Deborah Tate was an editor for Sonic the Comic and was one of the longest-serving members of the editorial staff. Tate was responsible for many of the comic's arcs, particularly known for the direction of Amy Rose's character (she believed that Amy should be a mature role model for girls, an attitude Nigel Kitching refused to write for). Nevertheless, STC was at its peak of popularity during her tenure and she reportedly stated that there was still life in the comic despite the series' slide into reprints - a slide imposed on her by Egmont's accounting department.
Deborah was first credited as an assistant editor in Issue 8 under Richard Burton and managing editor Steve MacManus. She continued this role until she became "co-editor" from Issue 35 to Issue 38. From then on, Tate was sole editor with Burton taking up a consultant role. Her last issue was over 100 issues later, with MacManus taking the role from Issue 167 during a transitionary period.
Almost all former humes that have talked about her have said good things. Nigel Kitching has admitted to having disagreed with her on some decisions but has balanced this with praise in other areas.