Kate Beaton's Blog, page 3

Hark, A Vagrant: Cheshire Cat

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Alice! That cat is full of it.



Remember that a tour could be coming your way, sooner rather than later!



We have a lot of interviews and things on the go for Step Aside Pops as it gets near the release date, so expect to see a whole lot of activity! If you're listening to the CBC, I'll be on As It Happens in the next while, and on Q later in the month.

Hark, A Vagrant: Book Tour 2015

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Guess who just finished their second picture book! It's this guy, right here. Coming your way next fall!



But let's talk about THIS FALL



My lovely publishers and gracious hosts are taking me in and out of North America and the UK in the coming months, to see your smilin' faces and shake hands! It's been a heck of a year, where I finished two books and published two others. So I'll be well pleased if the end result finds your favour.



West coast/midwest comic shows and things might happen in the spring, but there are none planned yet. But I will let you know, of course!



Book tours are crazy things, I might be bleary and sideways by the time we meet but you will be in top form, and contrary to what so many people think, you're not awkward at all, you are enthusiastic and generous, and I'm glad to have you for a reader. As always, I would not be here without you.



-Kate

Hark, A Vagrant: Straw Feminists 2

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This was a sketch under the original Straw Feminist comic but I redrew it for the book. Those crazy gals! You never know where they are lurking! Moon colony here we come!



Speaking of feminists on the moon, I would be remiss not to mention this: have you been reading Bitch Planet? I read the first one, I need to get more!



Step Aside Pops is coming soon! Drawn and Quarterly has a preview here!



The first starred review is in from Publisher's Weekly.



Pick up the August 3 issue of The New Yorker because I have a cartoon in it!



And lastly, here is an interview at Comic Book Resources where we talk about kids books and more!

Hark, A Vagrant: Bessie and Benkei

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OH


Look who made good on a throwaway twitter mashup idea from 2013


It really doesn't make sense but their names sounded good together! I had a little time on this book deadline so I sketched it up quick for you. It was fun anyway!



Bessie



Benkei



I have started selling original art through The Beguiling store. This is new to me!



And as always, The Princess and the Pony is in stores. Here is a link roundup of related articles there! Some cool things in it, like a visit to Time magazine.



I didn't want a pony as a child, but I did want a cat really really bad. Here is a little comic about that cat.

Hark, A Vagrant: S. Truth, Jenkins

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So a while ago I was either watching a video on youtube or reading an article where someone was quoting Sojourner Truth, and I don't even remember what the thing was, but in the comments section someone had written "look up her picture, she was OLD" and then they said something mean about her looks. I thought, I mean, it's pretty amazing to accuse and dismiss someone born in 1797 for being old and not hot enough to listen to.




I wonder how many speeches ever made (outside of movies) have ever gotten anyone to do anything because I have never heard a speech irl that would even get me out of bed.

Hark, A Vagrant: Society Day, Death's Head

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A couple of short comics for you, while I work on picture book things.



Here is a bit of reading for you, "Death's Head, Cherub, Urn and Willow." If you are interested in gravestones like our carvers up there. And also paradigm shifts. BUT WHO ISN'T?



Thank you everyone who has nice things to say about The Princess and the Pony! It's a big deal for me, a first picture book. I hope you like it. I'm hard at work on the second.



Here is where my children's book work lives - Beatontown.com! There is fun stuff there like activity pages, but no adult content like we have on here.

Hark, A Vagrant: The Princess and the Pony

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The Princess and the Pony comes out really soon, and we are all very excited! Would you like to know more about the book, and read some reviews? Well I made this little site called Look at this giant book. It's a grand history of a grand publisher, I've been reading it for days. And I'm thrilled, beyond thrilled to tell you that the essay about my work was written by none other than Margaret Atwood. What a charmed life I must be leading, I said to myself, the day I found that out.

Hark, A Vagrant: Saint Cecilia

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I guess we don't know if Valerian was a virgin or not, but if he was, I doubt the choice would precede his name if people prayed to him.



If you grew up Catholic like me you had a lot of those picture books full of saints. They were great because they were crazy and gory and exciting, and they could be inspiring too. And if you were a girl, you were probably given a lot of cards and books and whatnot about all the virgin martyrs. Saint Cecilia didn't get it as bad (virgin onslaught-wise) as .. oh, anyone from Saint Agnes, Lucy, Agatha, Maria Goretti (yikes)- but like all the virgin martyrs, this aspect of her life is presented with a certain... fervour. Gather round girls, let me tell you what a woman should be! And so when you start questioning what's going on in the Church's attitude towards ladies, these virgin martyrs are among the first to go.



I was reading a bit of feminist interpretations of these women's lives, and it was super interesting, to try and think of their stories in their own terms (as much as you can anyway), rather than a tool to tell me what I was and was not supposed to be. I'm no theologian, I just liked coming back to something that did have an impact on me, years ago. And so here's Saint Cecilia, because the image of her still touches my heart, I admit.




I like a good rant now and then, don't you?

Hark, A Vagrant: the Enchantress

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When I was signing books in Frankfurt, someone asked me to draw The Enchantress, and I had never heard of her, so he produced a picture, and I asked questions about her while I drew. It turns out I think she is pretty great.




The brand new German edition of my book is available from Zwerchfell Press, with a pretty great title: OBACHT! LUMPENPACK

Hark, A Vagrant: Founding Fathers in an Amusement Park

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Those Founding Fathers! They are still at it!


I'm going to Germany myself, for a book festival all next week. Details here! Will I see you there? Would the Founding Fathers approve? Yes I think so. Thank you to my new German publishers Zwerchfell!