Glimpses of Windsor
This past Thursday and Friday I have the pleasure of visiting Windsor, ON to take part in BookFest Windsor. Conor and I attended last year and enjoyed it so much that we were quite happy to be able to return. Unfortunately, Conor was in Halifax for Hal-Con but I was able to visit - and brought along illustrator (and Windsor native) Kagan McLeod.We had a great talk on Thursday afternoon, moderated by Rogues Gallery Comics owner Shawn Cousineau, and then on Friday did a presentation at Walkerville Collegiate, Kagan's alma mater.Thanks to everyone involved - everyone that attended our talks, the organizers of BookFest, Shawn, Kagan (for coming along - and giving me a ride when my Thursday flight was cancelled), his daughter Ruby (who entertained us during the trip), and everyone else in Windsor.Here are some photos from my time there:
Anthony and Kagan appear at BookFest Windsor this Thursday
Conor and I attended last year's BookFest Windsor event and quite enjoyed it and we were thrilled to be asked to return again this year. Conor will be in Halifax for Hal-Con and a one-week engagement of our stage show but I will be able to return to Windsor this year to take part.
And this year I'm bringing with me a new traveling mate - Kagan McLeod!
Kagan and I are speaking this Thursday from 4-5pm at the Joy Family Theatre, moderated by Shawn Cousineau of the local comic book shop Rogues Gallery Comics. It should be a great talk about comics, graphic novels, illustration, Kill Shakespeare and everything else. If you're in the Windsor area come and check it out. I may even try to get Kagan to talk about his love of hip-hop (he sat on a panel at New York Comic-Con last weekend with members of Run DMC).We are also doing a talk on Friday at Kagan's alma mater, Walkerville Collegiate.You can find out more about our session at Bookfest Windsor here.
Happy Birthday to Kagan!
Today is cover artist Kagan McLeod's birthday. For those that don't know, Kagan is one of the top illustrators in North America and in addition to doing the covers for Kill Shakespeare also works for publications like The National Post, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, Men's Health and a wide range of others.
Kagan will be appearing at this weekend's FanExpo (on Saturday and Sunday) with us to promote the release of his just-released book, Infinite Kung Fu. If you haven't checked it out yet you should.
And please swing by to wish him a happy birthday!
Fight the Bear in Toronto!
Off the heels of a very successful Baltimore Comic-Con, we will be appearing at this upcoming weekend's FanExpo Canada. We had a great time last year and this year should be even better! We will be selling our trade, our issues (including the just-released Issue #12), original artwork, and our new ShakesGeare merchandise (photos to be loaded to the site in the next day or two).The show runs from Thursday to Sunday (check out exact times here) and Andy, Conor and I will be at BOOTH 112, sharing space with cover artist Kagan McLeod and the other talented artists from Andy's studio.
We will also be taking part in two panels."The WGC Presents: Respecting the Fanbase" - Thu, Aug 25 - 8-9pm (room 714): A look into the process of adapting successful properties, we will be sitting on the panel along with our story editor Howie Wiseman and the creators of The Murdoch Mysteries. More info here."Kill Shakespeare Presents: Creating and Marketing Your Own Comic" - Fri, Aug 26 - 5-6pm (room 717): This workshop will feature advice, lessons and tips on how to create your own comic book series, from idea generation through to securing financing, publishing deals, retailer awareness, marketing, advertising and everything else in-between.
Cover Art for Issue #12
Our twelfth (and final for our current run) issue will be released in just over a week-and-a-half, August 17th. In anticipation of this, we will be releasing artwork from the issue leading up to it.Today we feature the two covers for Issue #12. Cover A is a fantastic image of Shakespeare wielding the magical quill. It's quite simple and effective, and designed by cover artist Kagan McLeod.
The second cover (Cover B) is created by KS artist Andy Belanger. Andy spent a week working on it and it was inspired by James Bond posters, namely Live and Let Die. It features all of the main characters and is a really cool concept. Andy has also released a limited edition print of this poster - if you'd like one please contact us and we can arrange for it.
Andy and Kagan at Comic-Con!
The pop culture smorgasbord known as the Comic-Con International begins this evening and goes through until Sunday in sunny San Diego. While Conor and I stay behind to take care of some script writing duties, Kill Shakespeare artists Andy Belanger and Kagan McLeod will both be at the Con and representing our series throughout!
Andy will be signing copies of Kill Shakespeare at the IDW Booth (booth #2643) on Saturday (the 23rd) from 10 - 11am and Sunday (the 24th) from 10 11am. Swing by the booth to catch up on the series, get some books signed, and share a laugh with him. (Seeing as how they are morning signings I'm sure Andy will have interesting stories from the previous night.)
Kagan is launching his new graphic novel collection Infinite Kung Fu and will be signing at various times at the Top Shelf booth (booth #1721). We'll profile the book closer to its release date (in early September) but he will be selling advance convention copies at the booth, as well as original art (including some art) at the Drawn & Quarterly booth (#1629). Swing by to
Issue #11 Covers
Our Issue #11 is being released next week (Wednesday, May 25th) and in anticipation of this, we will be releasing images from the issue over the next week...First off, let's take a look at the two covers for this issue. The first is another fantastic cover by our artist Kagan McLeod, who had fun working with the concept of theatrical masks.
Earlier this year we held a Cover Contest, encouraging new comic artists their first opportunity to get their art in this issue. The eventual winner was Alex Perkins, a Toronto-based artist who put together a great cover with a very cool mood to it.
Issue #10 Cover
Issue #10 is being released next week (Wed, Apr 20th) to commemorate the birth/death anniversary of Mr. Shakespeare. He died on his birthday, April 23rd... Amazing, isn't it?This issue is a riveting one with lots of drama, epic battles and the death of a major character. The cover, created by Kagan McLeod, reflects this. It's one of the series' best!
SPOTLIGHT - KAGAN MCLEOD
While most of the Kill Shakespeare team are money-grubbing, attention seeking whores gentlemen, one member of our team toils away quietly alone in a tiny little room - he comes up neither for food nor water and is suckled only by the milk of his own artistic merits...Yes, Kagan Mcelod is one odd dude...
But he is one oddly talented dude as well - having a resume that would fill this post and beyond. Suffice it to say if Kagan is not THE most in demand commercial illustrator for newspapers, magazines and the web in North America he is on the very short list of those who are.So, it was a pleasant surprise when Kagan sent a carrier pigeon my way. In the little beast's claws were a lock of Kagan's hair (his usual way of communicating to the outside world that he still lives) and a CD.Overcome with curiosity I plunged the CD into my computer and was amazed to see the contents.This most secretive of artists was giving us, the hoi polloi, an unvarnished glimpse into his creative process.WARNING, SPOILER ALERT, WARNING!The images below will give you a pretty damn good idea of what the cover for issue #12 is going to look like. So DON'T go any farther if you want to be left completely surprised and dazzled by the incredible journey into the illustrative arts that Mr. Mcleod has planned for you.(Now that we've got rid of those pansies we can continue).
Now, of course this is just the TIP of the issue #12 iceberg. Kagan has a lot more in store for this design, and because I don't want to TOTALLY be the Grinch I'm going to stop this here... but we'll go more in depth once the cover is a LITTLE closer to being released for real.Now if you'll excuse me I have to go clean Kagan's cage...
Kill Shakespeare wants you to get your first break in comics!
Anthony and I are often a little humbled by how friendly the comic world has been to us - two neophytes.Whether it's the incomparable Arvid Nelson giving us story tips, the brilliant Mike Carey, John Layman or Bryan Glass writing us great blurbs or Ty Templeton and Darwyn Cooke serving as mentors we have constantly been made to feel "just as worthy" as the men and women who have been doing this MUCH longer than we have.And so we want to pay it forward.We want YOU to get your first break in comics!It's the FIRST KILL SHAKESPEARE COVER CONTEST! 
WHAT: We want YOUR ART to grace the cover of Kill Shakespeare #11. And we're teaming up with some of the greatest comic shops in North America to make it happen.The winner's design will be the alternate cover for Kill Shakespeare #11, while four runners-up will be featured in print. All other finalists will get some on-line love.WHO: Anyone who does not already have a professional comic credit can win (although anyone can enter).WHEN: What we need from you is a completed cover design by the "Ides of March" (March 15th) by 9:00 PM EST (6:00 PM PST).WHERE & HOW: You can enter at any of the following awesome comic shops.
The Silver Snail (Toronto)Paradise Comics (Toronto)Midtown Comics (New York - Times Square location)Forbidden Planet (New York)Isotope - The Comic Book Lounge (San Francisco)Mission Comics and Art (San Francisco)Atomic City Comics (Philadelphia)Brave New Worlds (Philadelphia)Fat Jack's Comicrypt (Philadelphia)Golden Apple Comics (L.A.)Meltdown Comics (L.A.)Enter in person by giving them a copy of your work or by sending them your work (but please DO NOT mail, or e-mail your work without getting the o.k. from the store first). While you can submit a physical copy, the winners will need to have the designs digitally as high-res (300 DPI) JPEG's as well.But for submission purposes a low-res JPEG is fine as well.The store that submits the winner will also get their logo on the cover. So make sure you represent for your fave city, state, country, or store!WHAT DO I DRAW?: Here is the PREVIEW blurb for issue #11 to give you some inspiration.
With one trusted friend dead and the Prodigal army in pieces, Hamlet must plunge back into the Globe Woods. But even if he survives this second trip into the mouth of madness, can Shakespeare’s fabled quill stop the horrific combined might of Richard III, the Black Guard, and Lady Macbeth’s foul magic?
SOME OTHER RULES STUFF:
- The Contest ends at 9 PM EST March 15th, 2011.
- No purchase is required to enter.
- Only entrants without professional comic credits are eligible to win the contest.
- Each store will select up to three finalists.
- The final five finalists will be decided by the Kill Shakespeare creative team.
- The winner will be decided by a poll of Kill Shakespeare fans.
- The winner needs to be able to provide their design as a 300 DPI quality JPEG.
- All entries are property of Kill Shakespeare Entertainment.
- The sky is the limit. We'll be judging entries by how well they tell a story on the cover, how well the cover captures the "feel" of Kill Shakespeare and by how innovative and interesting the design is.
Good luck, and happy designing and drawing -- if you have any questions about how to enter drop me a line at muachado@killshakespeare.com
Issue #9 Cover Art!
After a near two-month space between issues, we are really happy that Issue #9 will be released next week - Wednesday, February 23rd. In addition to continuing upon the final-page meeting with a once-thought-dead Romeo, it will also feature the first appearance of... William Shakespeare!Here is the cover art for the issue - a great cover by Kagan McLeod. Check out the detail he put into the scribbles on the wall.
Look for the issue at comic book stores next week!
Nominated for a Joe Shuster Award!
Fresh Off the Presses!It was announced earlier today that Conor and I have been nominated for a Joe Shuster Award in the category of Outstanding Comic Book Writer(s)! The Shusters are the Canadian comic book creator awards. We are very happy for the nomination, especially since we're in the same category as great pros such as Kathryn Immonen (one of Andy Belanger's mentors), Jeff Lemire, J. Torres and Jim Zubkavich (for the excellent and highly-recommended Image series Skullkickers).You can click on the logo below to go to the official press release.I'd like to say, though, that I'm disappointed that our artistic team failed to receive any nominations. Ian Herring has been doing great work as our colourist and Kagan McLeod as our cover artist. However, the work that Andy Belanger has been doing is phenomenal and really should have been recognized by the nominating committee. He has received glowing reviews from so many comic and mainstream pres, especially for an indie title like ours. He deserves a nomination FAR more than Conor and I do.The awards will be announced at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo on Saturday, June 18th. So let's get the campaigning to begin (I'm going to try to out-do Harvey Weinstein with this one...)!
Issue #8 Cover Art
Cover artist Kagan McLeod has again worked wonders on our series with the cover art for Issue #8. Due in stores December 22nd, it's a great cover and really captures the mood of the piece with Hamlet staring down from a balcony, unsure of what is below...Click on the image to access the hi-res version of the file.
Issue #7 Cover
Issue #7 hits the comic stands this week (a week earlier than we thought, so it was a surprise to us...). We'll be posting some of the early reviews in the next day or two but they are very, very strong! I'll be posting some of the artwork from the issue later today but wanted to get the ball rolling by posting a hi-res version of the excellent cover art by Kagan McLeod. This is probably the best cover he's done for us yet!
More Photos from the Gallery
For those of you who couldn't make it we continue our photo essay from the gallery show we had here in NY at the Chair and the Maiden gallery.
These photos were taken by the lovely and talented George Goss, a local photo-journalist who just so happened to be covering another event down the road.
It's always rewarding when we get to meet new people through this adventure and George was a fantastic example of that. I mean how many people would just poke their head in, say hi, and start snapping pics for us?
All in all this is just another example of why we have been having SO much fun with this project and why we are looking forward to our Toronto Book Launch where we can rub elbows with family and fans from the T-dot (and also friends who hate what we are up to but are too polite to say so....).
So see you all on the 16th at 918 Bathurst - doors open at 6:00 PM and the fun and food will last until 8:30 or so.
Toronto Launch Party!
As we prepare to head out to New York later this week for our gallery show and a couple signings, we are also prepping for the launch of the trade paperback here in our hometown of Toronto. To celebrate everything that we've been able to accomplish, and to thank all of those that have assisted us along the way, we'd like to throw a party here in Toronto!The Toronto launch party for Kill Shakespeare Volume 1: A Sea of Troubles will be on the evening of Tuesday, November 16th from 6-10pm at 918 Bathurst Centre. An old Buddhist temple, it has now been converted to an arts and media centre, run by some old friends of mine, Sean Lehane and Jeff Wright.
(Click on the photo for a closer look at the invitation.)Details for the event are TBA but it will involve a gallery of the original art work from the series, food, beverages, books available for sale and a great theatrical event - we're going to host a Shakespearean Tournament of Champions which will have all of the Bard's greatest characters battling each other - and the audience will play a role in deciding who fights! More information on this will come in the next week or so but this should be a great event.So all friends, Romans and countrymen in the Toronto area are invited to attend and celebrate all of our success thus far - and more to come!
The Art of Kill Shakespeare in New York!
Officially announced today via press releases is our art show in New York beginning just over a week from today. Running from November 5th - 9th at Chair and the Maiden in New York is The Art of Kill Shakespeare, an exhibition of the work by Andy Belanger and Kagan McLeod for our series.
You can read the press release here.This gallery showing is the hub for our book launch efforts in two weeks' time and we will be having a reception on Friday the 5th and then again on Tuesday the 9th. The latter will actually feature copies of the book available for sale.Andy has been doing such a fantastic job on this series and we're proud to see him receive this, his first gallery showing. He's quite excited about the venture and anyone that takes a look at the art work will really be impressed.Chair and the Maiden is a great new gallery on New York's trendy Christopher Street. Run by John D'Abu and David Zelikovsky, it has featured a wide range of shows and is currently finishing off a run by Shari Belafonte. They also run the great organization Fund Art Now, which is a foundation created to promote global discourse on important issues through art. I highly recommend you check out the organization by clicking the image below.We've thoroughly enjoyed working with them thus far and look forward to the show! More details will be announced in the next week or so leading up to the event!
Issue #6 Cover Released!
Issue #6 of our series, "Lend Me Your Ears", is released later this month (Wed, Oct 27th). In anticipation of this, we are releasing the official cover image for the issue done by, of course, Kagan McLeod. Kagan's put together some great covers but I personally think that this is one of the best, if not the best. The image captures the spirit of rebellion that permeates the entire issue and thrusts our story forward.Click on the image for a larger version.
Issue #5 Cover - Hamlet is Lost!
With Issue #4 successfully in comic book stores at the moment, we'd like to take a look ahead at our upcoming issue. Kill Shakespeare 5: O Coward Conscience is a great issue with some fantastic artwork (which we will be profiling in the coming two weeks). For the moment, here is the cover of Issue #5, done with precision by Kagan McLeod.For fun, try to spot all of the characters Kagan has put into the trees.
Issue #4 Cover Art - Enter Juliet. Enter Othello.
We are a week away from the release of Kill Shakespeare #4 (release date is Wednesday, August 4th) and we are excited to see what the reaction of readers will be to our interpretation of Juliet. She makes a great appearance in this issue - as does Othello. This issue is filled to the brim with action, action, action.Here is the great cover art by Kagan McLeod.
