The creature from the woods is stranger than she seems...
The animal citizens of Treehollow have discovered a small, strange creature wandering alone in the forest: a human child! And they have no idea what it is. Clearly much too young to be on her own, it’s anyone’s guess how this mysterious being, named Tamberlane, ended up in their town of Treehollow.
Fostered by Belfry, the accident-prone bat, and guided by a colorful cast of animal characters, Tamberlane’s mysteries continue to unfold. But questions burn in everyone’s minds: who, and what, is she? And could she have something to do with the far-off and unspeakable taboo, Abroad?
An emotionally complex story, Tamberlane is also dedicated to featuring queer characters having adventures that have nothing whatsoever to do with the trials and tribulations of their identity.
Updates every Wednesday.
Rated PG13 for themes of xenophobia and childhood neglect.
An Important Note to All Readers...
Caytlin lives with fibromyalgia, a disorder which means she's in varying levels of pain 100% of the time. Her health always comes first, and therefore sometimes the comic has to go on brief breaks while she rests and recovers. However, Tamberlane is her pride and joy, and she is always passionate about getting pages out as quickly and consistently as possible! Thank you for your enthusiasm and patience when she has to rest.
☙ About the Team ❧
Tamberlane is written and drawn by Caytlin Vilbrandt, a queer, disabled woman from the Pacific Northwest, aided by her team of talented individuals. Inspired by the worlds of Beatrix Potter, Redwall, The Secret of NIMH, and similar works, Caytlin created Tamberlane as a way to pour her childhood love of talking critters into an exciting new adventure.
In addition to writing and drawing for Tamberlane, she is also an independent illustrator and graphic designer. Her previous work includes various fan-made games, comics, and other creations for the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom and webcomics such as Walking on Broken Glass and Tar and Feathers.
Caytlin lives with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that impacts her daily life and abilities, but does what she can to share her stories with the world as her health allows. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan and her two cats, listening to Broadway musical soundtracks, and watching true crime docuseries on Netflix. She also dabbles in game design, web design, and tabletop RPGs.
Ari Noble is the co-writer and editor for Tamberlane, and makes it his mission to help every one of the comic’s readers cry at least once. He is also the head writer for the webcomic Mothorial, which combines his love of emotional storytelling, complex characterization, and worldbuilding.
Originally a singer-songwriter going by the moniker Metajoker, Ari has since expanded into scriptwriting and currently works as an independent film producer. His work is heavily influenced by fantasy works he enjoyed in his youth, including Redwall and Jeff Smith’s Bone. These influences combined with his love of reading have inspired him to create original characters with tragic and emotional story arcs.
As a nonbinary, asexual artist, Ari strives to be an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, both in his life and his work. He lives with his husband Andy and their feisty feline twins, Charlie and Bambi, and their adopted sister Holiday “Holly” Piper Greene.
Elle Pierre is an illustrator and colorist specializing in kidlit and comic art. Her work draws influence from Saturday Morning cartoon blocks of the 80s, tapping into the warm nostalgic feeling of innocence and wonder.
Elle has worked as an assistant colorist on the acclaimed middle grade graphic novel TWINS by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright (Graphix 2020), and currently does color work for various indie and traditionally published comic and graphic novel projects, including various “Tales from Treehollow” guest comics for Tamberlane. Her debut graphic novel series EVELYN & AVERY will be published in 2024 by Clarion Books/Etch.
Isabel "Izzy" Pereira is a hand-drawn animator and illustrator from Portugal, specializing in character design and fantasy themes.
She has taken part in all sorts of indie projects and fan communities over the past decade as a way of bringing characters to life and evolving as a self-taught artist, while also helping others tell their own stories, whether it be as a freelancer hire, or as a volunteer for student projects in her spare time. A couple examples of her most notable work include rough animation for the webseries Far-Fetched, as well as numerous “Tales from Treehollow” guest comics and illustrations.
When not helping other folks backstage, she is the main artist for the webcomic Mothorial, created with co-author Ari Noble, as an extension of her passion for storytelling and art direction. (You may also find her stealing your chips when you're not looking. Don't mind that.)
Nakata “Knack” Whittle is a sequential artist from northern Maryland specializing in storyboards, comics, and writing. They enjoy urban fantasy and sci-fi stories with queer themes, unique world-building, complicated interpersonal relationships and found family.
In addition to their work on Tamberlane, Knack has worked as a flatter and colorist for Scholastic Graphix, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Dark Horse. Currently, they are working with 2Gen Labs out of Boston’s GBH. Knack is also working on various short web animation pilots, including as the lead background designer on the Sunflower Club’s The Figment.
As part of the SVA Cartooning Class of 2021, Knack received the 2020 Will Eisner Sequential Art Scholarship, the highest awarded to the Cartooning Major. They also received the Rhodes Family Award upon graduation.
Koda "Puddle" Star is a queer indie cartoonist specializing in comic art & long-term project dev across multiple mediums since 2008. Starting with a wave of personality driven videos and 5+ years of autobio strips known as Puddle Comics, they now share tips and tricks for project management and making comics alongside their originals on YouTube under the same name. Studying developmental psychology and sociology in reference to trauma, they find all storytelling narratives intrinsically linked to one's personal development. Their most recent webcomic Living With a Monster (with accompanied webseries nvrlyalone) explores these themes and is available to read for free on their website.
Andy is an epic gamer, and in his free time he is also Caytlin's social media assistant. His job is to update Tamberlane on all social media platforms, such as Patreon and Tumblr.
He's also a blossoming 3D artist with a little over a year of experience who specializes in creating character models, many of which have tails of all different shapes. He even made Belfry once! When he's not gaming, posting an update, or rigging a new model for VRChat, you may just find him info-dumping about Fin Fin on Teo the Magic Planet.
Ryan is Caytlin's wonderful husband and number one fan! He wrote comic_git, the engine that the Tamberlane website runs on, and has ever been a partner in crime for creative projects, including Twilight Sparkle's Secret Shipfic Folder.
☙ Former Team Members ❧
Jonas
Tag-In InkerJonas is an artist originally from California, currently living in the Pacific Northwest. He's been drawing professionally for about two decades, and is currently part of several webcomic production teams.
Nicole “Thornwolf” Dornsife is an independent illustrator, designer, and content marketer. With over a decade of in-house, agency, and freelance marketing communications experience, she aims to help other creatives enhance their marketing strategies on a manageable scale through content marketing.
In her role, she helped by creating content for Tamberlane’s social media presence and maintaining a great experience for supporters of the comic by way of special offers, announcements, and Patreon strategy.
You can view Nicole’s art and learn more about her services and experience on her website at thornwolf.com
Hope has been referred to as Caytlin’s “indispensable” assistant, but she prefers to be known as the irresistible minion. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, and is responsible for posting Tamberlane on all social media platforms, as well as the mailing list and Patreon. In her spare time she likes to travel, customize her mountain of plastic horses, and hug baby possums.
