SAN DIEGO — Keithan Jones is the owner and founder of KID Comics, an independent comic book publishing company that he started after a career in graphic design. During his down time, he found himself continually working on the stories and art he’d begun in childhood and decided to publish his work himself through his company, which stands for “the Kid In you never Dies.”
Part of his focus includes creating and promoting diverse characters and stories that allow readers to see themselves reflected on the page in ways that weren’t available to him as a child. That focus has led to his creation of Black Comix Day: Heroes Rise, an annual event during the month of February to showcase the work of Black comic artists, writers and industry professionals.
Jones — who’s currently the artist for Vortex Comics’ “Chaos Breaker” series — was selected as a judge for last year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, which are known as the Academy Awards of the comic book industry. As a comic book artist and entrepreneur, of course he’s attending San Diego Comic-Con International — he landed his first paid gig after showing some of his drawings at the convention when he was 16. This year, though, he’s one of the featured special guests, appearing in panel discussions on Thursday and Friday to talk about his work and achievements in the industry.
