Fifth and Final Board Game Character Revealed! Something New Coming Next Week!
After posting character teaser posters for Hamlet, Juliet, Falstaff and Viola (Captain Cesario), today we are happy to release the fifth playable character in our upcoming board game, Othello. How could we not put the Moor in our game? He's a fan favourite (as artist Andy Belanger likes to say, he's the Incredible Hulk of our story) and should be a fun choice to play as in the game.Here's the poster featuring art by artist J.K. Woodward.
In addition to these five characters, Lady Macbeth and Richard are also key players in the game (characters you'll be fighting against) and we're also going to work in at least a dozen other throughout missions, events, etc.
Come back next week to find out more about a new development for the board game - we'll probably announce it mid-week or so.
A New Character Boards Our Game!
We've had quite a bit of fun in the last couple of weeks showing off the character Wanted poster teases for our upcoming board game. The social media reaction to Hamlet, Juliet and Falstaff have been very strong. But today we introduce a completely new character to the Kill Shakespeare world!This is the poster (artwork by JK Woodward) for the pirate Captain Cessario (aka Viola)!
When we began to collaborate on the board game with IDW Games, Pandasaurus Games and designers Thomas Vande Ginste and Wolf Plancke, we immediately wanted to add to the experience by introducing a new character into our world. One of the most popular female characters in Shakespeare's oeuvre has been Viola from Twelfth Night and we've wanted to play with her traits so here she is!When the game is released we'll tell you more about the back story that we created for her but it's an interesting one, and something that people will be talking about quite a bit (and yes, it involves the famous trope of cross-dressing)!We're going to have another big announcement for the board game starting in just over a week so pay attention to this spot or our Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr pages.
Kill Shakespeare and Adaptations!
Conor and I had the privilege of visiting the DRA490 class (The Theory of Adaptation) at the University of Waterloo this past Monday to chat with the students about our adaptation and interpretation of the Bard's characters in Kill Shakespeare, our approaches to the various incarnations and future plans. It was a great session and one led by our mentor and dramaturge, the great (and apparently super-dreamy) Dr. Toby Malone.
Thanks to everyone that attended and I look forward to hearing more about the various projects the students are working on!
Conor and Anthony analyzing this summer's comic book films
Conor and I appeared this morning on Global TV's The Morning Show, one of Canada's top AM talk shows.
We were there again in our role of "pop culture vultures" to analyze and discuss the upcoming summer film season and focus on some of the comic book adaptations being released. This is our third time on the show and it's always a treat to joke around and have fun with the hosts.Enjoy the clip below or go directly the show's website for the footage from our by clicking on the photo above...
Merchandise now available online!
After receiving many requests over the last couple of months, we have now answered... Our ShakesGeare merchandise is now available online!
These t-shirts have been available at comic conventions over the last couple of months but we are now super-excited to have them available for purchase - just in time for Christmas! You can access the merch site by clicking the image above.
Round 1: Hamlet and Don John
Well, we had a small upset in Friday's showdown... Despite the predictions by many that Coriolanus would cruise to a victory and, in fact, possibly go all the way, the general was bested by that old fool, Falstaff. It was a very close battle and the fool won by one vote.Continuing first round action, today we have two characters that have been highlighted in our comic series... Hamlet and Don John. Who of these two would/should win in a fight? Vote here, on Facebook, or Twitter!
Round 1: Falstaff vs. Coriolanus
After a great kick-off to our SHAKESPEAREAN DEADLIEST WARRIOR tournament yesterday, we are happy to reveal that the winner of the Prospero/Tamora showdown, by quite a landslide, was... Prospero! He now moves on to square off against the winner of the...And in today's match-up, we find the following - a fool and a general. Falstaff versus Coriolanus. Now it may seem that Coriolanus is an obvious winner but don't let the fool's girth fool you - he's actually quite smarter than he looks. This should be a good matchup.
Vote on this website below in the comments section, on our Facebook page, or our Twitter account.
PROSPERO vs. TAMORA
Our first match-up features...
You can vote on who you think would/should win a battle between these two (don't forget to include not only strength but wit, cunning, strategy, etc.) You can vote on this website by placing a comment below, our Facebook page, or reaching out to us on Twitter... Cast your vote today (winner announced first thing tomorrow).If you missed it, our SHAKESPEAREAN DEADLIEST WARRIOR tournament was announced last week with groupings yesterday...
The Bard is Best
Last Wednesday (February 24th) I was given the opportunity to present a speech to the Toronto University Health Network Toastmasters Club. I served as a 'target speaker' that members evaluated in an Evaluation Contest. What was the topic of my speech? William Shakespeare, of course - and why he should be considered the greatest writer (and entertainer) of all-time.
- Always hoping for Powerpoint slides...
The basis of my argument was this:
1. Shakespeare created the greatest characters of all-time. Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Lady Macbeth, Richard III, Falstaff, etc. Go down the list and even if you haven't seen or read the play, you know the characters. The greatest characters of all-time.
2. Shakespeare created the greatest stories of all-time. Strip away the language and get to the core of his stories. The Bard had everything in his plays – kinetic action and adventure, extremely bloody violence, war, poetry, love, romance, drama, double-crossing, cross-dressing… The greatest stories of all-time.
3. Shakespeare created production that appealed to all audiences. Today he is thought of intellectual and high-brow. Back when he presented his productions they appealed to the royalty in their own private booths and the common folk who would pay a couple ducats to stand in the mud and be entertained. If Shakespeare were alive today he would write not only plays but be a filmmaker, a video game designer, a comic book illustrator and a mobile content developer.
In summary, Shakespeare is not only the greatest writer of all-time, but the greatest entertainer.
The speech went over well and I look forward to the opportunity to present it again sometime soon. Thanks to the members of the UHN Toastmasters for being a great audience and to Peter Shewchenko, a Hall-of-Fame speaker himself to give me the opportunity to persuade another audience of the Bard's powers.