DCM 12: Khalid Birdsong - cartoonist

Driven Creatively Mad

Khalid Birdsong is an American cartoonist. He spent two years in Japan teaching English which led to the idea of his first comic strip, Fried Chicken and Sushi. This comic strip was inspired by his experiences as a single black man living in Japan.

His comic strip has since transitioned to Little Fried Chicken and Sushi and is featured on GoComics.com (https://www.gocomics.com). You can read his comic along with many other famous comic strips like The Far Side, Crabgrass, The K Chronicles, and Calvin and Hobbes.

Khalid on the Web

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Khalid on Geoff Grogan’s podcast, Blockhead

- Khalid and Ray Billingsley

- Khalid Birdsong Part 1

- Khalid Birdsong Part 2

Khalid’s Comics

- Fried Chicken and Sushi

- Little Fried Chicken and Sushi on GoComics.com

What Khalid Uses to Create Comics

- Wacom Cintiq (he suggests buying used on eBay to save money)

- Clip Studio Paint

Favorite Artists

- Jeff Smith, creator of the comic book Bone

- Keith Knight, “Gentleman Cartoonist” of The K Chronicles, co-creator of the Hulu television show, Woke

Book Recommendation

- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell