STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — For local artist and mentor Ashshahid Muhammad, creativity has always been more than self-expression: it’s been survival.

The Mariners Harbor resident has long used his art to transform personal pain into community healing, and since we last spoke with him in 2023 , he’s been busier than ever continuing that mission.

Muhammad, who founded Graffiti University Comics — a brand he built in college to educate youth about drugs, bullying, crime and incarceration through art — recently released his latest book, “W.B.C Comic Book 2: Wave Nu-Vo Era.” Like much of his work, it draws from his own life, transforming his early experiences with incarceration and street life into cautionary stories for younger readers.

“My comic books are based on my life story. Instead of w

See Full Page