Conor hits the airwaves!
A couple of days before Juliet #1 was released I had the privilege of going on the radio in NYC to make an appearance on the Stuph File - an eclectic radio program hosted by Peter Anthony Holder. We talked about Kill Shakespeare, the new series Juliet, the hidden city of my birth, and EXACTLY how arrogant we were in deciding to rewrite this little known literary hack called Shakespeare...I'm on with a doctor who invented a "Hangover Heaven Bus" to help the, uh, overly enthusiastic denizens of Las Vegas, and a super talented writer/producer of the web-series 'Riley' - about a child star's life gone horribly, hilariously wrong as an adult.Go here to check out the episode -- we're #0398 if it's no longer at the top of the page.But if you're not interested in one of the most bizarre news summaries you'll ever hear, the Doctor to the Drunk, the fate of a child star all- grown up, and The Idiot of The Day, you can just listen to my segment here.Enjoy!
Helpful files for the Kill Shakespeare Game HERE
Happy New Year (again) everyone!
Many of you have been reaching out to us on social media to let us know you received a copy of the Kill Shakespeare Board Game for the holidays. Thank you so much for supporting us. We want to hear everything we can about how you are liking the game, what you think can be improved, and what you'd want to see in expansion packs for the game.For those of you who didn't realize we had a game out you can go here for a great review and discussion of how it came to be (And if you have the game? Ah, go ahead. Click anyway!)This was the first time making a game for us and for IDW who spearheaded the project. While we're VERY proud of the game that Wolf and Tomas designed for us, it's incredibly thought-out and meticulously play-tested and put together, we know that some of the peripherals are a bit lacking.But IDW isn't the kind of partner to shrug their shoulders and say "oh, we'll get'em next time!" They've been working their butts off with a few different folks around the internet - including David Minken of ConnectMore - who posts amazing play-throughs of tons of great games. Together they have made a collection of bonus materials, rules, a turn description, a summary sheet of how each round works, etc... to make your game playing (or giving) experience easier - and we want to share those with you.To access the folder with all these goodies click here.Now go, play and have fun!All the best,Conor & Anthony
New York Comic-Con
We are now only a week away from our biggest comic-con of the year... The New York Comic-Con!It was five years ago that we attended this show and secured ourselves a publishing deal with IDW... and now we're back with not only the fourth volume of Kill Shakespeare but also the debut of our new Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini series.
We will be at Booth #1249 the entire weekend so swing by say hello, check out our final issue of Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night, the first issue of Holmes vs. Houdini... and our board game! You can find a floor plan here. Andy will also be at the show at Table N11.We will also be doing signings at some other booths over the span of the weekend. These will include:IDW Publishing (Booth #1844) - Fri (Oct 12) - 6 - 7pmDynamite Comics (Booth #2022) - Thu (Oct 11) - 2-3pmDynamite Comics (Booth #2022) - Sat (Oct 13) - 4-5pmDynamite Comics (Booth #2022) - Sun (Oct 14) - 11am - 12pmSo it'll be a busy weekend for us but do come and visit!
We Did It!
Well the dust has settled and the final numbers have been tallied and people, we ROCKED this little thing called Kickstarter!
We ended up raising $38,585 dollars -- that's 154% MORE than our original goal. Because of you guys and your support, both in pledging, but just as importantly in spreading the word, we ended up hitting a stretch goal as well. The game now has a better board than it would have without you.And, I hear rumours, and these are JUST rumours that because we came so close to the SECOND stretch goal -- that we may end up seeing that happen anyway! Plus IDW has mentioned their might be some other surprises kicking about for those of you who pledged.Now I have been hearing a few common questions so let me answer them as best I can:
Q: Conor, I totally MEANT to support the kickstarter but I was kidnapped by Bolivian revolutionaries and just got back from Sucre... What do I do? Can I still get the Game?A: Yes. Yes, you can. The game is going to be distributed widely. IDW wants Kill Shakespeare and all the other games coming out to be easy to get. Your local comic shop can order them, as can any store that specializes in board games. We're told that most of these stores will be able to stock Kill Shakespeare starting in June. And of course, Anthony and I will probably bring a few copies to sell to most conventions.(Oh, and I hope you had a chance to say "hi" to Evo Morales when you were in Bolivia...)Q: When will I get my game if I supported the Kickstarter? Before those "Hamlet-come-lately" store buyers?A: We're told end of May is the likely time for that. The game has been thoroughly play-tested, we were just waiting to see what kickstarter goals we hit before sending the game to printers.Q: So, IS the game going to be even more awesome than I am currently thinking it will be?A: Yes! Definitely! I can't tell you what it's going to be but IDW and Pandasaurus have already GUARANTEED that there will be bonus content shipping with your game.
Q: When can I play you and Anthony?A: Why, we're glad you asked that! We're planning a couple of events, including one here in Toronto, that will give you a chance to play the game against us, see what all the fuss is about, and get copies for yourself.And right here, right now, I'm saying if you can manage to beat me I will.... uh... sign your comic books for free!(what can I say? I suck at games...)Q: Is there anything else I can do to help the game out?A: Yes, for sure. Once you have the game set up some nights for your friends, and then encourage them to go to their local store and get them to order it. The more we can pull games through the retail channels the more IDW is going to want to do expansion sets and then some of those other stretch goals we just missed out on may become a reality (Meeples anyone?)Again, you guys are amazing. We're the luckiest creators in the world to have friends and a fan-base like you.Much thanks,Conor & Anthony.
Kill Shakespeare says: "Hope to see y'all soon in Charlotte"
This weekend the K.S. boys mark their return to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the 2013 HeroesCon!
It's been a couple of years since we were in the land of the soft drawl and the hush-puppy and Andy and I are excited to see all the fans in the area, as well as make tons of new ones (for those hoping to see Anthony, sorry, but with the big guy having just returned from London, and with Boston (part deux) and Chicago still on the docket we thought we'd give him a break).I'm also going to have the great pleasure of driving down to the convention with the talented Scott Chantler (Northwest Passage, Two Generals, Tower of Treasure). Scott and I will both be set up in Artist Alley -- I'll be at booth AA-107 with trades, new issues of The Tide of Blood, and t-shirts and buttons galore!Come on by, say hello, take a silly picture or two and maybe win some free swag if you can answer some CANADIAN TRIVIA!ConorPS: A big thanks to Rico, and everyone else at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, the amazing shop in Charlotte that runs this convention. You guys are the greatest.
Profile of KS on Canada's InnerSPACE
The preparation for our Toronto The Tide of Blood Launch Party just over two weeks ago was covered by Canada's top "geek" program, InnerSPACE. The producer, the incredibly talented and knowledgeable Mark Askwith, visited us as we set up for the gallery show and interviewed Andy as well as myself (Conor was in Seattle that day for Emerald City Comic-Con).You can watched the segment by clicking on the photo below.
Kill Shakespeare hits the stage in Seattle tonight!
Today is the day Seattle!The Kill Shakespeare Dramatic Reading starts its two night run this evening at 8 PM at the Balagan Theatre (1524 Harvard Ave)Tickets are available through the Balagan website and as a special gift to fans of Kill Shakespeare you can use the code 'ECCC' to get a $5 discount.Or, if you were at Emerald City Comic Con, you can use your badge, or the yellow flyer we were handing out at the booth, to get your discount as well.Enjoy the show, and let us know what you think!Conor
Kill Shakespeare heads to Emerald City!
This weekend the intrepid duo of Kill Shakespeare will be forced to split up.Anthony stays in Toronto to oversee our big gallery show at the Comic Book Lounge (587A College St.) on Saturday evening, which if you are in Toronto you REALLY need to go to, while I head out to the left coast to hit Emerald City Comic Con.I've never been to the Seattle show but am excited for many reasons:
1) Show founder Jim Demonakos is an amazing guy AND married to the lovely Canadian comics fanatic Andrea Demonakos (nee Ball)! So any chance to see their smiling faces is one you HAVE to take.2) Jim, and Kyle Stevens, the dynamic duo behind the awesome Nerd Rock band, Kirby Krackle, will be performing on their home turf as part of Kracklefest 3!
3) The Kill Shakespeare Dramatic Reading is going to hit the ECCC stage on Saturday at 5 P.M. I can't WAIT to see what the amazing people at Balagan Theatre will do with our baby when it hits hall 2ABand4) I get to host two different panels. One on writing at 3 PM on Friday in room #401 the other is on the business of creation on Sunday at 5 PM, also in room #401So if you are attending Emerald City please swing by artist alley, table J-02, to say 'hello' and pick up your copy of Tide of Blood Issue #1!Hugs, Conor
WAY MORE AWESOME: TIME OUT CHICAGO PREVIEWS THE KILL SHAKESPEARE DRAMATIC READING
One of the most exciting and, for me, nerve-wracking projects for Kill Shakespeare in 2013 is the on-going roll-out of the stageshow.It's exciting because the stageshow allows us to reach an entirely different audience and get new people interested in stepping into the Kill Shakespeare world. It's nerve-wracking though for that same reason: new people means new opportunities for misunderstanding the "point" of Kill Shakespeare. We're here to praise the Bard, not to bury him, as those who've attended a convention with us have probably heard us say, but not everyone gets that.Moving to the stage is also a bit intimidating because theatre audiences can have a reputation for… well, let’s put ths kindly, bone-shattering snobbery.
And theatre critics? Oh, man they can be the WORST: with a glass of chardonnay in one hand, a wheel of camembert in the other, and cheekbones that could cut glass, they scare the hell out of me by just SAYING the name Brecht.Add to all THAT, the reality that in about a week the most ambitious undertaking of the dramatic reading EVER attempted is hitting the stage in Chicago, and you can tell why my already poor sleep habits might take a further nose dive.Imagine my relief when Anderson Lawfer, the head-cheese over at Strawdog Theatre, the folks who are going to put Kill Shakespeare on stage for an unprecedented THREE WEEK run, called me to tell me that Time Out Chicago wanted to do an article on the show. It seems like those arbitrers of all that is cool in the Windy City think Kill Shakespeare fits the bill.And indeed they have, and they seem quite excited about the whole thing. Kill Shakespeare: The Dramtic Reading will hit the boards on March 4th and goes until the 26th in Strawdog's cabaret space (the warm-and-fuzzily named Hugen Hall - grab tickets here).
Aside from talking up the show, Time Out goes in-depth aboutAnderson and the rest of the Strawdog team and their penchant for staging some of the most interesting and innovative theatre in the city.I certainly hope that fans of ours in and around Chicago will be able to attend the show -- from what Anderson tells us it is going to be an experience unlike anything else that you have seen.And if Ms. Snooty-critic with the killer cheekbones and the gluten-free diet doesn't like it? Well fine... I'll sleep soundly regardless.(plus, I'd just show her this)Conor
First full review is a positive one!
The first review is in... and it's a positive one! The comics blog Part-Time Fanboy, overseen by a former Aint It Cool News reviewer, posted a review of the first issue of The Tide of Blood earlier this week and praises it for how we've been able to take our characters in new directions. What is really cool is this section:"I want to give major kudos to Andy Belanger as he continues to do a fantastic job on the illustration chores. Belanger has changed his style somewhat from the art of the original series. I don’t know what it is…it seems as if the art in Tide of Blood is a bit rawer and less refined. I actually like this sort of newfound revision to Belanger’s technique. It adds to the feel of a rag-tag group of characters trying to pull a new society together. It gives the whole thing a sort of a “survivalist Shakespeare” vibe that I loved. Also different is the palette of the whole book. From what I remember of the original series it consisted of a lot of reds and browns that added a nice warmth to the book. The colors in this first issue of Tide of Blood are decidedly different. The hues and shades are somewhat brighter than the previous series and that gives TOB very much a feeling of being an all-new chapter in an ongoing saga. It’d be very easy for colorist Shari Chankhamma to stick to the look of the first series since it was such a success. This very slight change in the visuals of the book struck me as a bit of a bold move on her part which made me feel that the people behind Kill Shakespeare were going to be as courageous with their choices in this mini-series as they were with their first outing."Click on the image below to read the entire review.
Favourite Films of 2012
Conor and I were asked this week to appear on Global TV's The Morning Show to talk about our favourite (and least-favourite) films of 2012. Joining us was the uber-astute moviegoer Daniel Reynolds (a really great guy - and very smart viewer) in a roundtable format.
Our picks? You can check out the clip below to watch and find out. However, I'll hint a couple things - we talk about Sarah Polley's good and bad efforts, Ben Affleck's chest, and Ridley Scott's scripts...
Issue #1 of Tide of Blood has very early positive review!
We were able to get a very early sneak preview of our Issue #1 of The Tide of Blood series to the folks at Diamond's Previews World magazine a couple weeks ago... and they liked it so much that they named it a Staff Pick for the month of February!
Kate Henning writes: "If you’re looking for a solid story with complex characters and a little bit of magic, believe me when I say you’d do well to join them." (Click on the image to read the preview.)
We're excited to see what others think of the issue (and series) when it's released in February. Stay tuned for more information on the new series over the next little while.
We made Boing Boing's 2012 Gift Guide!
For those that don't know, Boing Boing is one of the top websites for geeks and overall culture influencers. They put together late last month the items on their 2012 Gift Guide and we are listed on it!
Their pop culture columnist Jamie Frevele, who we met at New York Comic-Con last month, highlights our series and recommends it, "for the Shakespeare lover in your life."
Check out the complete list by clicking on the Boing Boing logo above.(Thanks to Alison Gibbins for being the first to let us know about this!)
Not To Be Missed!
The reviews are rolling in from Halifax for the Kill Shakespeare show and they are GOOD!
First, Kate Watson, of legendary weekly The Coast, gave the production a very strong review saying:I see over a 100 plays a year, and I'm predicting that Kill Shakespeare will stand out as one of the most memorable and entertaining of 2012.She raved about the cast provided by Lion's Den and Vile Passeist and then concluded by saying the show was "not to be missed".To read the full review click here.After that we got another great shout out from The Chronicle Herald. This is Halifax's largest daily newspaper. The Chronicle ended up giving us a feature length review. Not just on the theatre show (which Elissa Barnard called "marvellous"), but also on the whole concept.The Chronicle was also amazed at the work of Andy B.:Belanger’s illustrations are a beautiful and sometimes extraordinary art, especially when Hamlet must face his own demons in the hall of mirrors sequence.To read more of what the Chronicle, uh, chronicled click here.And remember, Haligonians, there are still three shows left to catch tonight and tomorrow night at 8 PM as well as a 2 PM matinee on Sunday.Thanks to everyone who has gone out to see the show so far, we really appreciate your support.
Bardicide at Bus Stop!
There are tons of memories and photos to share from the Halifax ComicCon, and I promise I'll get right on that but, first, I wanted to make sure our friends and fans in Nova Scotia know they can come and support Kill Shakespeare by attending our....FIRST EVER PRESENTATION OF THE KILL SHAKESPEARE STAGE SHOW ON A "MAINSTREAM" STAGE!!!!The Kill Shakespeare stage show is a 90 minute (including intermission) theatre extravaganza that takes all of Andy's amazing art and uses it as backdrop for a team of actors to stage a radio-play style performance complete with live foley and music.
We've teamed up with the amazing people from Lion's Den Theatre and Vile Passeist Theatre to put the show on for a whole week from Tuesday October 30th, to Sunday November 4th. We'd love for you to come join us. And if you can't make it please think of sharing the news on Facebook and Twitter.
Kill Shakespeare at Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax):
Tickets $20, $15 for students and anyone with a HalCon pass.
October 30th - 8 PM. Opening Night: stay for drinks and snacks with the cast, director and co-writer!October 31st - 8 PM Halloween Madness: Costumed guests pay student rate. Free lootbags! November 1st - 8 PMNovember 2nd - 8 PMNovember 3rd – 8 PMNovember 4th – 2 PM Matinee, 8 PM Closing Night/Trivia: Free K.S. swag for winners!See you at the show!
Kill Shakespeare is coming to HalCon and the stage!
Halifax has ALWAYS been one of our, if not our absolute, favourite shows on the schedule.
The combination of excellent organizers, a lively and interested crowd, and the hospitality Atlantic Canada is famous for makes it a winner in our books.This year we're going to be doing even more at HalCon than usual -- we're bringing the Kill Shakespeare stageshow!On Saturday at 3:45 PM Kill Shakespeare will be presented by the amazing Lion's Den Theatre in association with Vile Passeist. The two groups have banded together and have been rehearsing the show for almost a month.
Yes, a MONTH. And it isn't JUST because they'll be putting the show on at HalCon.Nope.No siree.You see THIS time around, Kill Shakespeare is going to step beyond the convention scene for THE FIRST TIME EVER.That's right, Kill Shakespeare is hitting the stage in downtown Halifax.
Kill Shakespeare at Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax):
Tickets $20, $15 for students and anyone with their HalCon pass.
October 30th - 8 PM. Opening Night: stay for drinks and snacks with the cast, director and co-writer!October 31st - 8 PM Halloween Madness: Costumed guests pay student rate. Free lootbags! November 1st - 8 PMNovember 2nd - 8 PMNovember 3rd – 8 PMNovember 4th – 2 PM Matinee, 8 PM Closing Night/Trivia: Free K.S. swag for winners!We hope all of our East Coast friends will be at HalCon and can catch the free show. We'd also love it if you tweet and post about the Bus Stop theatre run.Better yet, come out with your HalCon pass and get a $5 discount and bring a friend who missed HalCon to the show.This is our chance to prove that comic culture and Shakespeare mix like chocolate and peanut butter!See you soon!Conor
Kill Shakespeare in New York Times twice in one week!
I'm still busy catching up on things after our week in New York for the Comic-Con and wanted to post that we have been mentioned twice in the past five days in the New York Times.
On Friday writer George Gustines mentioned our Saturday Live Stage Reading as one of the things to look for at the convention.Today we were profiled by Ayun Holliday in a piece about books with educational value that were featured at the show!
Andy Belanger gets the Star Treatment
Comic journalism, like comics themselves, sometimes doesn't get the credit it deserves.It also can see a sharp divide. Bloggers talk about the latest "capes" book while the "serious" journalists focus more on the sort of work you might see Adrian Tomine or Alison Bechdel put out.
So it was an extra pleasant surprise to read Keith Silva's amazing piece on our own Andy Belanger (with a nice helping of Andy's sweetheart Becky Cloonan) in the e-pages of Comics Bulletin. The story really embraces Andy's love of genre as well as personal storytelling.The feature length article takes a look at Andy's whole career - starting with the fact that Andy's Dad was Batman... no, seriously...
Keith has put together a wonderfully written piece that is a real credit to journalism and also surprised me by teaching me a few new things about our fave artist and partner.Enjoy the read!Conor
Here come the Aussies to pillage TCAF, Viking-style!
TCAF is always one of our favourite events in the comic's calendar.(and if you haven't gone before then get yourself down to the Toronto Reference Library at Bloor and Yonge this weekend).It is one of the rare places where you can delve deeply into a host of creator owned books as well as read illustrated stories in pretty well any genre under the sun.Organizer Chris Butcher also does an amazing job of bringing in the sort of guests you won't find anywhere else. Guests from all over the world.
One of those exotic guests happens to come from Australia and he happens to know my soon to be sister-in-law, Allison, and so I'm super excited to get to shill for his arrival in Canada.Matt Taylor works in advertising back in Oz (so if you need to hire an amazing concept design firm go here), but he's also a rabid comics fan and creator.He's been crisis-crossing North America as part of the Caravan of Comics, an invasion of sorts of like-minded Aussies with keen wits and pens to match.Matt is a pretty funny dude and he's been kind enough to give the Kill Shakespeare universe a sneak-peak at his book, Lars the Viking.Lars is a perturbed lil' fellow who speaks entirely in verse and mostly is pretty ticked that all the good plundering days seem to have come to an end. It turns out that the Vikings may not be long for this world, and Lars isn't QUITE ready to accept sliding into the dustbin of history.(Oh, and Lars has a pet pig? Did I mention that? A pig who also goes on raids? Yep, a raiding-pig... sweet!)So please enjoy this little gift through K.S. and we hope all of you who are coming to TCAF this weekend will check out our Australian friends as well!Cheers,Conor
Pretty in Purple
With Anthony and Conor splitting up to do cross-country coverage of comic-con's (say that five times fast), the press has started to come trickling in.
For those fans newer to the whole Kill Shakespeare "thing" these interviews are a great way to get caught up on what the project is about, what we have done and where we are going for it.In Toronto, at the Fan Appreciation Show, Conor chatted with Adam Donaldson of Press+1 a new, and very slick site that delves into geek culture with reviews, interviews and commentary (they're also going to cover the Junos - Canada's music awards - which I think is pretty cool and innovative).You can check out the interview with Conor here (and leave comments on that snaZZY purple sweater below....).Next stop for the dynamic duo is the Shakespeare Association of America's meeting in Bahstahn, so if anyone has any advice on what to do and where to go this weekend let us know!As Don Draper's wife would say -- Bissous (or is that Zou be Zou be Zou?)