Twelve illustrators of dry humour

Eyes with the pupils pushed to one side, no mouth: the joke is a side glance.

A face of two dots and an eyebrow line, a cream background, two or three muted colours. Many jokes about books.

One even line, solid black fills, dot eyes. Author of Yomanya, the reading cat of the publisher Shueisha Bunko.

A scratchy pen line that changes thickness, stray ink blots. Fat, smug cats and school satire.

A quick, shaky line and watercolour over the edges. Character shows in the pose of the whole body.

Black figures with only the eyes showing, one red accent. The frightening ones often turn out kind.

Krazy Kat: a nervous line, a desert in a few strokes, lettering by hand. Ignatz the mouse is the spiteful one.

The Far Side: animals with stone faces in absurd scenes, one panel and one dry line under it.

Maakies: old newspaper pen hatching and Drinky Crow, a cynic with heavy eyelids. For adults.

Calm faces in the middle of disaster, blacks made of fine cross-hatching.

Picture stories: a black silhouette is read through its pose. Hans Huckebein, a raven with a bad temper.

False Knees: nearly realistic birds in watercolour and ink, dry dialogue.