Cartoonist Keith Knight...

...is the "other" black cartoonist. He was born and raised in the Boston area. Weaned on a steady diet of Star Wars, hip-hop, racism and Warner Bros. cartoons, Knight started drawing comics in grade school. After graduating from college with a degree in graphic design, Knight drove out to San Francisco in the early '90s. It was in the Bay Area where Knight developed his trademark cartooning style that has been described as a cross between Calvin & Hobbes and underground comix.

Knight is part of a new generation of talented young African-American artists who infuse their work with urgency, edge, humor, satire, politics and race. His art has appeared in various publications worldwide, including Salon.com, ESPN the Magazine, L.A. Weekly, MAD Magazine, the Funny Times and World War 3 Illustrated. Knight also won the 2007 Harvey Award and the 2006 & 2007 Glyph Awards for Best Comic Strip. Three of his comix were the basis of an award-winning live-action short film, Jetzt Kommt Ein Karton, in Germany. His comic art has appeared in museums and galleries from San Francisco (CA) to Angoulême (France).

Keith’s work has been collected in six books so far: four collections of his multi-panel strip, the K Chronicles, and two collections of single panel strips & (th)ink anthologies titled Red,White, Black & Blue and most recently Are We Feeling Safer Yet?. He also co-wrote and illustrated The Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Art.

His semi-conscious hip-hop band, the Marginal Prophets, will kick your ass. Their latest disc, Bohemian Rap CD, won the 2004 California Music Award for Outstanding Rap Album, beating out rap heavyweights Paris, Aceyalone, E-40, Too-Short, and Ice Cube’s Westside Connection. Hip-hop music with a punk-rock aesthetic.

Keith Knight is available to perform his hilarious and inspirational multi-media comic strip show at your school, library, community center or church. For more details, contact the artist at keef@kchronicles.com.

Fun Facts

In 1984, Keith Knight was the official Michael Jackson impersonator of Jordan Marsh, a department store in Boston. He is only slightly ashamed of this.

Keith Knight was born in Malden, Massachusetts, birthplace of Converse All-Stars and Jack Albertson, from Chico and the Man.

In May 2000, Keith performed naked onstage with his band at the world-renowned Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Supposedly for charity.

Spike Lee purchased an original piece Keith did about his film “Do the Right Thing.”

Find out when Keef is coming to your town in the calendar section.