prioritize physical media in their online work shows that the boundaries of what can be considered a “successful” comic online are expanding.
To call Mr. Kozlovsky a mere “swipe” cartoonist does not do justice to his work as an educator, magazine reporter, and small publisher. Kozlovsky founded Paper City Publishing, a comics and zine publisher. In addition to its own prints and comics, the company publishes the work of other notable indie comics artists, including Ben Wrex (@benwrex on Instagram), James Greene (@jax_comix_core on Instagram), and the zine How Are We To Live? Free comics from Palestine raise money for pro-Palestinian nonprofits.
Kozlovsky was also a prolific zine star, including notable works such as Professor Kozlovsky’s Comics Workbook, a litho-printed syllabus designed for direct drawing, and “Anaistesis,” in which he slowly loses his senses and imagines what life would be like if everything went numb. He was also featured in a recent installment of the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) “Drawn to the Museum,” a collection of MoMA’s visionary artists. Kozlovsky’s work, entitled Inside Out, ruminates on the tension between the inside and outside of museums and the art world.
Panel for Kozlovsky’s 2025 MoMA production Inside Head
As you might imagine, you shouldn’t expect gags from Andrew Kozlovsky’s strip. They are often funny, disturbing, and melancholy all rolled into one. Most importantly, they are always heartfelt and completely free of the sarcasm and biting sarcasm that is the norm on the internet today. Kozlovsky clearly loves what he does and wants to spread it to those who read it.
Something like this:
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