WHAT A RIDE!
Finally....Wow. What a ride that was. The path to get Juliet from our brain to your eyes has been a far crazier and more rewarding one than I could ever have imagined.We sent off the final issue to the Printer's this Friday -- almost a full year after the first pages were drawn. If you had told me it was going to take us a YEAR to get four issues done -- I would have laughed in your face. No WAY. The book was totally written by November, this thing was going to go off without a hitch.
Ha. What was that they say about "best laid plans....?"Somehow, in-between that first page and last Friday, there's been numerous family illnesses, two floods, one team member who had to leave, a busted up car, more trips to Cons than I can count, and 100 pages (And counting - don't worry, we have a bad-ass back-up story for the trade) of the best work we've done on Kill Shakespeare so far.I want to thank Corin Howell, our incredible inker and penciler who had to juggle the family illness, the busted up car and one of the floods alongside the on-going work she's been doing for BOOM! and IDW AND the incredible stuff she's done for us. Corin, you're ability to nail all the biggest emotional moments, the beautiful backgrounds you've littered the book with, and your good nature and amazing laugh have made this journey a pleasure. KS will ALWAYS miss Andy Belanger, but you've proven to be more than worthy of being his successor.
Alex Lillie and Shari Chankahamma -- what a tag team. We'd worked with Shari before on Tide and Mask, and so I was SO excited when we got her back for Juliet, and then SO devastated when we lost her half-way through to a dream opportunity that she HAD to say yes too.
Into the void stepped Alex. You can't possibly believe this, but this is ALEX'S FIRST MAJOR COLOURING JOB IN COMICS!!! To be thrown into a series that has the depth of mythology as KS, and halfway into a book, is incredibly hard, yet Alex was amazing. I think you'll agree that hers was an incredible rookie season.
I also have to thank Simon David and Adam Gorham, our exceptional cover-artists. Simon did work for us on Tide of Blood (the iconic Skull, and, perhaps my fave of all time, the bloody Prospero emerging from a book), and being able to hand him all four covers was a dream. He churned out four more brilliant covers -- including what be my NEW favourite, his chilling take on Issue #4...
Adam is also SORT of new to the KS family. Those with keen eyes will have spotted his work here and there before, but this was the first time we could get him for a full run, and he did not disappoint. His issue #1 cover is one of the best things I think he's ever done. It kills me that we can only have one cover for the trade... because there is so much good stuff in here.
Toby Malone has a credit you don't see a ton in comics -- Story Editor, but he was invaluable in shaping the tale. His knowledge of Shakespeare is peerless, and there is more than one reference to the Bard that originated in his nimble brain. He also constantly had me thinking about how to best deliver the story concisely and with maximum emotion. He's a real talent - and any writer would do well to work with him.I also HAVE to thank the team at IDW -- Tom Waltz our fearless editor, who helped keep us on track story-wise, and was there when I was freaking out when we lost Shari, Corin had to go to be by her Father's side, and the roof of my house threatened to collapse. When I found out we weren't getting Chris Mowry, the letterer for the first four KS volumes, I'll admit, I was nervous. Shawn Lee took those nerves, made them a cup of tea, and tucked'em in with a good book. Shawn's lettering is instinctive, insightful, and never ever obscures the artist's work. That's the true mark of a great letterer -- knowing that the "image is the thing." Shawn, I'm a believer.
Last, but not least, I need to thank my partner in crime - Anthony Del Col. We started committing Bardicde way back in 2008, and now almost a decade later we're still going strong (or at least WE think so). I'm so grateful that Anthony was willing to give me a chance to take KS in this direction. It would have been easy for him to have felt threatened, or wanted to control things, but that's not the kind of guy he is. All he cares about is good story, and once we figured out what THIS ONE was, he supported me whole-heartedly (The "Cassio" twist is a direct result of Anthony challenging me to take the story to a better place.)Thanks Anthony. I'm blessed to get to tell stories with you.
Actually, the REAL last but not list are you, the readers. When we first dreamed-up Kill Shakespeare we had no idea if we could find an audience or not, and then you came into our lives. We're on the seventh printing of Volume 1, we've been able to take our little baby from the page to the stage, to the board (game), and now to TV. Without you folks reading, commenting, challenging us, we would never have come even half this far. I hope you find Juliet an excellent addition to the canon. At the end of the day we're here to serve you.
Lots of love,Conor
An Afternoon (and early evening) in Paradise!
Just wanted to write a quick thanks to everyone who took the time to come out to our signing for JULIET #1 at the AMAZING Paradise Comics.I had a great time seeing some old friends (Keith WTS Morris, yes! Doug and Peter), and making LOTS of new ones (including Peter's terminally cute little girl, Violet.) Below are pictures of super fans, Rachel, Dominic (aka the Kiwi Kid), The Voltron Sisters, the Big A and Terran - whose also the winner of out Twitter picture contest and will now win a copy of Juliet #1 when it comes out in trade.Can't wait to do it all again for issue #2!
A Jolly Time in London!
I apologize that I haven't posted anything of late. It's been a really busy month with recovery from my European honeymoon with Lisa (we so desperately miss Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast...) as well as work on a number of projects. Expect some big announcements in the next month or so.In the midst of all of this I travelled to London last month to do a talk at Shakespeare's Globe, attend the MCM London Comic-Con, have some meetings about these secret projects, and meet up with friends, of course.Here are a few photos of my appearance at the Globe and the MCM London Comic-Con. Thanks so much to everyone who made the show possible, but especially Gary Howe from MCM, Mike Holman and everyone at Diamond. And for the talk at the Globe, so many people to thank - Adam Sibbald, Phoebe Gardiner, Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, Meghan Cole, Rebecca Casey and Emma Pizzey.(If I took a photo of you and it doesn't appear here I apologize - not all of the photos turned out.)
Game Launch? Check! Beer Drank? Check! Good times had? Check!
In the immortal words of the Bard: "that was a hell of a night."
Thanks to EVERYONE who came down to Snakes & Lagers last night to be part of the official game launch. Beer was drank, dice were rolled, backstabbing commenced (for the table I was at it came on the very first turn from a particularly feisty Juliet), and all in all it was very Shakespearean.Thanks also for the feedback you gave us. We really appreciated hearing what you loved about the game (the depth, the replayability, the awesome design) and what you thought could be improved (a rulebook that was easier to understand).We're happy to say that IDW is busy working on a new version of that slightly wonky rulebook. For those of you at the event you got to work off of some of the new cheat sheets they created(created by the amazing David Minken at Connect-More.ca, thanks David!) you could see how much they helped - we'll have a full set of those ready to go to Kickstarter backers soon.But if you have the game through non Kickstarter means, or are going to order it, give us a shout at muchado@killshakespeare.com and I can get you those files ASAP. While the game itself works amazingly well there are a FEW confusing bits in the rulebook that make the first turns a bit longer than they need to be.
But even with that minor challenge, I was amazed at how people tackled the game and kicked some Ricardian ass!Now if you're sad you missed the event, have no fear, TONIGHT (December 10th) at 6PM on SPACE's news journal show, Innerspace, you can see the whole thing and geek out as if you were right there WITH US!
Now of course I need to say a HUGE thank you to Aaron, Ben and Kayla at Snakes & Lagers. You guys were fantastic hosts and we couldn't have asked for a better venue to unveil the game. I also want to say thanks to Barry and the MacAuslan team for putting together the beer prize packs. And of course a big thank you to Doug and Matt from Paradise Comics who shocked everyone by DEBUTING VOLUME 4 of Kill Shakespeare at the event.
(I also want to nod towards John at 401 Games and George at the Silver Snail who generously allowed us to grab their stock to make sure we had enough games to meet demand.)
If you missed the event but NEED some Kill Shakespeare in your games cupboard and you don't see it at your local game or comic shop the Snakes folks can help you there too -- they send more games around Canada than anyone else. So you can buy your copy here: http://www.snakesandlattes.com/shop/What a great night -- we can't wait to do it all again!
Killing Shakespeare in his own city!
I returned just over 24 hours ago from a whirlwind trip to London where I took part in the London Comic-Con (the weekend of Oct 24-26th). This was my third time over the pond for a show and I'm growing more and more attached to the city. In addition to the show I swung by the Sherlock Holmes Museum and the Globe Theatre. Both incredibly inspiring spots.Here are some pics from this weekend.
- Shocked by the content of Holmes vs. Houdini!
The Gameplay's the thing and it's FINALLY here!
The Board Games are FINALLY arriving.
It's been a LONG process (much longer than we ever expected and we're sorry about that), but we are starting to receive tweets and emails that you, our supporters, are receiving your copies of Kill Shakespeare: The Board Game.
Anthony and I had the privilege to see the game in Edmonton and New York, and we can tell you that it drew a LOT of attention from passer-by's. We even had one guy offer to buy the display copy for $200!
But we didn't want to leave it to total strangers to get a look at our new baby, so below are some pics of the game. I hope you'll agree that while it has taken some time to get ready, it looks like time well spent.
Also, the amazing folks at IDW want you to have the best game-playing experience possible. Once you get your game if you have ANY questions about how a rule works simply tweet @IDWGames or email Nate Murray: Nate@idwpublishing.com with that question and within 72 hours Nate will post a short video that will show you exactly how that part of the game works.
Yes, that's right, personalized rule explanations! That's pretty Bard-ass if I do say so myself.
(oh Conor, you're such a wit)
Now go swoon over some awesome game pictures!
New York - A Hell of a Town!
Well, what has quickly become the busiest convention of the year for us has just ended... The New York Comic-Con! Some reports indicate that the show is now bigger than San Diego in terms of attendance; I don't know if this is the case but I do know that it's a really big show.We had a great time in the city this year - meeting with fans, finding new readers, seeing the board game for the first time, and selling our new Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini series as well. We broke sales records and look forward to winding down the year with only a couple more.Here are some pics from the weekend:
August FanExpo County
Well, it's been just over a week since FanExpo ended and things have been quite busy. But I've finally(!) been able to go through some of the photos from the weekend and here they are!But first, thanks to everyone who made it an incredible weekend - our established fans, the new ones, the people that came to our Live Graphic Novel impromptu reading on Saturday night, the volunteers from the crowd that served as our "FanExpo Kingsman Players", our friends, the people that tabled beside us and were forced to hear our pitches every days, etc...And look for us at shows this fall - everywhere from Montreal, Portland, Edmonton, New York, London and Miami.
"It's a Hah-vahd bah." Pics from Boston Comic-Con!
I got back from Boston on Sunday night after a whirlwind stop through one of my favourite cities in the U.S.This was my third time attending the Boston Comic-Con and every time I go it gets bigger and better. It was great to see so many fans from the previous shows as well as meet new ones, sell/sign books and have people check out our swag.And thanks to everyone who attended my "How to Pitch Your Comic" workshop on Sunday. The vibe in the room was great and I enjoyed chatting with those that stopped by my table afterwards.Here are some pics from the weekend:
The winds blowing back from Chicago!
I know that it's been two weeks since I've posted anything on the site and I profusely apologize. I've been quite busy with a number of personal things (including moving!) and I am only now catching up on correspondence and follow-up on events of the last few weeks.Three weeks ago I attended C2E2 in Chicago and it was - as usual - a great time. Chicago is a great theatre town and it's great to see the amount of knowledge and enthusiasm about Shakespeare, the arts, theatre and everything else. We sold out of all of our book early on Sunday and almost out of tshirts as well.Thanks to everyone that attended - you made it a great show for me. I've been to Chicago at least once a year and I really like the city and look forward to visiting it again sometime soon.Here are some pictures from the weekend:
Wondrous WonderCon!
I'm in the midst of a move (details to come soon!) so I've been pretty swamped the last couple of weeks. But I wanted to take a moment to post some photos from our appearance at WonderCon in Anaheim two weeks ago (March 18 - 20).As usual, it was a great show for us - we sold out of books, sold a whack of tshirts, and gained a whole new legion of fans. Thanks so much to everyone who came by our booth as well as those that helped us out - Alex from WonderCon, Mimi Cruz from Night Flight Comics, and everyone from IDW Publishing, especially Dirk Wood, Chris Mowry, Mike Ford and everyone else.Here are some glimpses of our time at the show:
Hamlet embarks to the Emerald City!
I returned from attending the Emerald City Comic-Con Monday night but have been swamped with work and a major IT issue the last two days. So I'm only now posting these pics and update.Emerald City this year was one of my favourite shows to attend from two years ago and returning (Conor attended last year) made it even better. It was great to meet up with fans who saw our stage show at the con last year, as well as people that I met two years. Thanks to everyone who came by the table to pick up a book, get a book signed, say hello, tell me how much they love the series, or anything else.Thanks also go out to those that attended by How to Market Your Indie Comic to the Masses on Sunday. And a big thanks to Stephanie Cooke, Bryan JL Glass David Petersen and Sean E. Williams for conducting a panel on Are Literary Comics the New Superhero on the Saturday.I should also thank Ben Hsu and Elaine Tipping (ET!) of Tiny Blue Dragon Studio (based in Portland) who helped out over the course of the weekend with our sales. Check out their really cool Licensed Heroes series.Here are a collection of pics from this weekend!
Sneak peak at gameplay!
I hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday season and a great New Year's celebration! Here's to an amazing 2014!We will have a few interesting new items in the first half of this year but perhaps the most exciting one will be the Kill Shakespeare board game in May/June of this year. We will be putting together an pre-purchase awareness campaign next month but before that we're deeply immersed in the nuts and bolts of game creation. The early art by JK Woodward has been amazing and Conor and I are currently scripting some of the cards and missions for the game.However, the folks at IDW have been even luckier as two weeks ago they were able to do a very, very early play-test of the game. It's still quite rough with no art, set missions or some details missing but Jerry, Nate and Ted were able to get a feel for the game mechanics involved.Here are a couple photos from the very early play test. As mentioned, I'm so jealous!(Thanks to Nate Murray from IDW for sending the photos!)
We took our talents to South Beach! Errrr, Miami-Dade College Campus
As we move into the chill of December here in Toronto I thought I'd share some photos from our time in the sun this past month when I was able to represent Kill Shakespeare at the Miami Bookfair.
Miami is a special place for K.S. as, as a Bookfair, it represents a very different audience for us. When we first went down to the show four years ago we had one book and no sense of how "real" readers would respond. In addition we were sharing a booth with another comic creator and there were only four of us with tables at the show.Would anyone notice us? (Yes) Would people be offended by our title? (Yes!) Would Conor get a crazy sunburn (Yes!!)Now, four years later, we've seen our sales climb at each show and we've been invited to be part of an outreach program that sees the K.S. team go into schools across Miami-Dade and talk about art, writing and creative entrepreneurship.Those school visits are always a highlight and this year Miami upped the ante by having me deliver one of the Fair's "school keynotes" which saw me talk to 500 kids AT ONE TIME!
I was a little nervous to be facing that many students, but after getting them to chant "thank you Toronto" (for Chris Bosh, natch), and then sing the Canadian National Anthem (refreshingly they knew the tune and did not sing it to "O, Tannenbaum" as so many of my other American friends do), we got along fine.Aside from all that this year was extra special for two reasons:1) As many of you know we're passionate about expanding the reach of comics to those who, right now, ignore the medium. We've been working with Miami to expand the comic footprint at the show. Lissette Mendez, who runs the author track at Miami, is a MASSIVE comic fan and has long wanted to create a "mini con" in Miami. Lissette and the incomparable Eric Hitchcock at Diamond helped to spearhead a program that would bring comic publishers into the show.And lo'. Destination: Comics was born!Oni, Dark Horse, Zenescope and NBM/Papercuts were some of the flagship publishers who supported this pilot program - we also saw tons of big name comic creators including Gene Yang, Nate Powell and Paul Pope come out and sign in the Comics Courtyard -- which drew TONS of attention. 
A huge thanks to them and also to the amazing Joan Hilty - comic editor, creator and consultant extraordinaire who helped organize the entire event.And if that wasn't enough...2) We got to talk to an ENTIRE CLASS that was STUDYING Kill Shakespeare.Words cannot express how amazing it was to face 40 students who has all READ THE BOOK! The kids were super-engaged and asked some incredibly perceptive questions (we got hammered again on the good girl/bad girl dynamic of Juliet and Lady M., but they all seemed super intrigued to see what we do with Lady M. in Tide of Blood), and generally had an amazing time. I spent about 20 minutes after the class just hanging out and posing for photos.Below are a few more snaps from the trip -- you can see the rest here.-Conor
Pictures from that most latin of North American cities. The one that never sleeps - the one that starts with an "M"
... Montreal. I know, I know that I just got back from Miami and you want photos of Manatees and Martinis, but some of you have been bugging me for awhile about La Belle Province."Conor," you say, "Where are all those photos you promised from Montreal? You took like a dozen of you and the belly dancer alone!"And I had to confess that because I am technologically dumb I had somehow managed to save my Montreal photos in a strange directory that I could not find to upload them.But lo and behold! While taking photos for my time at the Miami Book Fair, I managed to save THOSE photos in the same place and this time, sitting along in my hotel room with nothing but tap water and angst, I managed to CRACK THE CODE.So here we go -- a small sample of the VERY delayed Montreal photos are here, as well as a video from the show of a hoarse-voiced me trying to pitch a girl on the merits of Kill Shakespeare, but all she's REALLY interested in is my celebrity look-alike...For all the photos cruise over to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152150232089131.1073741855.132288909130&type=3The Miami photos and stories will be along in a day or so.Hugs,Conor
And now the video!
The Kill Shakespeare boys want to help you get cheap Geek gifts, Toronto!
Next Wednesaday, November 27th, Anthony and Conor are going to be part of a great even at the Silver Snail in Toronto that could get you 25% off on almost ANYTHING in the store.
It's all part of a special Kill Shakespeare Black Friday sale starting on Wednesday the 27th!I know, I know, it's crazy, but it's true. George, Nicole., Kody and the rest of the Snail team have invented a special Shakespearean time machine that will let you get an extra special discount on Wednesday TWO DAYS BEFORE Friday.I'm frightened too.But if we all band together at the Snail ( 329 Yonge Street, just North of Dundas Square) from 5-9pm on Wednesday then I think we can overcome this blatant disregard for the rules of time and space.So WHAT HAPPENS ON WEDNESDAY? I'm glad you asked - even in that loud voice.From 5pm to 9pm Conor and Anthony will be signing copies of the NEWEST Kill Shakespeare book - The Tide of Blood! We'll also have copies of Volumes 1 and 2 for sale as well as all our ShakesGeare. AND, as a SPECIAL BONUS, you can help playtest a prototype of our mobile game ADD INSULT TO INJURY!That's right, get down with your bad Shakespearean self and face Othello, Hamlet, Falstaff and Richard 3 in a battle of wits that is sure to end with blood on the floor.AND if you buy ANY Kill Shakespeare merch the Snail will give you a 25% discount on pretty much ANYTHING in the store!How can you lose? Plus with the Black Canary cafe on site you can sip some coffee, or hot chocolate and grab a tasty treat as well.Or just come and say hello, we love that too!Hugs,The guys.
Comikaze 2013!
A ComicCon in L.A. is an interesting thing. You'd THINK there would be more celebrity culture at a show here in the heart of the entertainment world, but actually its just the opposite.Or, as one of the great organizers of the show told me "Chances are I can see these people on my way to lunch."Because of that Comikaze is jammed full with the weird and the wonderful; this was a much more horror, steam-punk, and gothic show then I am used to seeing. While at the same time the panels are packed with attendees looking to go "mainstream" as they learn the ins and outs of writing and creating from Hollywood vets who generously give their time to help the next generation make magic with their minds and fingers.And of course there were tasty food trucks. L.A. is the MECCA of food trucks, I wish I had been thinking properly - I could have given you all in-depth views of all the tasty street food I've been partaking in. Maybe in my next update - as I'm here for three more days before I wing my way back to Toronto.All in all Comikaze is on the cusp of some pretty intriguing things. The show was well-organized, with a central stage that really tied the floor together. In previous years fans had apparently had some complaints about knowing what was happening when and being able to get into the show easily, but this year all the kinks had been ironed out. Impressive in that Comikaze started THIS decade (I know, no comic show in L.A.? Weird....)As mentioned the panel hosts were impressive, including development execs from some of the top production companies in the city, the art was top notch and I even got to mingle with my good friends from IDW -- Kahlil, Mike, Rosalind and Chris -- listening to them banter about sneaking up on Kill Shakespeare editor Tom Waltz to scare him as a Hollywood prank had me pining for the camaraderie of a great office.
So a huge thank you to IDW for helping support us logistically at the show and also Keith, Teddy, Regina and Sadie at the show who all worked tirelessly to make our experience and so many others -- special.Also a big thank you to Robert Elrod, the super amazing horror illustrator who served as my Square mule for the show, and Ambrose & Ambrose - the father-son art team that kept me stocked with lollipops, lemonade and also learned my sales pitch well enough to cover for me during panel and bathroom breaks (my bladder REALLY thanks you, guys)
And of course I also had the chance to meet some great creators like Kit Kendall....
and DJ Kirkbride the co-creator of the fabulous Amelia Cole series (published by IDW and Monkeybrain), as well as Eisner winner for his work on the Popgun anthology.
And because all those photos weren't enough -- MORE PHOTOS (head to our FB page to see the whole set).
Los Angeles, Stan Lee and "The Logo"
With Anthony still recovering from his whirlwind two week trip through Ol' Blighty, Conor has stepped into the breach (once more) to take Kill Shakespeare West -- to Stan Lee's Comikaze show.The red-headed member of the team will try to keep California's punishing rays from burning him to a Crips crisp during the show which kicks off at 1:00 PM on Friday and then starts at 9:00 am on Saturday and Sunday.
For our West Coast fans this is your chance top get a copy of the NEWLY RELEASED Volume 3: The Tide of Blood as well as get your hands on our hot new "Shakespeare Fighter t-shirt" a shirt that is selling so well Conor had to steal our on-line inventory just to make sure he'd have some to sell in L.A.
The Kill Shakespeare Booth is in Artist Alley booth 935 - AA935 in the program.Come out and see Conor, have a chat, grab a book. or shirt, and come revel in a geeky great time this weekend!
Oh, and because Anthony and Conor are HUGE basketball nerds -- how could either take a trip to L.A. and not come away with a photo outside the Staples Centre, especially one of Lakers star Jerry "The Logo" West?
England loves Kill Shakespeare!
I just returned to Toronto last night after an amazing 10 days in England and I'm still on a bit of a high. Those that know me know that I love the city of London. And after three trips there in the last 18 months I love it even more - and have been discovering that the country is starting to love Kill Shakespeare as well!I've already posted photos from my appearance at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival and then my talk/stage walk at Shakespeare's Globe.Concluding my trip, I attended the MCM London Comic-Con at the ExCel Centre on London's southeast. I had attended the May version and, having enjoyed it, returned for some more. It was a great weekend - we sold completely out of books, sold most of our tshirts (again, apologies for those that really wanted our Shakespeare Fighter shirt, which sold out immediately), I hung out with some amazing people, did a great talk (and very well-attended) on How to Pitch and Market Your Indie Comic Book, and had a lot of fun.I have so many people to thank for this past weekend. First off, the organizers of the London Comic-Con, especially Gary Howe, for making my stay possible. Thanks to Emma Vieceli (and Andrew Ruddick) for also helping to coordinate my appearance and the talk. Thanks to the witty and fun Serena Obhrai for serving as hostess through the week (and make sure to check out her new comic series Elysia, available early next year!). Thanks to the boys at Traveling Man for helping to get my books to me. Thanks to Mike Holman, Scott Hatfill, Ben Cornish and everyone at Diamond for coordinating everything on the distribution side. And thanks to everyone who swung by the table (and my talk) to say hello, learn about KS, and chat! I love London!Here are a selection of photos from the weekend:
All the World's the Globe Stage!
It has been an amazing time here in England and one of the highlights was my experience last night (Tue, Oct 22).I was invited by Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper to speak to her Shakespeare adaptation class about Kill Shakespeare, our interpretation of the characters, our next steps, etc. It was a great chat and we discussed everything from feminism to Game of Thrones.Thanks to all the students who came out to the class.And then afterwards Dr. Karim-Cooper offered me the opportunity to hop on stage. The stage wasn't in use that evening so they turned on the lights and let me walk the boards. It was a simply amazing experience and one that I will never regret! I couldn't hide my glee and felt better when Dr. Karim-Cooper mentioned that Dr. Stephen Greenblatt, one of the world's top Shakespeare academics, had a similar reaction.I am still on a high from this, 24 hours after the fact.Here are some photos from the day:
