Ben Clarkson

Ben Clarkson is the kind of artist who makes the world feel slightly unhinged—in the best possible way. From his studio in Montreal’s Verdun neighborhood, where the downtown skyline glows on the horizon like a psychedelic bubble, Clarkson has been crafting a body of work that’s equal parts surrealist fever dream and razor-sharp political satire.

His magnum opus so far? Justice Warriors—the critically acclaimed, bestselling graphic novel series he co-creates, co-writes, and illustrates alongside two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Matt Bors for AHOY Comics. Set in Bubble City, a gleaming domed utopia floating above the nightmare sprawl of the Uninhabited Zone, Justice Warriors follows Swamp Cop and his rookie partner Schitt as they patrol a world where policing means breaking every rule. The series has earned raves from The Simpsons’ Bill Oakley (“just the perfect amount of demented”) and Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung, and its second volume, Justice Warriors: Vote Harder, was called “the satire we need” by IGN and “truly subversive” by Jacobin. It’s now in development as an animated series with a major Hollywood studio.

But Justice Warriors didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Clarkson has been sharpening his creative tools for over fifteen years. He started as a fine artist in Winnipeg—a city he describes as the “genesis” of Justice Warriors, where he witnessed extreme poverty, abandoned neighborhoods, and the kind of social stratification that would eventually mutate into Bubble City. He earned his BFA in Drawing from the University of Manitoba and began building a career that’s taken him from illustration to animation to filmmaking and back.

Clarkson has directed dozens of music videos that have racked up millions of views, with work premiering on Adult Swim, NPR, MuchMusic, Revolt TV, and Vice Noisey. He’s developed pilots for animated series, created work for clients like The Atlantic, Titmouse, eOne Entertainment, and Patreon, and designed posters for some of the largest touring bands in North America. His illustration work has appeared in The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, and Explore magazine, earning him a National Magazine Award nomination. He was even nominated for a Juno Award for his illustrated album covers.

Clarkson’s fine art has toured globally, showing in Mexico City, The Hague, New York, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, and he’s been twice shortlisted for the Lumen Prize in digital art. His work sits at the intersection of collage, drawing, and digital manipulation—what he once described as “using the enemy’s arrows against him” by adopting and subverting the images of our world to build something new.

Outside of Justice Warriors, Clarkson has contributed to other AHOY Comics titles including Toxie Team-Up, and his unique visual style—described by one critic as “depicting relatively realistic characters and more stylized ones” with an “abstract art style”—continues to evolve. He’s currently studying under master animation director Peter K. Chung, the visionary behind Aeon Flux.

Perfect for fans of Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop, Judge Dredd, and anyone who believes comics can be both hilarious and devastating. Visit his website at thebenclarkson.com, check out his illustration work, or find him on Twitter @benclarkson and Instagram @benclarkson1000000.