3 Questions With… Tate Godwin
I found Tate through Instagram. Or more accurately, Tate found me. He followed my account and I checked out his page. Turns out, his debut graphic novel Operation: Cover-Up came out earlier this year. It’s about a pair of anthropomorphic friends in elementary school navigating problems.
If you pay attention to my work at all, you know I just might have a sweet spot for such a set up. Here’s the official description: Nick’s a straight-A student. Sy’s a class clown.
But when they start at a new school, misunderstandings cause everyone to think Nick’s the class clown and Sy’s the brainiac. Eager to fit in, they make a pact: Nick will teach Sy how to be a convincing brainiac, and Sy will help Nick pose as a jokester. But the two soon learn it’s not easy to fake your way through fifth grade, and the longer their charade goes on, the harder it is to come clean. When the two impostors meet a girl with a secret of her own, the three form an unlikely friendship that challenges everything they thought they knew about what it means to “be yourself.”
How could I not feature Tate?
Enjoy!
Why comics?
I love comics because they feel as alive as movies and as intimate as books, so you get the best of both worlds. Comics is a super difficult medium, but there are so many possibilities within it that it makes the challenge worthwhile. After spending countless hours trying (and mostly failing) to make comics, I still feel like a beginner, which is exciting (and sort of scary.)
What has (pleasantly) surprised you about creating comics that you didn’t anticipate when you first started out?
I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy visiting schools and talking to kids about making comics after my book’s release, but I’ve found that to be the most rewarding part of the process. Making comics requires tons of hours of work in isolation, so getting to leave my drawing cave and meet readers has been inspiring and motivating. Seeing kids excited about comics reminded me why I create them in the first place, because I was that kid.
If you had a genie to promote your work in any way, what would that look like?
I’d love a promotion genie! That’s another thing I didn’t realize before starting down this path: the importance of promotion. I used to think that if the work was good enough, it would promote itself, but that’s rarely true, especially now, when there’s so much incredible work out there. I feel like I discover a new, amazing cartoonist every day, which is one of the few bright spots of social media. On that note, it was a treat to come across your page today, Josh, and I’m so glad we connected. As you said, comics is a small world, and the more we can support each other, the better.
You can find Tate online at:
