Sharif Shakhshir has an associates degree in Language Arts and Communication from Mt. San Antonio College and is currently a student at the University of California Irvine. He is working on a bachelors degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing, which may explain the low quality of some of the art in his comics. He has always loved newspaper comics as a kid, particularly "Mutts" by Patrick McDonald. More recently in his teen years and at the start of his adult life he has developed an interest in web comics, graphic novels, manga and your classic go to a comic shop and pay 2-3 bucks for 20 pages of comic books.
Sharif started making comics as a kid by poorly emulating "Mutts" comics. He also did a small comic called "The Adventures of S-dude and Heart-man" with his friend Paul Charland in elementary school. Sharif was first published in his high school paper called "The Red Express."
In the summer of 2004, he co-wrote an independent feature length film called, "Life...Sucks" with his friend Daniel Martinez. In 2006, Martinez canceled the production for unknown reasons.
In Fall of 2005 the author made a short animated film entitled, "Soda Off The Ground." It was originally intended for a contest which was sponsored by Cartoon Network and Honda. It lost. However, it was later entered into the Mt. San Antonio College Film Festival at which it won the awards "Best Art Direction" and "Best Screenplay."
The author first started doing serious comicking when he started writing his web comic, "Your Face Is a Comic" in 2006 with his friend Aaron Sison. In 2007 the comic launched online. This comic is a satire of a shallow judgmental society following the protagonist Lupin who is romantically and socially inhibited by his canine type tail. The comic is now a solo project.
"Your Face Is a Comic" started off as two comics: political and story comics. The political comics were intentionally drawn at a lower style than the story comics because these comics were supposed to be drawn by Lupin Adalwulf (The protagonist of the story comics). Since comics are rarely drawn in a photorealistic style, it doesn't make sense for a character in a comic to draw comics that look just like him. So those comics were downplayed. Confusing? Well, that's why I'm quitting this gibberish and giving the political comics their own show. Later in 2008 the political comics will have their own comic called, "Swift Wit Comics." These comics will still feature the same lovable Amira the Fennec Fox and the awkward Rahil the Ramadan Raccoon.
Currently, in 2008, Sharif is also working on an election commentary comic called, "Mr. Faux Goes to Washington." Lightly based upon the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." This comic is being published in the "New University" newspaper at University of California, Irvine and on the internet. This comic is about the cynical Machiavellian hero, (you read that correctly) Mr. Faux, who is trying bring about health care reform.
Sharif is also in the works of creating a book of original fables in the manner of Aesop. He is also writing a tragic graphic novel and a screenplay for another independent film.
Sharif would like to thank his most influential mentors through out the years William Harper, Janice Barbee, Krystal Andrews, Cynthia Hinton, Professor Michael Mageean, Professor Mary Brackenhoff, Professor Betsy McCormmic and last but most important Professor John Brantingham. I'd also like to apologize for the fact that I use so many bad words and other content that is usually not ideal but is typical of a writer.