At the age of 18 Mahfood attended the Kansas City Art Institute, where he met Mike Huddleston and formed 40 Oz Comics.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1997 and went on to produce many comics with his own unique style, heavily influenced by graffiti and underground hip hop culture. He frequently features his characters wearing t-shirts promoting local or underground hip hop, funk, jazz or punk bands. Mahfood himself is heavily involved in his local music scene, often doing live mural art during hip hop and DJ events. Mahfood also contributed to the anthology Side B: The Music Lover's Comic Anthology by Poseur Ink. In his contribution, he talks about his appreciation for experimental musician Gary Wilson.

He was depicted in a cameo appearance in Phil Hester and Mike Huddleston's series Deep Sleeper, in which he appears drawing on stage during a dance party in the spirit world.

In 2008, Mahfood was commissioned to supply all of the art and ads for the that year's Colt 45 ad campaign.

Comics work includes:

• Clerks (written by Kevin Smith)
• Clerks Holiday Special (written by Kevin Smith)
• Grrl Scouts
• Grrl Scouts: Work Sucks
• 40 Oz Collected
• Classic 40 oz: Tales from the brown bag
• Bad Ideas (collaboration with Wayne Chinsang and Dave Crosland)
• Putting the Backbone Back
• Felt: True tales of underground hip hop
• The Further Adventures of One Page Filler Man
• Carl, The Cat That Makes Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Mixtape Art Book (3 Volumes)
• Jennifer's Body (graphic novel)
• Side B: The Music Lover's Graphic Novel (anthology contribution, published by Poseur Ink in 2009)

Interviews

• Interview with Jim Mahfood