At what age did you realize you had a strong passion for comic books and decided to try make a career out of it?

I discovered comics at a really young age, probably around seven or eight. I became a pretty hard-core collector right away and started drawing my own versions of my favorite characters. I started pursuing it seriously as a career when I was in my teens and it all sort of escalated from there.

You have had quite a career in the comic book industry. From working on the iconic Marvel’s X-Men Generation X to film icon Kevin Smith’s Clerks comics to even musical legend Ziggy Marley’s MarijuanaMan. (I was at the release party for that at Golden Apple Comics) Do you have any crazy stories working with Kevin Smith or Ziggy Marley?

Working with those guys was a total blast and there are many many stories from my collaboration jam periods with both of them. If you were at the Golden Apple release party for Marijuana Man, you witnessed one of the best in store signings for comic books ever. It was a very irie day indeed! My comics career started exploding in the late 90s when I was working with Kevin on those books, and the signings were always these epic jampacked events that I was thrilled to be a part of. I even got to hang out on the set of ‘Dogma’ for a week when those guys were filming in Pittsburgh. Kevin and his whole crew from Jersey always treated me really well and they reminded me of the guys I was friends with growing up in the Midwest.

22 years after self-publing GRRL SCOUTS you have decided to bring it back. GRRL SCOUTS: Magic Socks will be available May 17th online and stores around the country along with a launch party at A Shop Called Quest in downtown LA. Tell us about the comic book what inspired you to go back it?

The Grrl Scouts are three bad ass chicks that live in a town called Freak City, they deal weed, and go on bizzarre, psychedelic adventures. This new series reunites them after they’ve had a bit of a falling out. It turns into a bit of a revenge story with the girls learning how to work together again. I don’t want to give away too much more, but I can say that this Magic Socks series is a six issue experience of pulse-pounding ridiculous over-the-top action and comedy. It’s definitely the most fun I’ve had drawing comics. And I get to flex my skills writing and drawing my own characters, which is where I tend to shine the most. The series is published by Image Comics, the number one home for creator-owned comics. They’re the guys that put out Spawn and the Walking Dead books. Once you sign on with them you basically get to do whatever you want and you own 100% of your IP. It’s pure  creative freedom! As far as getting back into working on this book goes… all I can say is, this series was long overdue. I got back into the Grrl Scouts in 2015 when director Mike Diva and I made a live action pilot for Ron Howard’s New Form Digital production company. People can check that out on YouTube if they want. It’s insane. It was so much fun, it reignited my love for the characters and I got started writing on this new comic book series that’s coming out on May 17.

Besides being passionate about comic books, what else are you passionate about in your life?

I’m a full-blown art making junkie, you know? I’m in the studio pretty much all the time. When I’m not doing comics I’m freelancing for the movie and animation studios out here in LA. I also dabble in showing in gallery shows, live art in night clubs, and whatever else floats my way. And I’m a big-time music fanatic… basically the whole reason I chose art as a career was an excuse to listen to countless records all day long, every day!

Where can people follow your journey online and social media?
Instagram is the best, I’m at @jimmahfood. Same for twitter. Oh, and my site is jimmahfood.com. And my publisher is imagecomics.com if people want to score digital versions of Grrl Scouts. Where can people follow your journey online and social media?

Questions by @SteveSievers If you live in the Los Angeles area. Come out to Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks | Jim Mahfood Book Signing May 17th at A Shop Called Quest in Downtown LA. Details on Facebook event page. Top photo by Steven Soria.