Kate Beaton Biography
Kate Beaton is a well-known Canadian comics artist famous for being the creator of the comic strip Hark! A Vagrant. The strip ran between 2007 to 2018. She also authored the children’s books The Princess and the Pony and King Baby in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In addition, Beaton had a memoir in graphic novel form, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands in 2022.
Kate Beaton’s Quick Facts
| Profession: | Cartoonist |
| Net Worth: | $5 Million |
| Age: | 41 (September 8, 1983) |
| Husband: | Morgan Murray ( 2018) |
| Height: | 5 ft 2 in or 1.57m |
Family
Beaton was born in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada to her parents on September 8, 1983. She holds Canadian nationality and is of Scottish descent. Beaton is the daughter of Marion Beaton who makes several appearances in “Ducks” and shared that “She was always doing something creative.” Her father is Neli Beaton and she grew up with three sisters Becky Beaton, Maura Beaton, and also Laureen Beaton.
Kate Beaton Husband
Beaton is married to her husband writer Morgan Murray in 2018. Morgan is a well-known Canadian writer who had his novel debut Dirty Birds published in 2020. The Two share two children and reside in Nova Scotia after living in New York and Toronto.
Kate Beaton Sister
Beaton grew up with three sisters Becky Beaton, Maura Beaton, and Laureen Beaton. In late November 2015, Becky received a stage IIB cervical cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, Becky passed away at the age of 36 on May 14, 2016.
Education
She studied for K–12 and then joined Mount Allison University. During her time, she pursued and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and anthropology in 2005.
Ducks
Beaton released a memoir in graphic novel form, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands in 2022, about her experience working in the Alberta oil sands. Ducks is named after a disaster in which hundreds of ducks died after landing in a toxic tailings pond. In Addition, the book earned the 2023 edition of Canada Reads championed by Mattea Roach.
Kate Beaton Comics
Beaton enjoyed drawing when he was young and she began drawing comics for the university newspaper, The Argosy while in her third and fourth year. After graduating, she then worked at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria as an administrative assistant. During her tenure, Beaton decided to publish some of her history-inspired comics on the Web.
Benton also produced a series of widely received historical comic strips, based on topics suggested by twenty or more of her readers. From 2007 to 2018, she maintained her webcomic, “Hark! A Vagrant.” Subsequently, in May 2008, she transitioned her work from LiveJournal to her newly established website, also titled “Hark! A Vagrant.” Her achievements have led to features in notable publications such as Wired, Maclean’s, and Comic Book Resources.
Books
She has authored several books under the Comic Collection, children’s books, and non-fiction. The books include:
- Never Learn Anything From History in 2009.
- Hark! A Vagrant in 2011.
- Step Aside, Pops in 2015.
- The Princess and the Pony in 2015.
- King Baby in 2016.
- Ducks in 2022.
Pony
In her book, Beaton draws a fat pony which is seen in the book The Princess And The Pony.
Princess And The Pony
She authored a children’s picture book in 2015, The Princess and the Pony. The book turns stereotypical situations upside-down as Princess Pinecone is a “strong female character,” and a warrior. The Princess wishes for a warhorse for her birthday but instead gets a very cute pony. Beaton’s book won the Children’s Book Award in 2016.
Art
She has published her comics online at the website Hark, A Vagrant! and that material has been collected.
Nemesis
Nemesis is a series of strips from Beaton’s webcomic Hark! A Vagrant. He then moved on from that series, saying it had “run its course” after a few tough years for her. The Nemesis is a sequence of six comics that pit the master against the commander in an ongoing naval battle in both the physical and emotional space.
Hark A Vagrant
She is the creator of the comic strip Hark! A Vagrant. The comics discussed historical and literary topics in a comedic tone and were drawn in black and white. Some of the subjects in the comic include superheroes, Nancy Drew stories, and also autobiographical topics.
Step Aside Pops
Step Aside, Pops is a continuation of Beaton’s popular Hark! A Vagrant which includes awesome riffs on history and literature. It is done intelligently and hilariously.
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a character in her comic strip Hark! A Vagrant.
Net Worth
She has worked as a comic artist for over ten years and earned a net worth of $5 Million from her profession.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kate Beaton Married?
She has been married to her husband writer Morgan Murray since 2018 and they also share two children.
Where Was Kate Beaton Born?
She was born in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
How Old Is Kate Beaton?
She is 41 years old born in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 8, 1983.
Social Media Account
Twitter – @beatonna
Instagram – kate.beaton