The Adventures of Kate Anderson

poke

2010-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hullo. We're not dead. Honest!

Sadly, sometimes with labours of love, real life gets in the way.We're still trying to get Issue #3 out. Scripts are mostly written, some art is done, but there aren't enough hours in the day. In the meantime, give us some hope. If you haven't bought our books, please do so! Show us there's an audience. Pick up the first two issues for $10, shipping included.

And if you have read the books, thank you so very much. We couldn't do it without you!

Post-AoD Review + Pictures

2010-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

AoD was a lot of fun! I went with my friend and we shared an artist table. (You should visit her deviantart page here.) The location was the lovely Kabuki Hotel in San Francisco. Lots of people came by and Kate Anderson comics went home with a few of them!

Here are some photos of our table.

(I covered up my friend's face in this picture just for privacy's sake.)

The nighttime view from out 5th floor window. Post Street in Japantown!

Kathy at Animation on Display Jan 30-31

2010-01-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

If you're in the Bay Area, be sure to attend Animation on Display (AOD) in San Francisco's Hotel Kabuki located right smack dab in the middle of Japantown.

I'll be there with my artist table with Kate Anderson comics available for sale. Also, I'll have artist trading cards, buttons/pins, and all kinds of Longcat-themed goodies. I might even do some commissions....

Here's a map of my table, #2. I'll be sure to make as many poop jokes as I can this weekend.

And fyi, I plan on cosplaying (dressing in costume) as the Engineer from Team Fortress 2. If you see a blonde lady in a yellow hardhat, it is very likely me. Do say hi!

Here's a map of the artist alley layout. I scribbled on for your amusement.

A Very Messy Christmas

2009-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Blackadder-ispired update titles!

Ladies and gents, I've done it again! I've gotten myself sick. D: So the grand post-Christmas update won't be as grand because some folks will be getting their presents after Christmas when I feel less contagious (the family, of course, will get theirs on time because I share everything with them *achoo*.) Nevertheless, stay tuned in for pix of prezzies.

Here's my present to anyone and everyone who looks here: A Kate Anderson Christmas.

Happy Holidays from Blue Ringed Comics!

Good News Everyone!

2009-12-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not nearly as dead as you may have thought I was.

The thing about being poor is that I haven't quite got the cash for gifts for everyone for Christmas. Being up to my eyeballs in art supplies and recently unemployed means that a lot of people are getting a Kathy-made gift. That means a lot of time spent at my work table drawing something that I can't share until AFTER Christmas. Steven is getting something made by me too! And after he gets it I'm posting oodles of pictures of it here, not to mention pix of some of the other things I'm working on too.

But my poor hand is crapping out on me! I took a couple of minutes to illustrate the pain for your perverse pleasure.

In the meantime, enjoy some scans of things I worked on at APE. <3

Happy Anniversary!

2009-11-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

While the actual date of inception is lost to that dark backward and abysm of time, this month marks the tenth anniversary of Kate Anderson. And I thought it appropriate to mark the day on the anniversary of Doctor Who's first transmission for without Doctor Who there would be no Kate.

Kate was created for a sketch called Doctor Who and the Spork of Death. Mo Pease played Kate and I played the Doctor, naturally. There was an ancient rivalry between alien races (the Sporks and the Foons), strange jokes, and very silly costumes. Basically everything you'd expect from late 70s Doctor Who. And there was Kate. A wry woman in the midst of insanity. I actually managed to find a copy of the script. I know for a fact this wasn't the version performed, as there are a couple of jokes missing. But it's pretty close. It's also...very rough shall we say. This is the first time I had really written anything. It's very clear that I didn't know what I was doing. But it got better. At least, I hope it got better!

Doctor Who and the Spork of Death

(We hear the TARDIS land offstage. Enter the DOCTOR and KATE)

DOCTOR: Well, here we are, Pismo Beach and all the clams we can eat.

KATE: Doctor, I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t Pismo Beach.

DOCTOR: It isn’t? (KATE shakes her head as he looks around) Oh. (pulls out a map) I knew we should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.

KATE: It looks as though we’re in some sort of timeless void.

DOCTOR: Don’t say such things.

KATE: Why not?

DOCTOR: I usually have trouble in timeless voids. (he puts the map away) My watch stops and someone always tries to kill me.

(Enter SPORK WIELDING MANIAC)

SPORK WIELDING MANIAC: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

DOCTOR: (consulting his watch) Right on schedule.

SPORK WIELDING MANIAC: (con’t) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

DOCTOR: (finds that his watch has stopped) Oh really. Stupid piece of junk.

SPORK WIELDING MANIAC: (con’t) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

DOCTOR: (puts his watch away, notices that there is a SPORK WIELDING MANIAC) Are you quite done now?

SPORK WIELDING MANIAC: (takes a breath) aaaaaaaaaah! (He rushes the DOCTOR and KATE. KATE flips him over her shoulder.)

DOCTOR: (applauding) Oh, very nicely done.

KATE: Thank you.

DOCTOR: Now, what about our spork wielding friend here?

KATE: I dunno. He looks a bit maniacal to me.

DOCTOR: Well, anyone who wields a spork would have to be.

KATE: Stands to reason, doesn’t it?

DOCTOR: I suppose. (he pulls the SPORK WIELDING MANIAC up) Now there’s a good chap. Tell us why you attacked us, hm?

SPORK WIELDING MANIAC: Never! (He stabs himself with the spork and dies)

KATE: There’s something you don’t see every day.

DOCTOR: What?

KATE: Someone who attacks you with a spork and then commits suicide with it.

DOCTOR: You haven’t traveled with me very long have you?

KATE: No.

DOCTOR: Well, you get used to such things after awhile, you know. Daleks, mad scientists, spork wielding maniacs…The list goes on for miles.

KATE: I’ll take your word for it.

DOCTOR: Let’s go see what else is about, shall we?

(They exit. Enter PHIPS and ZORBIDIN.)

PHIPS: Did you see that?

ZORBIDIN: Yes. They materialized from nowhere in that big blue box.

PHIPS: No, that’s run of the mill. I meant the spork guy.

ZORBIDIN: Oh yes. So what?

PHIPS: SO what, you numbskull, is that means the Sporks are gaining power again.

ZORBIDIN: By the Great Plastic Mold in the Sky, you’re right.

PHIPS: I always am. Let’s go tell the Big F.

ZORBIDIN: Right!

(They exit. Reenter the DOCTOR and KATE.)

KATE: An entire culture based on plastic cutlery?

DOCTOR: That’s nothing. On Earth, in California, three high school students started the First Church of the Order of Shaft.

KATE: Shaft? As in Richard Roundtree?

DOCTOR: They say that cat Shaft’s one bad motha-

KATE: Shut yo’ mouth.

DOCTOR: Hey, I’m just talkin’ ‘bout Shaft.

KATE: Are you done?

DOCTOR: Erm, yeah.

KATE: But seriously, the situation here seems very unstable. The power struggled between the Sporks and the Foons are growing. The Foons are in control and the Sporks want in.

DOCTOR: Same as a thousand different planets in a thousand different times.

KATE: But we’re here, now. Can we leave?

DOCTOR: Oh, but it was just getting interesting.

KATE: But it’s dangerous.

DOCTOR: You really haven’t been traveling with me long.

(enter PHIPS and ZORBIDIN)

PHIPS: You will come with us.

ZORBIDIN: Yeah!

DOCTOR: If you don’t mind me asking, why? (PHIPS sticks a foon under his nose) Um, is this supposed to be threatening?

ZORBIDIN: You mean it isn’t?

KATE: Not really, no.

PHIPS: That’s rather disappointing.

DOCTOR: Yes, I can see that. You’ve spent a lot of time and effort in an attempt to be threatening and make us come with you, and it failed. Miserably.

PHIPS: It’s not our fault, you see. We’re just civil servants. It’s not our job to threaten. All we can do is account. We can’t even account for ourselves.

DOCTOR: Oh, there, there.

ZORBIDIN: I’m Phips and he’s Zorbidin. (PHIPS hits him on the head) I mean, he’s Zorbidin and I’m Phips. (PHIPS hits him again) I mean, I’m Zorbidin and he’s Phips.

KATE: I almost fell sorry for them. Doctor, can we go with them?

DOCTOR: Oh, why not? We might even teach them to be threatening.

PHIPS: Would you?

ZORBIDIN: It’d be a great help.

BIG FOON: (off) There is no need.

KATE: And why is that?

BIG FOON: (off) Because I am here.

(The BIG FOON enters. He is dressed like a giant foon with a long blue cape.)

KATE: Does anyone else find that the least bit disturbing?

PHIPS: It grows on you.

DOCTOR: It’d have to.

BIG FOON: Silence! I am the Big Foon, leader of the Foons.

KATE: Oh, that’s inventive.

BIG FOON: Who might you be?

DOCTOR: We might be any number of things.

KATE: A giant foon, for example.

DOCTOR: As it happens, I’m the Doctor and this is my friend Kate, I believe you know Phips and Zorbidin and you said your name was the Big Foon if I recall correctly and I always do. Except when I don’t.

KATE: Charmed, I’m sure.

BIG FOON: What brings you to my timeless void?

(Enter LAWYER)

LAWYER: Excuse me a moment, sir. (He and the BIG FOON confer in whispers and large gestures for a moment. Exit LAWYER.)

BIG FOON: I’ve just been informed by my lawyer that if I say another cliché, I’ll get sued.

DOCTOR: We came here quire by accident. Our ship doesn’t have the best navigation systems.

KATE: That’s the understatement of the year.

DOCTOR: Shh.

BIG FOON: You are spies of the Sporks!

DOCTOR: You leapt to that conclusion rather quickly, didn’t you?

BIG FOON: It was a command decision.

DOCTOR: Ah.

KATE: Well, I assume you’re going to shoot us now?

ZORBIDIN: No.

DOCTOR and KATE: No?

PHIPS: We’re going to foon you!

KATE: That sounds a bit rude.

DOCTOR: Not as rude as sporking.

KATE: That’s true.

BIG FOON: Silence! Zorbidin, Phips, get them!

DOCTOR: Erm. One moment please. Just one question and you can go back to fooning us.

BIG FOON: Sigh, what is it?

DOCTOR: Why do you keep saying ‘Silence!’?

BIG FOON: I’ve never really thought about it much before. I suppose it came from my father, the Medium Foon.

ZORBIDIN: Oh yeah, I remember him. Great leader he was.

BIG FOON: But who’s the greatest leader ever?

ZORBIDIN: You are, sir. Without a doubt.

BIG FOON: And don’t you forget it!

KATE: The Medium Foon?

BIG FOON: Yes. I am the Big Foon, my father was the Medium Foon, his father was the Small Foon…

DOCTOR: On second thought, I don’t want to know why you keep saying ‘Silence!’. If it’s going to be as boring as this, you might as well foon us. It’d be more humane.

KATE: Foone.

DOCTOR: Hm?

KATE: Foone. Like humane. You just add the silent ‘e’.

DOCTOR: Ah.

PHIPS: May we continue now?

(The DOCTOR nods. They advance on the DOCTOR and KATE.)

DOCTOR: Now, let’s not be too hasty guys.

KATE: Yeah, we were going to help you.

PHIPS: But he’s the Big Foon. Whatever he says goes.

ZORBIDIN: If we don’t follow his orders, we’ll get fooned.

(Enter three more SPORK WIELDING MANIACS.)

DOCTOR: Look, behind you, three spork wielding maniacs!

ZORBIDIN: D’you think we’re going to fall for that old one? (A SPORK WIELDING MANIAC stabs ZORBIDIN in the back.) Arrrrg!

PHIPS: Doctor, what are we going to do?

DOCTOR: What a lovely change of heart.

(Another SPORK WIELDING MANIAC stabs the BIG FOON.)

BIG FOON: I am slain. {Enter LAWYER. He whispers something in the BIG FOON’S ear and runs off.) Oh bugger, I can’t afford that.

KATE: Doctor, think of something!

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, yes. Ah, I know. (He pulls a small cylindrical object from his pocket.)

PHIPS: What’s that?

DOCTOR: What?

PHIPS: I said, what’s that.

DOCTOR: Sonic screwdriver. (He holds it aloft and aims it at the SPORK WIELDING MANIACS. They yelp, drop their sporks, and run off.)

PHIPS: I don’t understand.

KATE: That’s hardly surprising.

DOCTOR: Oh, quite simple, really. The sonic screwdriver excited the atoms in the sporks, causing them to go faster, which had the side effects of heating the plastic.

PHIPS: And they dropped them accordingly.

DOCTOR: Precisely.

PHIPS: There’s just one problem.

KATE: What’s that?

PHIPS: The Big Foon died. There’s no one to take his place.

DOCTOR: Well, I can think of no one more suited to the job than you.

PHIPS: But I have no political experience.

KATE: Which is why you’d make a great leader.

DOCTOR: People who want to rule should by no means be the ones with power.

PHIPS: And what of you , Doctor? Will you help me get rid of the Sporks?

DOCTOR: No! Absolutely not! That’s not the way I do things. Anymore. Some of my previously selves, on the other hand, would be happy to help. Try the small Scottish one with the question mark fetish.

KATE: Besides, have you ever looked closely at a spork and a foon?

PHIPS: No, not really.

KATE: They’re identical. Just different names for the same thing.

PHIPS: Never though of it like that before.

KATE: Thought not.

DOCTOR: We really should be going.

PHIPS: Yes, of course. Goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye, Kate. (he exits)

KATE: That was so real, it was surreal.

DOCTOR: Quite.

KATE: Can we go now?

DOCTOR: Every time we get someplace, you always want to leave.

KATE: That’s because weird things like this keep happening.

DOCTOR: This? This is nothing. Have I ever told you about the time a group of intelligent carrots demanding unlimited rice pudding abducted my companion and nearly blew up the Fifth Galaxy?

KATE: No.

DOCTOR: (as they exit) Well, I was in my sixth incarnation at the time and my companion Mel was trying to get me to lose some weight…

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 4

2009-11-17T21:01:00.001-08:00

Last page! Yes, Tommy Chong is a student in Kate's class.

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 3

2009-11-12T09:21:00.001-08:00

The next page. I like the jock in the last two panels of this comic; it's like he's disciplining a misbehaving cat.

I love drawing space-Kate!

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 2

2009-11-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Page two of the story that I wrote and Steven approved of. This was so fun to draw!

Kate Anderson Adventures #2 Now Available!

2009-11-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

That's right, after months of waiting, it's finally here! Issue #2 features three stories: Kate Anderson in Lay Dee Odl Lay Dee Odl Lay Dee Doom, The Green Raven in Big Ralph's Big Score, and The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows. Plus an exclusive prose story found only in this issue, Thieves of Mercy! All this for only $5!

But that's not all...

We've gone back to print on Issue #1 and printed it in a new, smaller edition to match #2. And, we've fixed all those annoying little typos that we knew you noticed!

I know what you're thinking, 'How do I obtain these slices of fried gold from Steven and Kathy?' Well, friend, wander and wonder no more. You can order right here! Every comic comes signed by Kathy Harnack and Steven Sautter and can be personally inscribed upon request.

KATE ANDERSON #1 ($5)
KATE ANDERSON #2 ($5)

BUY BOTH FOR ONLY $8! THAT'S A SAVINGS OF TWO WHOLE DOLLARS!

OR BUY THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF ISSUE #1, WARTS AND ALL, FOR ONLY $3!

fever-induced genderbending

2009-11-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

This came to me while I was sick and I thought it was groundbreaking. A week later I thought it was only ok. :\

Allow me to introduce Nate Anderson and Tiffany Eccles, the result of flipping the genders of Kate Anderson and Timothy Eccles. Enjoy!

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 1

2009-11-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here's page 1 of a story that Steven allowed me to write. He approved of the pitch and the script, and I felt very honored to be granted the permission to play with the inhabitants of his universe for a bit.

The title is an homage to the classic Batman story that this Kate adventure is based on.

Kathy’s Post-APE Rundown [PICTURES!!!]

2009-10-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

This was my first time ever going to APE and it was at once just like and totally different from other cons I’d been to before. Spending the weekend in the company of people with interests and goals similar to mine is really inspiring.Walking around the convention space was thrilling all by itself.

What was different was the emphasis not on established artists, but on the little guy trying to put his name out there. There was a sense of community support at APE that wasn’t quite the sense of unity I’ve experienced at other cons. It made me feel all warm and squishy inside.

Our table was just that: a bare-bones table! At Fanime we get the luxury of a clean, white, plastic table with a blue cloth skirt. No such frills at APE. Our table was wooden and worn in some spots such that it was splintery. Using quick thinking and cash, Steven dashed off early on and found a tablecloth at a nearby REI. Since the red gingham didn’t really connote the spirit of Blue Ringed Comics, we flipped it over to the white underbelly. In some pictures, you can see the checkered fringe.

A few spelling errors later on the signs and we were in business! The table was set up, the fliers were out, the candy enticed, and I got to work on making some artist trading cards. (I didn’t end up trading with anybody, actually. But I did give them away.)

We talked to many people who were very kind and we recited our sales pitch many a time over. Sometimes our efforts were successful and we’d make a sale, other times the visitor walked away with a flier and a pixie stick. Archie the octopus sure attracted a lot of attention! Steven likes to perch him on his shoulder.

As my understanding goes, Tim Schafer was at APE promoting Brütal Legend.Since I’ve only ever seen one old photo of him courtesy of Yahtzee’s review of Psychonauts, I’m not entirely sure which one he is in this photo. I’m guessing he’s the gentlemen sitting down signing something. Kind of wish I’d done some planning because I would have brought him my copy of Psychonauts to sign.

And it isn't a con until there's a collab! My kind nieghbor Chris Matley of Two Skulls Studio drew lineart of a sexy woman stabbinating a tentacle monster. Since I'd dragged along every Prismacolor and Copic marker I had, he asked me to color. So there it is!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 12 + 13

2009-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last two pages of Lay Dee Odle.

Well, late again. Got a good excuse for you: since I had an unseasonable flu, SF Chronicle thinks it was H1N1. That's right, the dreaded swine flu. I feel I have accomplished something. No really, I'm super proud.

But after the flu, I spent two days feeling better, but then got hit with just a plain ol' cold. No fever, no aches, nothing bad, just cough cough cough cough cough cough cough. Irritating, persistent cough. And tired. Very tired. Tired of being sick, really.

Thing is, I haven't been sick in years. I figured I owed a lot of interest. :\

So everyone! Take extra-super care of yourselves! Take your multivitamins, and your zinc, and your vitamin c, eat healthy, wash your hands, go to bed at a reasonable hour, etc. etc. etc. We need you good and healthy so you can buy our comics!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 10+11

2009-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Two pages of Lay Dee Odle since I missed the update on Tuesday. I caught a cold/flu. Caught it with my face. :\

APE!

2009-10-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Enjoy a couple of photos from APE. And if you're just joining us, welcome!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 9

2009-10-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Eek! Another day with a late comic! Hope you can forgive me, I was too busy getting ready for APE! Check it out, show up, visit us, buy our comic, have fun!

Shout out to Robot 6! APE on the loose!

2009-10-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hey, if you're here from Robot 6 welcome! For those that don't know, we had a little blurb in a Robot 6 APE roundup today. Cool stuff!

We're going to be at booth #561 all weekend. Drop by, say hi, and buy our comics!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 8

2009-10-13T20:33:00.001-07:00

Poor Timothy in panel 3! Good thing that's a sturdy goat.

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 7

2009-10-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Next page. This one was fun to draw. :D

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 6

2009-10-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

Whoops! A day late in the update. Look for an update tomorrow, though.

Width of a Circle

2009-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been very quiet. Sorry, running around like a chicken with bits cut off. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass last weekend, Portland next and of course there is the omnipresent lead up to APE. Here, enjoy a story I wrote a little while ago featuring Gwendolyn Anderson, Kate's great-grandaunt.

Width of a Circle

The aspect of her chosen profession that Gwendolyn Anderson enjoyed the least was exposing the frauds. Not that she liked or approved of the frauds, far from it. For a start, it was tedious. More importantly, the crushing of hope in the scammer’s victims was sometimes unbearable. Was it better to live in the stark light of truth than in the murky mists of ignorance? Yes, of course. It had to be. Otherwise, what would be the point?

She walked up the five shallow steps to the front door of 127 Shadwell Street and rapped the doorknocker once. Almost instantly, a bespectacled butler opened the door. He peered at her and presented a small silver tray. Without a word, Gwendolyn placed her card upon it. The butler led her into a small receiving room while he went off in search of his master.

The room was filled with ferrotypes that had been fashionable a decade or so previously. They all showed of the day posing with the same weasel faced little man.

‘You are admiring the ferrotypes, I see.’ Gwendolyn turned to see the weasel faced man enter the room. ‘Yes, I have done readings for many people. Look, here is Charlotte Ellison. And there, Randolph Henry Ash, splendid fellow. And Hamilton Slade,’ he pointed each of them in turn.

‘You are Robert Emil, then?’ Gwendolyn asked, knowing full well the answer he would give.

‘I am he, dear lady. You have come for the séance.’ It was not a question.

She answered yes and followed him to another room, windowless yet swathed with drapes. Two elderly women and a middle aged man were already sat around a round table in the middle of the room, the only piece of furniture in it. Gwendolyn sat down and looked at the other people at the table. The man had a long nose and piercing gray eyes. His hair, though graying at the temples, fell back in ringlets down past his neck. The women were unremarkable, but chatted amicably between each other.

Gwendolyn leant over and introduced herself to the gentleman. He smiled and said hello but did not give his name. ‘I lost my memory,’ he said offhandedly. ‘It was suggested to me that someone “out there” might know me.’ At this he gestured to the open air with a conjurer’s flourish. ‘All nonsense, of course, but it can’t do any harm.’

Emil took his seat and motioned for everyone to take hands. ‘While Mrs. Runcible and Mrs. Sloat have been here many times, this is the first visit for our other guests. Let me explain what shall happen, I am about to make contact with the spirit world and shall be set upon by those who have passed on. I beg of you, do not be alarmed! They shall not harm you. These spirits are benevolent and wish only talk to us.’

And he began to chant, a wordless hypnotic droning. After several moments of this, he opened his eyes, which were rolled back into his head leaving only the whites. ‘Spirits? Are you there?’ There was a slight pause and then a mysterious knocking.

Oh no, thought Gwendolyn, not a table knocker. She took a quick look at Emil, but he had his feet firmly on the ground. She looked around the table; the pepperpots were enthralled but the steel eyed man was clearly bored. ‘A table knocker,’ he mouthed to her. She shrugged and nodded back at him.

‘Mr. Runcible?’ There was another knock.

‘Ask him if he’s well,’ said Mrs. Runcible.

‘Mr. Runcible, are you well?’ KNOCK

‘Ask him if he’s had his vegetables,’ Mrs. Runcible said.

‘Mr. Runcible, have you had your vegetables?’ KNOCK KNOCK

‘Now, Geoffrey, you know you’re supposed to have your vegetables. Just because you’ve passed to the other side-’ KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

‘What do three knocks mean?’ Gwendolyn asked.

‘I fear Mr. Runcible has passed outside of our purview for the moment,’ Emil said quickly. ‘But I do sense another presence.’

‘Is it my Arthur?’ asked Mrs. Sloat. KNOCK

‘Nooo, no.’ There was an element of panic Emil’s voice. ‘Do any of you know McIntosh? Hob-no-Robert McIntosh? ’

‘No,’ said Gwendolyn.

‘I might do. I don’t know,’ the gray eyed man sighed.

‘He says-he says to-’ KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

‘He says to knock?’ The gray eyed man stood up from the table. ‘I’ve had rather enough of this.’ KNOCK

‘I quite agree,’ Gwendolyn stood next to him. ‘The link is broken and there’s still-’ KNOCK ‘Still knocking. The “spirits” aren’t doing this. Shall we go upstairs and see what is?’

‘After you’, the man gestured towards the door.

‘No, you can’t,’ Emil cried.

Gwendolyn and her companion raced up the stairs, the tails of his coat flapping behind him. Emil followed them, yelling at that and threatening police action. All the while, the knocking grew louder.

They reached the top of the stairs. Gwendolyn paused before the door where the knocking seemed to be originating. ‘Ready?’

‘I was loomed ready,’ the man smiled his mysterious smile at her. For an instant Gwendolyn saw something behind his eyes, as if he realized that he, himself, didn’t understand what he just said.

Gwendolyn turned the handle and the door open wide, prepared to take on anything.

‘It’s a pony,’ said the man.

‘Yes,’ said Gwendolyn.

‘Forgive me, my memory again, but that’s not normal is it?’ he asked.

‘No,’ said Gwendolyn, again.

‘Thought not,’ the man said and miraculously pulled a sugar cube out of his pocket to present to the pony.

Emil came spluttering into the room. ‘Hillary!’

‘Is fine. Perhaps you might explain why there’s a pony in your bedroom?’ Gwendolyn asked.

‘I don’t have to tell you anything,’ Emil crossed his arms. ‘What a gentleman does behind closed doors is his own prerogative.’

‘Oh,’ said Gwendolyn before the implications set in. ‘Ohhh.’

The man giggled. Both Emil and Gwendolyn shot daggers at him. ‘Sorry, Hillary was eating a sugar cube off my hand and it tickled,’ he said sheepishly.

‘You hussy!’ Emil screamed at his pony and ran out the door, sobbing all the way.

Gwendolyn placed a hand on the strange man’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for. I knew before I came here that he was a fraud.’

‘So did I,’ he said after a moment. He walked away, letting her hand fall. ‘You’ll contact the proper authorities, I trust?’

‘Of course.’

‘Good,’ he said. He walked out the door, leaving Gwendolyn alone with the pony. The pony eyed her wearily. Gwendolyn did the same. ‘How do we get you out of here?’

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Now playing: David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things
via FoxyTunes

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 5

2009-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pretty girls aren't normally my forte, but Steven seemed impressed. :)

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 4

2009-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Page 4.

I sure don't spreekt Nederlands. D:

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 3

2009-09-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Page 3.

Why with a car like that, Kate and Timothy could easily drive to the North Pole.

Helping Senior Citizens With All Their Comics Needs Since 2009

2009-09-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Our Seller's Permit for APE showed up today. This means we are Official! Unfortunately they misspelled our name. Instead of Blue Ringed Comics, according to the State of California we are Blue Rinsed Comics. I can just see it now: special comics geared to the elderly, maybe we could get the license to Diagnosis: Murder. Of course we'd offer a senior discount. Clearly, this is what we were meant to do.

Sloane ATC

2009-09-22T21:20:00.001-07:00

So on the same day I saved moolah at the local Aaron Bros. I also found a pack of blank artist trading cards (ATC). Since they've been floating temptingly around deviantART, I decided I'd give it a go.

The first of the Kate Anderson characters I decided to put on an ATC was.... Sloane! Because he's so sexy....? @_@ Don't really know why, but drawing him first just seemed right. The cute lemur might have had something to do with it. I've decided that Sloane would name him Julian. And then crown him king.

The original is quite small: 2.5" x 3.5". It is Copic pens and Prismacolor markers on bristol board.

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 2

2009-09-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

The second page of the next Kate adventure. I love drawing new outfits for Kate and Timothy.

Yaaar, Woooorf, Suuuulu

2009-09-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. While I refuse to be told to talk like a pirate, I will drink like one. While I try and drink my body mass worth of rum, enjoy some dialogue and a song I wrote for three nerd pirates in Mothman and Chrysalis.

PIRATE 1: Yaaar!

PIRATE 2: Wooorf!

PIRATE 3: Suluuu!

PIRATE 1: What be you doing?

PIRATE 2: I thought we were namin’ security chiefs o’ th’ Enterprise.

PIRATE 1: Sulu wasn’t security chief o’ th’ Enterprise.

PIRATE 3: In ‘Mirror, Mirror’ he was.

PIRATE 2: Aye, but that was in a parallel universe.

PIRATE 3: How about Chekov? Chekov was th’ security chief in th’ first six Star Trek movies.

PIRATE 1: Not in Star Trek 2 though.

PIRATE 3: Not in Star Trek 2, yeah. But th’ rest…

A PIRATE RAP
(Sung by three pirates in four part harmony)

It’s hard to be a pirate in this day and age
But da’ nine t’ five grind feels like we trapped in a cage
So we quit our jobs at th’ local Target
And bought these new clothes from a costume set

We were pirates
We were mean
We were vicious and cruel
But da’ biggest body of water we could find was a pool

Forsakin’ the high seas, we turned to crime
Drinkin’ Coronas with tiny slices o’ lime
We spend our days lookin’ for booty
And once we find our treasure, we’ll look for some cuties

Oh, yeah.

All th’ pirates in th’ house go, “Rrrr.”

So here we end our tale o’ woe and tragedy
How we ditched our jobs and turned t’ piracy
But enough o’ this rap, ‘tis getting hard to rhyme
We’re gonna stop it now because it’s time…to steal

Word

Peace Out

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 1

2009-09-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the first page in a new adventure starring Kate, with Timothy. He seems to be pretty cranky right now. You'll have to wait until the next update to find out more!

Green Raven, page 5

2009-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

The thrilling conclusion of the Green Raven comic!

Tune in on Thursday for the start of a new adventure.

Sale at Aaron Bros!

2009-09-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Wise and All-Knowing Steven, I scored some great deals at the local Aaron Brothers! He let me know that they're having a sale on all kinds of art supplies, among them Prismacolor markers which I use. I got 10 individual markers, mostly pastels - which I have a hard time finding.

I also picked up a pad of Bristol board, which will be on the receiving end of the markers I got. Thanks to Steven letting me know about the sale, I saved 40% off the markers and

50% off the paper. I saved $20.30! Thank

you Steven! <3

Green Raven, page 4

2009-09-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ever the resourceful fellow, The Green Raven finds his way out of trouble!

Kate Anderson Style Meme

2009-09-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

I found a style meme on deviantART the other day so I decided to give it a shot with Kate.

This just in: I like Osamu Tezuka. A lot.

Green Raven, page 3

2009-09-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Egads, boys and girls, The Green Raven finds himself in a spot of trouble!

Kate is not Waterproof

2009-09-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

So way back when I was working on Idol of Nud Thelo, I had a snowglobe. "Had" being the operative word here. I also have a cat. And gravity was working that day. All three combined into a snowglobe falling onto a surge protecter, my scanner, and the drawing of the first page of Nud Thelo that was on the scanner.

Luckily, there was no great damage. The snowglobe went to snowglobe heaven after dying a Disney villian's death, the surge protecter went to silicon heaven as a safety precaution, and the page had already been scanned so it didn't matter that it bled. And bled and bled and bled.

So here's what the page looked like post-snowglobe incident. I don't know why it's pink. I used Microns and Prismas, both of which claim to be waterproof. The snowglobe 'water' smelled awful, and it kind of makes me wonder what was in it that made the waterproof art supplies bleed.

Green Raven, page 2

2009-09-03T15:08:00.001-07:00

Sit tight, boys and girls, and watch your favorite hero, the Green Raven, confront some no-good crooks! Tune in next Tuesday for the next page!

Drawings by a 3rd Grader

2009-09-01T14:29:00.001-07:00

In non-Kate news, I recently stumbled upon a sketchbook that had some of my drawings in it from when I was little. I thought they were kind of cute, so here's a few you can look at. Enjoy!

Green Raven, page 1

2009-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Check out the first page of The Green Raven!!

Every red-blooded American boy or girl wouldn't miss this for all the Abba-Zabbas and Bazooka Joe in the world!

Tune in on Thursday, some Kate-time, same Kate-channel, for more thrilling adventure!

I Ain't Dead

2009-08-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

In fact, Blue Ringed Comics is going to be at APE in October! And, starting tomorrow (with any luck) we're going to be serializing our comics online! First up, an adventure of Kate's grandfather, briefly mentioned in Kate Anderson and the Book of the Dead. Coming tomorrow: The Green Raven!

A Quick One While He's Away

2009-06-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, Kate Anderson now has a Facebook group! This is still our main haunt, but if you want to drop a note down thataway, it's more likely to get a quick response.

Oh yeah, buy the first issue too. Hit the button just to your right there.

Almost there.

Yes, that's it!

Thank you.

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Four

2009-06-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

After Book of the Dead was well received, I immediately threw myself into doing more Kate. There are more than a few notebooks with abandoned Kate stories in them, mostly written in-between class notes for subjects I could care less about. We were going to do a sequel and then Lexi decided she wasn't going to do Chautauqua. I toyed with the idea of writing one anyway, but convinced myself that it would be a very bad idea. And it would have been. And then we were going to do a short film or two for the Chautauqua film festival and that didn't happen for various reasons. Although I don't remember precisely why, I think we probably just ran out of time.

Meanwhile, the play I *did* write for Chautauqua was being performed. The Magnificent Adventures of Mothman and Chrysalis featured Drake Anderson as the title character. Drake Anderson is Kate's cousin, but this was not made particularly clear in the script. Drake and his youthful ward Julie Adams will be showing up at some point in one of the backup stories once I can come up with a story that isn't obvious. Ha!

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Now playing: Dave Matthews Band - Stay (Wasting Time)
via FoxyTunes

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Three

2009-06-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note before diving in, we are currently #2 on Google if you type in Kate Anderson Adventures behind some travel agency. That's pretty cool, but I think we can do better. I mean, we're not even on the first couple of pages for Kate Anderson. Spread the word!

Back to the Book of the Dead.

KAatBotD was written, as the little story said, out of despair. After having the play I wrote taken out of my hands and utterly utterly mangled into unrecognizably, I needed to do something for me. In parts it's a little clunky, I'll not deny it. There are a few things that I never quite figured out out to make them work, like the sword fighting zombies. But it is absolute joy bursting out onto every page. And to this day, I am surprised it was performed. It was rejected the year before, but that was before I started having friends on the selection committee. Thanks Shay!

The name Timothy Eccles is slightly strange. In KAatBotD he is introduced as 'Timothy, never Tim' mostly because I hate it when people call me Steve. My name isn't Steve, it's Steven. Yes, it's one letter, but it's my name! And sure enough, he's never been called Tim. Eccles came from The Goon Show, many episodes of which I was listening to while writing. KAatBotD isn't really informed by The Goon Show, but some of the other things I wrote at the time were. I don't know why Eccles got the nod, he's not my favourite character, I guess it just worked.

And of course, Opal Forrester was introduced. She's probably going to come into the comic at some point. Must give her a proper story...

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Now playing: Keller Williams - Vabeeotchay
via FoxyTunes

Push the Button, Frank!

2009-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we've sold through a quarter of our print run in a week! This is fantastic, thank you so very much! So, for those that haven't bought it yet, here are a couple more preview pages. Remember, if you like it, pass it along to your friends. Or, better yet, get them to buy an issue!

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Now playing: The Museum of Curiosity
via FoxyTunes

Kate Anderson at Fanime 2009

2009-05-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

"Kate at Fanime" sounds like cosplay to me. Maybe I should dye my hair red for APE...

Here's some photos from Fanime 2009, namely those that include my table at artist alley. More importantly, we've photographic proof that someone took a copy of Kate home with them! Join those who have already entered the fold and purchase a copy of Kate Anderson Adventures #1 today!

First Issue Now Available!

2009-05-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings and felicitations to one and all!

I am pleased as Punch to announce that the very first issue of Blue Ringed Comics’ Kate Anderson Adventures is now available to purchase! Painstakingly written by Steven Sautter and beautifully illustrated by Kathy Harnack, this first issue features three stories starring Kate Anderson and her companion Timothy Eccles, as seen in the renowned play Kate Anderson and the Book of the Dead!

We have a very limited print run, so place your order today! Only $7, which includes shipping and handling! All copies come signed by both the author and artist. If you'd like it personalized, just make a note at checkout!

For now, here are a couple of pages from the first issue!

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Two

2009-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

It was in the May of 2001 that I began the endeavor which I relate to you now. Feeling unfulfilled with my current theatrical work, which was being slaughtered on the stage like an unsuspecting bovine, I turned my attention once again to that solitary vice of writing. Many was the sleepless hour I spent hunched over my keyboard, the cerulean illumination from the monitor the only source of radiance in my darkened quarters. Neither food nor drink compelled me to turn away from what I had begun. Neither too did my studies, and a monograph on Wagner’s Bayreuth festival went by the wayside, not returned to until the last possible juncture. I tried drowning my thoughts with music composed by a sovereign of the crimson nation, but to no avail. My head was filled instead by the inhuman ululations of the muse that had attached itself to my brain, unwilling or perhaps unable to release its hold until my narrative had been completed.

When I had at long last finished my magnum opus, I discovered that three weeks had passed. The passing of time had completely circumvented me! I had had not witnessed its flight and had I not been assured by several acquaintances that this was the case, I could have scarcely believed it. My faculties recovered, I began to study the manuscript I had produced. O, what a foul creation it was! Had I not been there to witness its inception, I would not have thought it to be crafted by myself. Creatures being summoned forth by a hideous tome in an attempt to cause the premature extinction of our great hominid derived race? Who could accredit such a chronicle? I sealed the beast to a derelict folder in a desolate section of my hard drive.

In the days and weeks that followed the banishment of my creation, I did my best to try and continue on with my life. And for a time I succeeded, but the anathema of my handiwork haunted the recesses of my mind in the same manner as the laughing dogs of the Negav Desert track their quarry. In order to silence the baying of these ghastly hounds, I submitted my abomination to the Chautauqua Festival, the very place where my work had been dismembered two years previously. The irony was almost too much for me to bear, could my salvation be in the very locality that had driven me to write in the first place? For my sake, I hoped that this would be the case.

And it was, the Chautauqua Festival accepted my hideous creation and quelled the growing din in my mind. But, in my moment of salvation I did not consider the consequences. Previously, my work had been contained within the confines of my skull, but now it was unleashed upon the community like a plague. I tried distracting myself through the manipulation of innumerable sonances for other shows in the Festival, all for naught because Kate Anderson and the Book of the Dead was performed. I can only hope that any cases of dementia coming after its exhibition are hereditary and any connections to my creation are pallitated. As for me, I write this final note as an explanation before sealing myself in an iron lined crypt, its whereabouts remaining hidden against those who would try to rescue me. Leave me be, it is safer for the world if I am ensconced where I can do no further harm. Beware The Book of the Dead, for surely it shall drive you mad as it did me.

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part One

2009-05-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's been ten years since I created Kate Anderson. The road to the comic has been, without hyperbole, a long one. So, where did she come from?

Kate was created for a sketch I wrote called The Spork of Death. It was the first thing I wrote for the stage and it was pretty silly. On the page, Kate wasn't really formulated as a character. She was made entirely by her performer, Monica (Mo) Pease. Mo gave her some flair, some sarcasm, and wackiness. These are all things that can be seen on the page today. Thanks, Mo!

The name Kate came from The Taming of the Shrew, I don't know why. I hadn't been reading it at the time or anything, but it was a conscious decision. Anderson stems from Jon Anderson, as I was listening to a lot of Yes at the time. Also, Anderson is a nicely generic name. It has a very familiar quality to it. This was to pay off later in a big way.

Next time, we'll open The Book of the Dead and peruse its secrets!

FanimeCon and the First Issue

2009-05-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

We're pleased as punch to announce that Kate Anderson Adventures is going to press for out very first issue!

We will have a limited number of copies available at FanimeCon this weekend in San Jose. Artist Kathy Harnack will have a table in Artist's Alley all weekend and writer Steven Sautter will probably show his pretty little head on Monday (just kidding, his head's not that pretty).

For those of you not going to FanimeCon, we will have ordering information up after the con.

Thank you for your support!

WonderCon Redux

2009-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

For those of you joining us after WonderCon, welcome!

Enjoy a rough cover to issue #1.

WonderCon was, as always, lots of fun. It was slightly strange only going on Sunday. But, as I haven't missed one since 2002, Sunday is better than no day. Still a little miffed that no-one had the Alex Ross Justice toys I wanted for a reasonable price, still I haven't looked around at all the stores down here so there might still be hope.

More news soon.

Wondercon

2009-02-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Going to WonderCon tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

Kate Anderson and the Page of 1

2009-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Submitted for your approval, the first page of many pages to come.

The Beginning

2009-01-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

Blog launching soon. Soon all the news from Blue Ringed Comics about the upcoming launch of The Adventures of Kate Anderson comic book.

The Adventures of Kate Anderson

*poke*

Post-AoD Review + Pictures

Kathy at Animation on Display Jan 30-31

A Very Messy Christmas

Good News Everyone!

Happy Anniversary!

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 4

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 3

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 2

Kate Anderson Adventures #2 Now Available!

fever-induced genderbending

The Kate Anderson Nobody Knows - pg 1

Kathy’s Post-APE Rundown [PICTURES!!!]

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 12 + 13

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 10+11

APE!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 9

Shout out to Robot 6! APE on the loose!

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 8

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 7

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 6

Width of a Circle

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 5

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 4

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 3

Helping Senior Citizens With All Their Comics Needs Since 2009

Sloane ATC

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 2

Yaaar, Woooorf, Suuuulu

Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Odle Lay Dee Doom - pg 1

Green Raven, page 5

Sale at Aaron Bros!

Green Raven, page 4

Kate Anderson Style Meme

Green Raven, page 3

Kate is not Waterproof

Green Raven, page 2

Drawings by a 3rd Grader

Green Raven, page 1

I Ain't Dead

A Quick One While He's Away

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Four

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Three

Push the Button, Frank!

Kate Anderson at Fanime 2009

First Issue Now Available!

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part Two

Kate Anderson and the Dark Backward and Abysm of Time-Part One

FanimeCon and the First Issue

WonderCon Redux

Wondercon

Kate Anderson and the Page of 1

The Beginning

poke