John King started Fruit Gone Bad almost by accident. He first drew comics about apples being invaded by worms or celery stalking, simply playing with visual puns—friends saw them and thought they were “cute,” which encouraged him to build more of them. Over time, the jokes evolved: he doesn’t just rely on the fruit’s appearance, but tries to give them little personalities, to make scenarios both absurd and oddly relatable.
Though wholly self-taught, John has grown his craft steadily. He’s said he’s “never took classes,” instead learning from mistakes, reading, and borrowing ideas—observing life—so that even everyday objects can feel funny or strange depending on the twist. One of his favourite parts of the creative process is finding just the right wording to match the visual, then colouring and cleaning up.
What makes John King’s work stand out is this mix of innocence and edge: the artwork is simple, the characters familiar (an apple, a banana, peas), but then comes the twist—dark humour, weirdness, unexpected personality traits. It’s a balance he seems to chase deliberately: something that makes you laugh, but also think “Wait, I never pictured a carrot behaving like that.” Or “Why did I just see myself in that strawberry’s thoughts?”
Finally, one thing fans seem to love is that John does not over-explain. The comics are quick glances, usually a single panel or small scene, but they hit because you fill in the rest with your own experience. Also, while apples are among his favourite fruit-characters (because they offer “versatility and expressiveness”), sometimes the less loved fruit offer the richest comic potential—just the kind John digs into.
