Kate Beaton is a highly acclaimed and popular Canadian cartoonist and comics artist. She was born in Nova Scotia and brought up in the small town of Mabou, Cape Breton isle, where she lived with her three sisters. Beaton has Scottish roots, which she takes pride in and often reflects in her work.
Beaton's educational background is in history, and she pursued her degree in New Brunswick. After completing her studies, she moved to Alberta to pay off her student loans. She then worked in a museum in British Columbia before moving to Ontario to focus on her art. Eventually, she settled in Toronto, where she currently resides.
Beaton gained recognition in the comics scene in 2007 with her online work Hark! A Vagrant! Since then, she has become a fan favorite, garnering a significant following. Her illustrations have appeared in notable publications such as the New Yorker, Harper’s, and Marvel’s Strange Tales anthology. Beaton's first book with D+Q, Hark! A Vagrant, became a bestseller and topped several best-of-the-year lists from reputable sources like Time, E!, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly.
Kate Beaton's work is known for its light touch on historical and literary topics. Her humor is a knowing look at history through a modern perspective, challenging the idea that history is boring. In 2015, she released her first picture book, The Princess and the Pony, with Scholastic, which received starred reviews from several sources. Her second comic collection, Step Aside, Pops, was also released in the same year through Drawn and Quarterly. Beaton's unique style and perspective have earned her a place in the comics industry, and she continues to inspire and entertain readers with her work.