Welcome to New York Cartoons!
Free subscribers receive a weekly post in their inbox with a free cartoon and a picture of my Frenchie, Morris.
As an Australian cartoonist and comedian who transplanted myself into this concrete jungle, I document the absurdity, hilarity, and occasional moments of surprising humanity that make this city simultaneously unbearable and impossible to leave.
This Substack is my sketchbook-turned-diary—observational comedy drawn from life (literally). Every essay features stories you won't find anywhere else: from navigating comedy club green rooms with A-listers to sketching strangers on the subway without getting punched, to overhearing conversations that confirm New Yorkers are, indeed, a different species entirely.
This city is a living cartoon—chaotic, exaggerated, and occasionally profound. Sometimes, you need an outsider's eye to truly see a place, and my perpetually baffled Australian perspective offers exactly that.
If you decide to upgrade to a paid subscription for just $1 a week, you will also get exclusive access to additional art and writing, as well as audio versions of stories that are recorded in the location where they were drawn/written. In addition to that:
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As a paid subscriber, you can go to New York Cartoons and read the entire back catalogue of previous posts.🔉 GET NARRATED VOICE and LIVE VIDEO POSTS
I go to the places in New York that I write about and narrate the story into my phone, complete with New York background noise and unplanned cameos from New Yorkers…
You can get a 14-day free trial to take a peek behind the curtain of what Paid Subscribers get. If it doesn’t float your boat, no worries!
If we haven’t already met— Hi, I’m Jason! 👋
I’m a New Yorker cartoonist, author, and comedian originally from Perth, Western Australia. I live in New York with my flatulent Frenchie, Morris. I’ve been here for 11 years, which means my journal is full of crazy stories I haven’t shared with anyone. Yet.
I’ve worked as a professional cartoonist and served on the boards of cartoonist organizations for 20 years, being elected President of both the Australian Cartoonists Association (AU) and National Cartoonists Society (US). (A real glutton for punishment, I know.)
The stories I share aren’t in any particular order.
If you upgrade to paid, you’ll get cartoons, stories, thoughts, and sketches from my life in all forms. As well as my weekly cartoon on a Tuesday, you can expect posts in such categories as:
🗒️ SKETCHBOOKS: For the past 20 years, I’ve carried a sketchbook with me everywhere I go. I have years of journals and sketchbooks with stories that I’ve never shared before— until now!
☕️ LONG READS: Stories that you could read over a big mug of coffee.
⚡️ SHORT READS: Stories that you could read over a shot of espresso.
🎙️ COMEDY: My gig stories and tour journals from doing stand-up comedy for the past 17 years in both the US and Australia.
✍️ LIVE DRAWING: For decades, I’ve been doing live drawings of special events— both for clients (and sometimes for myself.)
😇 PEOPLE YOU MIGHT LIKE: I share people from all walks of creative life who, if you like me, you’ll probably enjoy too.
🗯️ YOUR SHOUT: I love hearing stories from other New Yorkers, so if people send me theirs, I sometimes post them with a custom illustration.
✉️ See some popular posts:
Silencing the Court Jesters.
I know, I know. I’m meant to be funny on here— It’s a humorous newsletter and I’m supposed to distract you from the boundless horrors of the world. But if you’ll indulge me for one day, I want to talk about something close to my heart. I promise I’ll return to drawing silly cartoons about New York tomorrow.
The Night Trump Blocked Me on Twitter.
I’d just finished my last comedy spot for the night (and my fifth whiskey) and descended into the subway at West 4th. The first two spots didn’t go well, the last one did. I was on a high.
