So say you are sitting watching the news, and they drop a knowledge bomb on you about some historical figure having something to do with today’s troubles and tribulations. If you are like me 84% of the time you think “WHO in the WHERE did WHAT…WHEN? And WHY??” That is where Ms. Kate Beaton can set you straight, with JOKES and COMICS! This helps me, because I can usually only remember things that are funny.

All you ever need to know about Musashi.

Kate is a comic artist from Novia Scotia, currently livin’ it large in Ontario. She tempers her unfailing Canadian politeness by dropping the occasional f-bomb, not to mention the s-bomb and once even the ever-controversial x-bomb, but still does it so charmingly even the Queen Mother herself could not take offense.

Seriously, who doesn’t love the Queen Mum?

Subjects range from those crazy sexy Tudors to dirty old man James Joyce to sexy celibate science genius Nikola Tesla to Fat Ponies. While her usual medium is pencil and pen, recently more shaded comics and colors have been showing up. They’re all nicely rendered; it’s truly the expressions get you.

I normally do not like horses but I LOVE Fat Pony (Click to Embiggen)

Every once in a while we get very lucky, and Kate does some hourly comics. These provide an interesting look into her day-to-day life, which is just as fascinating and hilarious as her scripted comics. In the same vein are her “Younger Self” comics, where Little Kate comes back and has talks with today’s Kate. I’ve never read one where I didn’t laugh and tear up at the same time. Stupid Kate Beaton, making me feel my feelings.

Little Amber would not even talk to me, she’d just read a book (Click to Embiggen)

You can follow Kate all over the internet at her website (Hark! A Vagrant), Twitter and LiveJournal. If you live in Novia Scotia or New Brunswick you can catch Kate as the Ease On Down the Road Artist in Residence at her alma matter Mount Allison University from January 21 to February 18. Several items by Kate are available to clothe your body and smarten up your brain through Topatoco, an awesome online retailer.

I am going to do you a favor and warn you: DO NOT LOOK UP THESE LETTERS

(All images from Hark! A Vagrant’s archive: Musashi, Queen Mum, Pony Hitman, Younger Self Advent, James Joyce Is Going To Corrupt You All)

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