Kate Leth

Kate Leth – Life, Work, and Creative Voice

Kate Leth – Explore the life, career, and artistic philosophy of Canadian comics creator Kate Leth (born September 29, 1988). Discover their major works, influences, and key insights.

Introduction

Kate Leth (born September 29, 1988) is a Canadian comics creator, writer, illustrator, and animation writer known for combining emotional honesty, humor, and genre play in their work. Adventure Time), and original graphic novels.

Because Leth is active across multiple mediums (comics, animation, illustration), their career offers a rich lens into how a modern creator navigates cross-platform storytelling, identity, and community.

Early Life & Background

Kate Leth was born in Ottawa, Ontario but is strongly associated with Halifax, Nova Scotia as home base.

Leth’s early engagement with comics and illustration was largely self-driven, often via web platforms and independent publishing. Kate or Die—which led to professional opportunities.

During their formative years, Leth also worked in and around comics retail (e.g. in a Halifax comic shop), helping to ground them in community and fandom contexts.

Career & Major Works

Kate Leth’s career can be divided into major phases and areas: webcomics & indie work, licensed comics, original works, and animation / cross-media.

Webcomics & Early Independent Work

• Kate or Die: Leth’s early autobiographical and slice-of-life webcomic which established their voice and community.

• Contributions to anthologies and small press titles (e.g. Smut Peddler, Womanthology) early in their career.

These independent efforts helped Leth build a portfolio and visibility that led to licensed work.

Licensed & Genre Comics

Leth became known for contributions to established franchises and genre comics, often bringing their own sensibility. Some highlights:

• Adventure Time
  Leth wrote graphic novels for BOOM! Studios such as Adventure Time: Seeing Red, Bitter Sweets, and The Four Castles. Seeing Red became a New York Times bestseller in its graphic novel format. They also contributed to Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake comics.

• Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!
  Leth co-wrote or contributed to 17 issues of Patsy Walker at Marvel with artist Brittney Williams.

• Edward Scissorhands, Vampirella, Spell on Wheels (Dark Horse)
  Leth expanded into licensed and genre titles, writing Edward Scissorhands for IDW, Vampirella for Dynamite, and Spell on Wheels (an original concept) for Dark Horse.

• Cover art and backup stories: They have also done cover illustrations for various comics (e.g. Lumberjanes, Sex Criminals, Swords of Sorrow).

Original Graphic Novels & Recent Projects

• Mall Goth (2023)
  Leth’s debut solo graphic novel, published by Simon & Schuster (YA division). This project marks a turning point: from contributing to licensed work to expressing more personal and original narratives with full control.

Animation & Screenwriting

Leth has crossed into animation, writing episodes for various animated series:

• Bravest Warriors (episode “Chained to Your Side”).

• They have writing credits on Polly Pocket, Craig of the Creek, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Transformers: Cyberverse, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, among others.

• In addition to writing, Leth has also consulted on story development, property pitches, and cross-media adaptation work.

Themes, Style & Creative Philosophy

Kate Leth’s body of work is threaded with consistent priorities and stylistic choices:

• Emotional honesty & vulnerability
  Even in genre or franchise settings, Leth often foregrounds character emotions, inner lives, and the friction between ordinary and extraordinary.

• Queer identity & representation
  Leth is openly bisexual and non-binary, using she/they pronouns, and this orientation informs their work in subtle and explicit ways. Their perspective enriches the diversity of representation in comics and animation.

• Humor, genre play, and hybrid forms
  Leth moves fluidly between everyday slice-of-life, fantasy, and superhero modes—often blending them.

• Community-building & advocacy
  They have founded or participated in initiatives like The Valkyries (a comics retail/women’s community group) to support marginalized creators and retail workers.

• Multiplatform thinking
  Rather than limiting themselves to static comics, Leth engages with animation, consulting, covers, and writing across media forms, leveraging their skills in multiple arenas.

Personal Life & Identity

• Leth lived in Burbank, California from January 2016 to September 2020, before returning to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

• They are openly bisexual, non-binary, and have shared that they underwent top surgery in April 2022.

• Previously engaged to partner Cohen Edenfield (announced in 2019), though by mid-2022 publicly stated that they had parted ways.

• They also engage hobbies beyond comics, such as pin design, podcasting, and what they refer to humorously as “haunted mannequin collecting.”

Selected Quotes & Reflections

While Leth is more known for their creative voice than quotable soundbites, here are glimpses of their ethos from interviews and public statements:

1. On identity and pronouns:

   “I’m fine being a she/they … people default to using ‘they’ for me … I don’t require it but I’m happy …”

2. On passion and professional identity:

   “I specialize in work for kids and teens, despite all the swears on my twitter.”

3. On starting out via Tumblr/web comics:

   Leth notes that publishing comics online from 2011 helped them build an audience and led to opportunities in licensed comics.

Lessons from Kate Leth’s Journey

1. Start where you are, build with honesty
   Leth’s path shows how publishing small, personal comics online can open doors to bigger opportunities.

2. Identity is part of your voice
   Their openness about gender and sexuality enriches their work and contributes to broader representation.

3. Diversify your skills & media
   Leth’s ability to write, draw, consult, and adapt across media makes them resilient in a shifting creative economy.

4. Community and advocacy matter
   Efforts like The Valkyries and public support for marginalized creators reflect an understanding that change is collective.

5. Own your original work
   Moving from licensed comics to debuting their own graphic novel (Mall Goth) illustrates the importance of creating space for one’s own voice.

Conclusion

Kate Leth is a significant presence in contemporary comics and animation, bridging personal narrative, genre work, and community engagement. Their trajectory—from Tumblr pages and indie comics to bestselling licensed projects and original graphic novels—demonstrates the power of consistency, authenticity, and adaptive storytelling.