Release Date Signing!
To celebrate the release of our new The Tide of Blood series Conor and I will be doing a release day signing at one of our home comic shops, Paradise Comics. Paradise was the location of our first-ever signing (back in April, 2010) and we're excited to return to it.So if you have some free time on the evening of Wednesday, February 20th swing by the stores (3278 Yonge Street, Toronto) anytime between 4-7 and be amongst the first to pick up a copy of the series!
A preview of our Cover for Issue #1 of The Tide of Blood
We are now one month away from the release of our first issue of The Tide of Blood mini-series and we're getting excited to get it into the hands of our fans as well as new readers. We're quite happy with the story - and the numerous twists and turns that it takes throughout. Just as great for us is the artwork for the series. Andy Belanger has gotten even better in the two years since the last series ended - some of his layouts and characters designs are amazing in this series.Over the next couple of weeks we'll be previewing a number of pages of artwork for the series to pique your interest.
Today we start off with the lead cover for the first issue. It's a great piece of art created by British artist Simon Davis. Simon is a fantastic comic and visual artist who we were introduced to through Richard Starkings (who has been a great mentor to us over the last couple of years). His work on this cover is amazing and really sets the tone for the entire run.
Check this out: Fabletown and Beyond!
In addition to prepping the upcoming issues of our Tide of Blood comic mini-series, we are also preparing for a very busy spring convention season (just as busy as last year's world tour - if not busier!). We're going to attend all of our favourite shows - Emerald City, WonderCon, the Shakespeare Association of American annual conference, C2E2, Calgary, etc. but one new entry in our schedule is an exciting gathering of mythic fiction fan and creators - FABLETOWN AND BEYOND.Hosted by Fables creator Bill Willingham (and his amazing assistant, Stephanie Cooke), Fabletown and Beyond is a celebration of mythic fiction storytelling, defined by the website itself as, "that magic-bound alliance of fairytales, folklore, myth, legend, talking animals and characters from literature, given new life, new challenges to face and new adventures to chronicle. And it’s also the strongest, most vital, movement in comics since superheroes moved in, took over and eventually dominated the comics marketplace for half a century."
The show, taking place from March 22nd - 24th in Rochester, Minnesota, will not only feature Conor and I as guests but also featured The Kill Shakespeare Bar, a local pub that has been turned into an Elizabethan treat for the entire convention (or, at least a cool place to hang out and drink the entire time). The guests are top-notch - Bill Willingham (of course), Mark Buckingham (Sandman, Fables), Kurt Busiek (Marvels, Astro City), Adam Hughes (Batgirl), Mike Carey (The Unwritten, X-Men), Chris Roberson (iZombie) and many others. You can see the full list of special guests here.If you're a fan of any of these artists/creators, or mythic fiction, I recommend the show. It's going to be a small, intimate event where you'll be able to hang out with us the entire time and discuss comics, literature, entertainment, anything.
Last signing of the year!
As the year winds down Conor, Andy and I are still quite busy, prepping the issues for The Tide of Blood, working on the screenplay, and a load of other things.
In between all of this I'm also taking a quick visit to my hometown Timmins (in Northern Canada) and will be doing a signing at the local book store, The Book Bin tomorrow (Saturday) from 1-3pm. It'll be the last signing of anyone from the KS team this year so I'm looking forward to finishing off a busy traveling year (at least 16 conventions) in my hometown!
Anthony and Andy discuss The Tide of Blood (video)
Here is a video taken of Andy and I at New York Comic-Con in October where we discuss the new series arc, THE TIDE OF BLOOD...
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.
The Tide of Blood Issue #1 now available for pre-order!
Now that December is here it is now time for comic shop retailers to order their stock for the month of February, 2013. And what specific comic title is being released in February? Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood, of course!
For those that don't know, comic retailers place all of their orders through Diamond Comic Distributors, which list all of the titles being released in a specific month in a magazine/catalogue called Previews. Everything is ordered two months in advance and retailers will order based on how many copies they think they will be able to sell when it comes out.Conor, myself, Keith Morris and the rest of our team will be doing an extended marketing campaign to retailers this month to make them aware of the new 5-issue arc The Tide of Blood. But we need help from you! Tell your comic retailer that they need to stock lots of copies of our series. Our first issue (back in April, 2010) was sold out immediately and when a 100 Penny Edition of the first issue was released back in 2011 it also sold out immediately. Those facts, combined with the knowledge that we are now entering a fifth printing of Volume 1 (and sales of Volume 2 increasing quickly) means that retailers can play a big role in ensuring the success of our series.So pre-order a copy (or copies) of Issue #1 this month from your retailer!The creative team is back - myself and Conor are writing the issues and Andy Belanger is doing the art. And he's doing some amazing stuff! He gets to play with a lot of fun elements - mystical creatures, cannibals, wizards and, of course, our main heroes that are returning to deal with the magical Prospero.We will be releasing more information about the new The Tide of Blood arc over the course of the month but make sure to let your retailers know - in person, over email, through Twitter and Facebook - that you want a copy!
Andy and Conor talk comics, stage at NYCC (video)
Here is a video from Newsarama (taped at New York Comic-Con last month) that features Andy and Conor talking about the new comic series, the stage show, left-column readers, and most importantly... side boob...
Happy Birthday to The Beguiling!
We have been blessed to have gotten to know a lot of retailers and their stores over the last couple of years and it's one of the best parts of the job. Retailers often put their entire lives into their stores and are the culture makers/influencers/purveyors of what is good in the comics industry.
One of the top retailers we have worked with is The Beguiling, located right here in Toronto. We have our second-ever signing at The Beguiling (two days after the first) and the boys there - Chris, Andrew, Peter, everyone - have been great advocates for us (and sold many copies of our books). Chris Butcher in particular has been a true ambassador for comics in the city and is, I believe, currently in Japan taking part in the manga festival/exchange there. In all of the cities we travel to The Beguiling has a great reputation and a number of stores have modeled themselves after them.The Beguiling turns 25 this week and we'd like to wish them a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
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.
New York Comic Con was a blast!
I just arrived back in Toronto late this afternoon and have been in front of the computer doing creative work since arriving but I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone for a fantastic New York Comic Con! It was a great weekend for us - an entertaining Live Stage Reading by Gideon Productions on the Saturday, we sold out of books and most t-shirts on Sunday, we met up with friends old and new, and had a great time. Thanks to everyone who bought a book or a shirt, said hello, came to learn more about the series, came to chat, etc. I can't wait for next year!
NYCC begins today!
And the madness begins this afternoon...
We're at Booth #2280 all weekend!
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
Taking our act to New York next month!
Currently in the midst of a very busy September with stage shows, conventions, signings, and lots of work, we are currently prepping for our trip to New York next month to take part in this year's New York Comic-Con (Oct 11-14, Javits Centre, New York)!We will be at the show for the fourth year in a row, but only the second at our own table. We will be at BOOTH #2280 the entire weekend selling books, our ShakesGeare merchandise, signing books, and...... MAKING A VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. Sorry, I can't reveal what it is quite yet.In addition, we are excited that we will be bringing a condensed version of our KILL SHAKESPEARE: LIVE STAGE READING to this year's convention! After very successful shows in Tucson and Montreal earlier this month, we will be making our American comic-con debut with the show. Produced by Gideon Productions and directed by Jordana Williams, the hour-long version will be take place:
Saturday, October 13/11, 11am, Variant Stage
Watch some of New York's top up-and-coming actors bring Kill Shakespeare to life with using the images of Andy Belanger, recreate the dialogue as well as sound effects and music.
Anthony and Andy will be at Montreal Comic-Con this weekend!
In addition to putting on our Live Stage Reading at the Montreal Comic-Con this weekend, Anthony and Andy will be at the show the entire weekend selling books and ShakesGeare, signing books and hanging out. Make sure to come and visit us!
Anthony and the Kill Shakespeare brand will be at Table 1616. Andy Belanger will be just down the aisle at Table 1602. You can access a map of the convention at this link.Anthony will also be leading his How to Create and Market Your Indie Comic workshop on Sunday afternoon (the 16th) at 1pm in Room 511C. Last year's workshop was a huge success and this one should be even better.Of course, don't forget that we will also be mounting our Live Stage Reading on Saturday night at 7:45pm!I'll see everyone at the show!
Snail Trail!
Last weekend, on Saturday August 18th, Toronto's oldest comic shop - The Silver Snail - moved house.Sorta.
The Snail has been on the cusp of moving for several months as their old digs on 367 Queen West has been sold to be developed as condos (surprise, surprise). But because of slower than expected rennovations at their new home-to-be at 329 Yonge (in Yonge and Dundas Square) the store hasn't been able to move.But that didn't stop the Snail's new owners Mark and George from organizing a very cool
event that saw hundred of volunteers line up, side by side, from the old locale to the new one. Then this human chain moved over a 100 boxes and props from the old store to Yonge and Dundas square.Sure, there wasn't anyplace to PUT these boxes as the workers were still hammering and sawing away BUT that didn't matter because the boxes were actually filled with goodies that were then raffled off to all the helpers.The whole thing was covered by several media outlets giving our comic-friends some great buzz as they prepare to expand the Snail's legacy.
Yours truly got to be a marshall, which basically means I had to carry boxes across intersections... 'cause if a volunteer gets run over that's a tragedy, if a red-head gets whacked that's a Louie CK bit.Hope you're all enjoying the Expo! See you in a couple of hours.Conor
K.S. Friends, "Bad Kids Go To Hell", Bring Their Film To FanExpo
Going to conventions as much as we do you get the great opportunity to meet other creative entrepreneurs, and one of the real pleasures of the job is being able to share their work with your own fans and supporters.
So without further ado...One of the most interesting events that should be on top of your "things to do at FanExpo", is the Bad Kids Go To Hell screening.Based on the bestselling Bad Kids Go To Hell graphic novel, which is kinda a 'John Hughes meets Halloween' idea, the film is going to premiere at the FanExpo on Saturday night.You can meet Matt and "Bazza" the two creators of the book and film at Booth #802 (they are special guests of the Silver Snail) and see the film at 6:30 PM in room 715. Check the boys' newsletter for a special "Detention Slip" that can get you into the film.
Matt and Barry (Baz's REAL name) are great guys that we met when we first started promoting Kill Shakespeare - their comic-to-screen journey is one we're working hard to emulate - so for any of our fans who also loves a good old-fashioned 80's style sex and scare story you should make a point of checking out the Bad Kids journey.For a better taste - here is the trailer:
FanExpo Schedule
In the last eighteen months we have traveled to comic conventions all over the world - all over North America, to England, and even to the Middle East. Most shows we love attending, and one of our favourites is definitely FanExpo Canada, held at the end of August every year. Probably the major reason that we love it is that it's the biggest convention in our hometown and it's great to see SO many people turn out to geek out on everything that makes its way here - comics, films, games, etc.
We will, of course, be attending next week's FanExpo Canada (Aug 23 - 26) and are looking forward to it (it's now been two months since the last show I attended and I'm starting to get the shakes from not pitching our books/shirts at a show...). We will be in attendance the entire weekend during the show. The hours are:Thur 4 - 9, Fri 10 - 7, Sat 10 - 7, Sun 10 - 5We (Conor and I) will be located at Tables P-04 and P-05 the entire weekend - in the row along the wall of all comic creators. Andy is scheduled to attend but has not been able to confirm as of yet.Also looking for out workshop on Thur, Aug 23 from 6 - 7pm in Room 714. We will be conducting our very popular "How to Create and Market Your Indie Comic" which was a standing-room only session last year (and at shows like Emerald City and C2E2 earlier this year) so if you can get to the show on the first day come and learn tips of the trade from us!We hope to see you at this year's show!
Sneak peek at Fall Convention Schedule
It seems like our long spring convention tour just ended and we're already planning for a busy fall season already! Though the summer has been great with a lot of work (and lots still to do!) I'm looking forward to hitting the road again to visit more conventions and shows to generate more interest in Kill Shakespeare - and to make some big announcements!
Some of the comic conventions that we will be attending this fall will include (please note that this list is not complete and will be added onto in the coming weeks):Aug 23-27 - FanExpo Canada - TorontoAug 31 - Sept 2 - Decatur Book Festival - Decatur, GASept 8 - 9 - Baltimore Comic-Con - Baltimore, MDSept 14-16 - Montreal Comic-Con - Montreal, QCSept 23 - Word on the Street (Toronto) - Toronto, ONOct 11 - 14 - New York Comic-Con - New York, NYOct 25 - Book Fest Windsor - Windsor, ONOct 26 - 28 - Hal-Con 2012 - Halifax, NSWe look forward to seeing you at these and other shows/events (that have not been announced yet)!
Congrats to our Eisner-winning friends!
This past weekend at the San Diego International Comic-Con a number of our close friends were able to take away some hardware at the 24th annual Eisner Awards. We always joke about the Canadian infiltration of the comics industry but this year proved that to be case!First off, congrats to Ramon Perez for winning two Eisners for his great Jim Henson's Tale of Sand book. For those that don't know Ramon is/was a studio-mate of Andy's and the two have worked together for a number of years. And a big congrats to Darwyn Cooke for his work on Parker: Martini Edition. Darwyn has served as a mentor for all of us (and was great enough to write a forward for us in our first volume).
And the biggest congrats to Jennifer and Robert from The Dragon in Guelph, Ontario, which won the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award! The Dragon has been great to us (despite our boos....) and we're really happy for their success.Congrats to all!