Mars Gremmen was born on 12 February 1969 in Nijmegen. He is a Dutch comic artist, caricaturist, and illustrator, known for his talent in turning everyday situations into absurd and humorous comic stories.

Outside his work, Mars is an enthusiastic birdwatcher. In his spare time, he enjoys spotting birds, butterflies and dragonflies. For many years, he wanted to create kijkplaten (busy, detailed picture scenes) portraying everyday life with humour, inspired by Pieter Bruegel the Elder – but in cartoon form. At Studio Jan van Haasteren, he was given the chance to do so in the recognisable Jan van Haasteren style.

Career

Mars began his professional career in 1994 at Sjors & Sjimmie Stripblad (formerly Eppo), where he wrote scripts for Sjors and Sjimmie and drew his first comics. In the years that followed, he created numerous comics, illustrations, and caricatures for magazines such as Hello You!, National Geographic Junior and Veronica Magazine.

In 2016, he won the Stripschappenning award for Best Youth Album with his comic De Ontdekkers (The Explorers). He still hopes to one day publish a book of his best drawings – to inspire “a love of drawing in others and in myself”, as he puts it. For now, he takes great satisfaction in entertaining thousands of puzzlers worldwide.

At Studio Jan van Haasteren

In 2021, Mars joined Studio Jan van Haasteren as the fourth artist. His first puzzle for the studio was the 1,000-piece At the Hairdresser. His puzzles are known for their lively, colourful scenes, full of humour, detail and small storylines with plenty to discover.

Distinctive Style

Mars’ puzzles almost always feature a birdwatcher. Often, he is looking for a kingfisher, but other birds such as the heron, raven and cormorant also appear. The Acrobatic Family and Tarzan are other recurring characters in his work.