Lloyd Llewellyn

In the mid-1980s, Daniel Clowes launched Lloyd Llewellyn for Fantagraphics, a six-issue series that introduced his deadpan, retro-noir sensibilities. The strip follows the misadventures of its titular slacker detective, a hapless private eye navigating a world of oddball characters like the shifty Ernie Hoyle and the brutish Stump Hassler. Clowes' crisp, cartoony linework and offbeat humor made this an early showcase for the distinctive voice that would later define modern alternative comics.