Caryn A. Tate

Obviously I've been delinquent in my blog posts again. As I said last time, it's not because nothing is happening. Let it be known that Red Plains is, as usual, alive and well, and great things are happening!

You may have heard, by now, about the big Graphicly updates. If not, you can read about it on their blog.

What does this mean for Red Plains? It means more people are reading the series. It's now on every single device out there. It started out as a webcomic, online only, and now folks can read it on their Kindles, Androids, iPads, Nooks, laptops, whatever. All over the world. How cool is that?

It's more exciting to me than I can effectively explain. This world that is so real to me, and so dear to my heart, continues to live and thrive in the digital realm.

I and many artists are continuing to work on new stories, several of which will be released very soon. I think you'll enjoy them, and I'll start posting teasers as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at how the comics are created here.

Remember last time I said I was re-lettering a story that's one of my favorites? That would be "Accidents Will Happen," featuring art by the phenomenal Butch Mapa. This story will be released digitally soon, complete with tons of awesome extras like audio commentary.

More to come soon!

It has been way too long since I've posted. Not because nothing has been happening--quite the contrary! I'll post a more in-depth update later but for now, it's a nice, quiet, relatively sunny Sunday in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm re-lettering an awesome Red Plains story that will be released for sale digitally very soon with some kick-ass extras. To some of my favorite Red Plains lettering music, Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs."

This tale I'm re-lettering is, quite honestly, one of my all-time favorites we've put out so far. Stay tuned to see which one it is :)

It's here! The all new, 66 page Red Plains storyline, featuring this awesome new character I've been dropping hints about, Double Ott. It features jaw-dropping art by Mike D. Kim, and over at Graphicly you can get it for just $2.99--which includes audio commentary with me, an ASTOUNDING art extra wipe-effect (where you can "wipe off" the inks to see Mike's original penciled pages), script excerpts, concept art, and character info.

Ott is a bounty hunter, and he lives and breathes adventure. It's great to add a brand new major character to the series again, and he is one I've been looking forward to revealing to the world for a long time!


Above is Mike's early concept art for Double Ott. A few things changed (read the comic & check out the concept art extras for more info on exactly what changed and why), but by and large he nailed it!

Stay tuned for interviews I've been doing where we get into a lot of cool detail about the comic and where Red Plains is going next.

Check out the comic, tell your friends, and let Mike & me know what you think!

Coming very soon. I can't give away too much yet, but I'll let some art by Mike D. Kim speak for itself!

It's almost here! Next Saturday, September 24, I'll be in Artist Alley at Jet City Comic Con in Seattle!

I'll be at table AA01, and I'll be selling exclusive trade paperback copies of Red Plains: "Nice Place to Raise Your Kids Up" - the Collected Edition! On top of that, I'll be showing displays of Red Plains art and issues, including an exclusive sneak peak of the entire first issue of an explosive upcoming storyline that will release this fall: "The Ballad of Double Ott," which features stunning artwork by Mike D. Kim (who also did the art on Red Plains: "Mi Amor").

If you're in the Seattle area next weekend, please stop by. It'll be a great show, and the tickets are only $8!

To whet your appetite for "The Ballad of Double Ott," check out Mike's awesome cover.

I just heard from one of the artists I'm working with on Red Plains (a new artist whose work you haven't seen yet--but you will soon!). He paid me one of the nicest compliments I've heard as a writer. He said he's really enjoyed the script I just sent him, but more than that, some specific things that happen in the story made him uncomfortable, which he'll use to project that emotion onto the page.

That's one of my favorite things to hear as a dramatic writer. The types of situations in which my characters often find themselves are not desirable most of the time. Or they may make choices that will cause them further pain or chaos. So if the person reading experiences some discomfort of their own? That's the ideal response. Shoot, writing the things I do in Red Plains, I certainly don't feel comfortable either. It can cause me quite a bit of agitation and not a few sleepless nights. So to know it's not just me just warms the cockles of my heart!

More soon. I haven't been posting as much because I've been putting in a ton of work, but I will be finishing most of the urgent stuff soon and will have more time then.

As always, thanks for reading!

After an out-of-print hiatus, Sunny Bear's Rainy Day is back! Illustrated by Noel Tuazon, this book was my first published work. Ideal for ages 4-8, it's a children's picture book featuring a normally cheerful bear named Sunny who's having a rough day, has a few adventures, and discovers some cool things about herself. It's pure and wholesome--with great art. Just what I always wanted in a picture book when I was a kid.

Plus, this book is the first in a series of picture books! The others are coming...one of them is already illustrated, so you'll see it very soon. Maybe just in time for the holidays!

At Jet City Comic-Con this September in Seattle! Please do swing by if you'll be at the con or if you find yourself in Seattle that weekend. Jet City is all day Saturday, September 24, at Seattle Center.

I'll have more information soon on what sorts of goodies you can expect from the Red Plains corner of the world. :)

It was still the Wild West in those days, the Far West...the West of the Indian and the buffalo hunter, the soldier and the cowpuncher...It was a land of vast, silent spaces, of lonely rivers, and of plains where the wild game stared at the passing horseman...We knew toil and hardship and hunger and thirst; and we saw men die violent deaths as they worked among the horses and cattle, or fought in evil feuds with one another; but we felt the beat of hardy life in our veins, and ours was the glory of work and the joy of living.

-Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography