Kate Leth

Kate Leth is a Canadian comic book creator, known for works such as Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! and Edward Scissorhands.

Career

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia,^[1] Kate Leth attended NSCAD University studying photography before dropping out. Afterwards she started working at the Strange Adventures comic shop in Halifax, where she grew an interest in the medium.^[2] After doing promotional art for Strange Adventures,^[3] she became a self-taught comic creator in 2010 with her webcomic Kate or Die in a personal blog.^[1] Kate or Die eventually became a bi-weekly column on Comics Alliance.^[4] She has said fellow Nova Scotia writer Kate Beaton was a big influence, being "this person who was putting all this stuff out there, and no real formal art school training, but was doing really well with her work." Other webcomics which had Leth's involvement included Locke & Key, and Luther Strode.^[3]

Once Leth's Adventure Time fan art on her Tumblr page attracted the attention of BOOM! Studios, responsible for the comic adaptation of said cartoon, she was hired to do a cover for a miniseries spinoff. Following more covers and a backup story, Leth was chosen do a graphic novel, Adventure Time: Seeing Red,^[3] which entered The New York Times Best Seller list.^[5] Following another Adventure Time graphic novel, Bitter Sweets, Leth became the writer for Bravest Warriors and Edward Scissorhands. Leth is a collaborator on the podcast Less than Live with Kate or Die, and is the organizer of The Valkyries],^[6] a group of women who work in comics retail.^[1]

She has most recently been a model for the newest We Love Fine Spider-Gwen fashion line.^[7] Her newest comic, Power Up, is set to release July 22, 2015 and is an all-ages comic from Boom! Studios.^[8] On October 5, 2015 she was announced as the new writer for a relaunched Vampirella from Dynamite Entertainment.^[9]

Since June 2014, Leth has been a co-host for Less Than Live with Kate or Die, a bi-weekly comics podcast. Some of her guests are Babs Tarr, Marguerite Bennet, Kris Anka, Kevin Wada, and Jake Wyatt. Leth has collaborated with the podcast Welcome to Night Vale and the all-ages comic Lumberjanes.

On 2015, Leth was invited by Marvel Comics to do a story for the Secret Wars, Too comedic anthology, in which she collaborated along with artist Brittney Williams. Eventually this led to the duo being hired to work on a new Patsy Walker title, Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!,^[10] which ran for 17 issues.

Personal life

Leth has lived in Burbank, California since January 2016.^[11] While in college, she created along with colleague Vincenzo Ravina a website dedicated to their hatred of the Crocs shoes.^[12] She is openly bisexual.^[13]

Bibliography

• The Strange Talent of Luther Strode (2011)^[14]
• Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys (2011)^[14]
• Womanthologoy: Heroic (2011)^[14]
• Womanthology: Holiday (2011)^[14]
• Bravest Warriors (2012)^[14] – writer for issues #21-36 art by Ian McGinty
• Smut Peddler (2012)^[14]
• Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake (2013)^[14] – co-writer and co-artist for issue #3^[15]
• Adventure Time: Seeing Red (2014)^[14] – writer
• Adventure Time: Bitter Sweets (2014)^[14] – writer
• Adventure Time: The Four Castles (2016)^[14] – writer
• Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Journey to the Everspring (2014)^[14]
• Edward Scissorhands (2014) – writer^[16]
• Power Up (2015)^[8]
• School Spirit (2016)^[17]

Dark Horse Comics

• Spell on Wheels #1–5 (with Megan Levens, October 2016–February 2017)

Marvel Comics

• Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! #1–17 (with Brittney Williams, December 2015–April 2017)

Dynamite Comics

• Vampirella #1–6 (with Eman Casallos, March 2016–August 2016)

Covers

• Swords of Sorrow (cover artist) (2015)^[14]
• Sex Criminals #12 (variant cover artist)
• Littlest Pet Shop (cover artist) (2014)^[14]
• Lumberjanes (cover artist) (2014)^[14]
• The Midas Flesh (cover artist) (2013)^[14]
• Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens (cover artist) (2012)^[14]

References