Kate K Milo, creator of ‘Lime Rind: The Rouge Samurai’ Leaves Behind a Legacy.

Kate K Milo, and her iconic creation, Lime Rind.

On Tuesday January 14^th, 2020 the artist and writer of the popular indie series ‘Lime Rind: The Rouge Samurai’ Kate Reinke (aka Kate K Milo) passed away at age 31 after her 8-year battle with cancer of the spine (Chordoma).

Known for being ambitious, thoughtful, with an endless amount of imagination, Kate studied at the University of Arts, before joining the J1 Studios team in 2009. Not only did Kate create the epically entertaining ‘Lime Rind’ series, she also contributed to the ‘Super Bounty J1‘ series with a mini series titled, ‘Super Bounty J1: Secret Missions’.

“Kate K Milo was a badass in a tutu and tiara, with an abundance of wit, and real undeniable talent as an artist. She was a positive influence in the lives of those she touched, and I’m proud to have called her friend.” ~ Chris Alexander, CEO of Whiff/Punish

“Well, what I’ll miss most about Kate is the fun we had running the merchandise table at J1-Con. She was so much fun to talk to. I love her humor and energy, and how engaging she was with the people who came over. Her positivity. That’s what I’ll remember and love most about her.” ~ Brian Misher, creator of ‘Guardians of Xeo-Nexus’

“I first met Kate at the University of the Art and we both majored in animation. She was a fun person to hang out with and I’m glad we have been friends for all this time.

My favorite memory with Kate was when we went to New York City; we were on a trip to visit the animation studios out there. At one point Kate and I split from the group during our lunchtime. We went to a diner because we didn’t want fast food. We chatted for a while and lost track of time and had to figure out how to get to the next studio before our class did. So we went on an adventure to find a map and figure out where we had to go. After we found the map we also some how became tour guides for an Asian family that was lost. In all the crazy we still found our way to the next studio before our class got in. That will always be my favorite memory of her. Us just laughing about how we became tour guides during our trip.

Kate encouraged me to be my adventures with my life. Even when things got tough, she inspired me every day to push forward because she did. Kate will always be very important to me.” ~ Melissa Barnhill, creator of ‘Silver’

“I remember meeting Kate through a friend who told me that she knew someone who would be interested in creating her own story. She showed me storyboards, and character designs of this samurai cat girl. I knew she had the drive to produce something special, and with that I watched her do amazing things! She was an absolute joy to work with, and such a hard worker! Kate was one to make everyone smile. She did so much, and even when she was recovering from surgeries, she still worked on pages. Kate came up with so many creative ideas, and techniques to make her artwork stand out.

She will always be a key factor in the growth of J1 Studios, and an inspiration to remind myself (and others) to never give up, and that your dreams can come true. She was more than part of the team, or even a friend, she’s family.” ~ Jason Richardson, CEO of J1 Studios

Kate’s creations received so much adoration and praise that she was blessed with fan art from around the world, this includes sketches, paintings, ink works, even tattoos! Artists (young and old alike) have sent Lime Rind fan art from places like: