Her first comics publication was the 1987 story "Uncovered Property", in "Weirdo". Tyler's short slice-of-life stories and her distinctive artwork brought her critical attention as one of a growing number of female artists shaping the direction of underground/alternative comics in North America in the 1980s; she appeared in the influential feminist anthologies "Wimmen's Comix" and "Twisted Sisters". Her first solo book, "The Job Thing", was published in 1993. She produced short comics for publications including LA Weekly, Pulse (Tower Records), Strip AIDS, Heck, and "Zero Zero".