Akeem S. Roberts

Akeem S. Roberts is an illustrator, animator, and cartoonist based in Brooklyn, New York. Versed in many styles, Akeem is passionate about breathing life into stories through art.

His comic debut was in the Regular Show special with BOOM! Studios, and more recently he worked with Hasbro on issue 98 of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Akeem sold his first New Yorker cartoon in 2019. In 2021, he participated in Cartooning While Black, a Chelsea art gallery show that explored race relations in a playful and thoughtful way alongside other Black New Yorker cartoonists. Also in 2021, Akeem illustrated three middle-grade books with author John Dillard and the Kokila team.

The J.D. the Kid Barber series has received multiple honors, including School Library Journal Best Books of 2021, New York Public Library Best Books of 2021, Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2021, a 2022 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book distinction, a shortlist placement for the 2022 Iris Award, and a spot on the Texas Bluebonnet Master List 2022–2023.

When he is not working with clients, Akeem draws weekly comics about his life with his wife and two cats on Instagram.