Pre-Order Your Copy of The Mask of Night #1!
We're two months away from the release of the first issue of our new mini-series The Mask of Night, and that means... It's now available in Previews magazine at comic book shops for pre-ordering!If you're super-excited about the new mini-series please head to a comic book shop (you can find your closest one here) and pre-order your copy (or copies, of course) of the issue. It's going to be a great one - we're really enjoying playing with our two new characters (Captain Cesario and Viola) and Andy B's art (combined with Shari H's colouring) is so incredible!
You have until the end of the month to pre-order your copy but don't wait - pick it up now! Just order it directly from your retailer (or give them the order code of APR140389.
Kill Shakespeare en route to Emerald City!
It's been pretty busy here on my end, with writing deadlines on the new Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night comic series arc, work on the board game, other Kill Shakespeare projects (to be announced later this year) and some other new stuff (including a big personal event). But as the weather starts to get a little warmer (well, it's supposed to get warmer, but hasn't done so here in Toronto yet...) a new season is upon us - spring convention season!Conor and I will be busy again over the next two months with a lot of appearances at conventions across North America and Europe (look out MCM London Expo!). We did a small warm-up with the Toronto Comic-Con two weeks ago and now things start in earnest this weekend with... Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle!
I attended Emerald City two years ago and was blown away by not only how big the show is but how much fun it is. It's a great group of people that run the event and there's an amazing roster of talent that will be attending this year.I will be at the show the entire weekend at our Table O-09 (WSCC Level 4) so come by and say hello, pick up a copy of our books, grab some ShakesGeare merchandise, etc.I am also on two panels/workshops over the weekend, and they are:New Comic Trends: Is 'Literary' the New 'Superhero'?Are fantasy, myth, historical and talking animal stories replacing superheroes as the most interesting comic tales of the day? David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Bryan J.L. Glass (Mice Templar), Anthony Del Col (Kill Shakespeare) and Adam Knave (Amelia Cole) debate this, with Stephanie Cooke moderating.Saturday, March 29, 5:20pm, Hall C, (Rooms 610) How to Market Your Indie Comic to the Masses This entertaining workshop - sold out last year! - will find IDW Publishing's Kill Shakespeare creator (and marketer) Anthony Del Col show you how to get your comics into the fans of readers, retailers and reviewers. Sunday, March 30, 12:00pm, ROOM 2B. So if you're at this year's show swing by and say hello! I look forward to seeing everyone there!
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!
Kill Shakespeare returns to Kitchener-Waterloo!
It's been a while since any of the Kill Shakespeare have done a signing in the Kitchener-Waterloo area so this weekend provides us a chance to return.While Conor attends the Miami Book Fair (such a rough life he leads...), Anthony will be attending the G33K Art Show in Kitchener, ON this Friday and Saturday.
Friday night will feature the Gala Opening of the show, at which KILL SHAKESPEARE: REINVENTED will be making its debut. Featuring voice actors, animation and (most importantly) circus performers (with fire), it should be the most inventive take on our story. The show is at 8pm and info about tickets can be purchased here, being held at Kitchener City Hall. Check out this video for a preview:And on Saturday I will be exhibiting at the show throughout the entire day (11a - 8p) and also conducting two workshops: "How to Pitch and Market Your Comic" from 1-2pm and then "What Goes Through Your Head? – A Panel about Art, Industry and More" with myself and good friend Scott Chantler.So if you're in the K-W area come out and say hello, pick up a book, tshirt or anything else - it'll be great to see you!
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?
Kill Shakespeare in England!
One trip ends, another begins...After a hugely successful New York Comic-Con I'm heading to England for a week-and-a-bit to take part in some fun events over there.First off is the 1st ever Lakes International Comic Arts Festival in Kendal (northern England). It's a brand new initiative and I was added as a last-minute artist guest. I will be in the Comics Clock Tower all weekend (Sat, Oct 19-Sun, Oct 20), a cool spot at the show. I'm looking forward to seeing how the show is this year - and I've heard such amazing things about that part of the country!
I will then return to England to do a talk at Shakespeare's Globe for Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper's class (and other guests). I'm pretty chuffed (British term, I believe...) for this one - I was in awe when on tour of the Globe last year (my first visit) and this should be a great time.
Finally, I will be appearing at the London Comic-Con on Fri, Oct 25 - Sun, Oct 27th. I attended the show back in May and it was a great time with great sales, so I'm really looking forward to attending again.
As you may or may not be able to tell, I really like England and am looking forward to the trek again. It'll be great to see friends like Emma Vieceli, Andrew Tunney, Yishan Li and others - at either show. I'm also really chuffed to see Punchdrunk's latest production, The Drowned Man (attending on Wednesday).
Hopefully I'll see my British fellows while I'm there!
Heading to Baltimore this weekend!
With Labour Day signifying the end of summer (though I'll deny that fact until late-September at the earliest...) we are now looking ahead to a busy fall convention season (but not as busy as our spring traveling season was). We're still locking in dates and shows but we will have conventions for most of September and October. The ones that we can announce are Baltimore (see below) this weekend, Montreal (Sept 13-15), Edmonton (Sept 28-29) and New York Comic-Con (Oct 10-13).The first one up is the Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend (Sept 7-8) and I'll be there the entire weekend!I'll be at Table #A98 (you can find a map here) and I will also be sitting in on the IDW Publishing panel on Sunday from 2-3pm in Room #302-303.
So come and visit me - and perhaps join me on a tour of haunts from The Wire...
The Tide of Blood concludes in stores today!
We're excited that after a small delay The Tide of Blood #5, the final issue of our mini-series, is in stores today (Wed, Aug 28th)!Let us know what you think about our final installment - we're quite excited to see what the reaction is. We know that our editor was shocked by the conclusion when we first sent it to him.
And the early reviews are quite positive - check out this one and this one.
FAN EXPO 2013 - Part the First
All hail FanExpo!Thanks to all of you awesome people who came out to Canada's largest pop-culture show this past weekend. The Kill Shakespeare gang had a fantastic time meeting new friends, saying hello to old ones, and crossing (verbal) swords with anyone who came within shouting range!A big thank you to Keith Morris and Sam Zimmerman, our AMAZING interns who did a fantastic job selling books and merch with us (well, thanks to Keith for the the five minutes he actually bothered to SHOW UP).There will be tons more photos, but here are a few to whet your appetite for the weekend!
The team reunites at FanExpo this weekend
With our busy schedules these days, one of us having a child, and living in different cities, it's often tough for myself, Conor and Andy to actually be in the same place at the same time. That's what makes this upcoming weekend's FanExpo something for us to look forward to!
Yes, all three of us will be appearing at FanExpo this weekend, Toronto's largest comic and fan convention!
The show takes place at the Metro Convention Centre from Thursday (the 22nd) until Sunday (the 25th). We will be appearing at Table #P128D by all of the other comic guests and artist alley (around the food court area).So swing by our table, pick up some books/issues/shirts and also get a preview of what's coming up for us - our final issue of The Tide of Blood (released August 28th), new t-shirt designs, and perhaps even a glimpse at our mobile game...
See you there!
The Long Wait is Over - final Tide hits stores on August 28th
After what seemed like FOREVER, the final issue of Kill Shakespeare, The Tide of Blood is steaming its way from the printers in Korea to YOUR local comic book shop!(o.k., it probably isn't STEAMING its way here, since this isn't 1910, but "dieseling" doesn't have the same romance now, does it?)The issue will finally run aground at your LCS on the 28th of August. We apologize for the big gap between issues #4 and 5 -- there were some script issues we had to iron out and Andy hit a crazy busy patch in his work and personal life and it all conspired to see us JUST miss our July deadline.But that is the past, and the future is....... well, one HECK of an amazing end to the latest series! Issue #5 is a wild, break-neck race across the island you've grown to fear.This puppy will wrap up the increasingly jagged love triangle between Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, will result in a wild three-way between Prospero, Shakespeare and Lady M (a WIZARD BATTLE you sicko, get your mind out of the gutter), and we'll get a better sense of just what Sycorax has in store for our heroes as well.I might even say it all ends on a "high tide"?(No? No, I shouldn't? In fact I should never try that pun again?Fair enough...)"Groaners" aside, because we're generous guys, below is a sneak preview of the VERY first page. I don't know how many other special peeks we can give you, every page is a spoiler in this 28-page juggernaut, but we can at least get you licking your chops for some Shakespearean action!Thanks for being patient, and for being the best fans in the world! (and for those of you who may have missed it, I'm also including the cover here as well)
CONOR
Anthony is attending the Boston Comic-Con this weekend
I am heading to Boston on Friday to take part in this weekend's Boston Comic-Con (held on Sat/3 and Sun/4 at Seaport World Trade Center. I was originally scheduled to take part in the convention back in April but the Boston Marathon bombing and arrest of the two suspects forced Jim and the organizers to cancel the event (yes, I was actually situated about six blocks away from the arrest of the second suspect in Watertown, MA on Fri, Apr 19th).I attended the Boston show back in 2011 and really enjoyed it (I had to cancel my plans to attend in 2012 because of another show). This upcoming weekend should be a great one with lots of top guests and a good crowd expected.
I will be at TABLE AA252 all weekend so swing by and say hello, pick up a book, and get a special sneak peek at the final issue of The Tide of Blood (due in stores later this month)!I am also doing my HOW TO PITCH YOUR COMIC TO PUBLISHERS workshop at the show. The workshop will take place on Sun, Aug 4th from 2 - 2:45pm in the Beacon Hill Room.
Kill Shakespeare at San Diego Comic-Con
The biggest comic convention in the world begins next Wednesday in San Diego... It's Comic-Con!Neither Conor nor I will be attending Comic-Con this year - we're both busy with writing deadlines and other events - but in our place artist Andy Belanger will be attending!
Andy will be busy through the weekend with meetings but you should be able to find him in many place - just look for the guy with the French-Canadian lumberjack beard... As well, he will be signing at the IDW Publishing booth (Booth #2643) as part of their "Independents Day" signing on Sunday (July 21st) from 12 noon - 2pm. So if you'd like to pick up copies of Kill Shakespeare or bring anything to be signed, make sure to visit him then!For those attending the show - have a great time! And we're jealous that you'll be there while we're missing it!
Librarians, here we come!
One of the more unique - and enjoyable - conferences I attended last year was the American Library Association Annual Conference (held in Anaheim last June). It's a huge smorgasbord of some of the most influential readers and people in the publishing industry - the librarians!I'm excited to attend this year's Annual Conference again, which will be held this weekend in Chicago (at the McCormick Place convention Centre, where we've attended C2E2 the last two years). I will be representing Kill Shakespeare at the event, which will be open this Friday (the 28th) and go until Monday (July 1st).
For those attending the show, I will be in the Artist Alley section of the show, at Booth 2461. Make sure to swing by and say hello and I'll probably be able to give you a sneak peak at the final issue of The Tide of Blood (but if I show you I may need to kill you afterwards...).
One of the other things that will be happening is a silent auction through the weekend. Andy Belanger has donated an original page of art from our original series, which is up for auction. Details about the silent auction can be found here. (Updated - June 25 - the page on the site was ruined in transit so we will be bringing another page for the auction instead.)
Here's a video interview I did at last year's show, talking about my experiences at libraries growing up:
Check out the Nerdist Comic Writer's Panel
When I talk at schools or at comic conventions, a lot of people who are looking to get into comics (or are at the beginning of their comic careers) ask me for references - books/series to read, etc. I have a number of recommendations that I give out but I always feel weird doing so - I feel like I myself have a lot to learn as well. With this being the case, I make a HUGE point on a regular basis to listen to podcasts, read blogs and books about the craft of storytelling in the comics medium as well as film, television, stage, etc.
One of the podcasts that I've listened to quite a bit in the last year is the Nerdist Writers Panel. Host Ben Blacker interviews (live) a number of television writers every week about the writing process, the stories they have told/are telling, and gathers a number of great insights.Recently he has started up a new podcast devoted to writing comics, the Nerdist Comics Writers Panel. They have just aired two episodes and both feature a panel consisting of the great Len Wein (creator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing), Adam Beechen (Batman Beyond) and Heath Corson (Aim High). Neither of the two episodes have knocked me out (but have done a good job of talking about the history of the medium) but the show has a lot of potential to bring on other guests and get more insights into the tricky task of writing for comics.So if you're looking for some insights in the process of writing for comics I recommend checking out the podcast - download it on iTunes. And if you'd like some other podcasting suggestions (or have suggestions for me) please reach out to me!
Photos from Afar (England, that is)!
I returned from Europe earlier this week and have been busy catching up so haven't had a chance to get around to posting these photos until this afternoon.My trip to London, England late last month was incredible. First off, I'm a BIG fan of the country (despite the horrible weather I always seem to encounter) - there's so much happening and everyone we meet in the comics, theatre and film worlds there are so nice and have been great to us.Mainly, though, this trip was great because the MCM London Comic-Con (May 24-26th) was an amazing con for me. We sold out of books and made a great deal of new fans, readers and friends! I was very fortunate to be placed in a row with amazing talent like Richard Starkings, Boo Cook, Yishan Li, Lee Townsend and Emma Vieceli, all of whom made it a fun trip.I owe a HUGE thanks to the team at Diamond Comics UK for helping to put my visit together, mainly Mike Holman, who is one of the best ambassadors for comics in the entire world. He assisted Conor and I on our visit to England last year and made this year's trek so much better. He also allowed me to take part in the Diamond Retailer Summit on the Sunday, which allowed me to forge new friendships with a number of retailers across the UK.Another big thanks to the talented and fun Serena Obhrai, who provided accomodation for me - and also hosted a really fun Arrested Development party (complete with cornballs and frozen bananas) on my last day in London.And after the convention I headed over to Oxford to spend a couple days there, visit the great professor Amy Scott-Douglass, and lecture at her class at Oxford. It was a really fun session where we talked about not only KS but also Hamlet (as a man of action/in-action), Juliet as a strong female lead, and other things Shakespearean.Here is a selection of photos of my visit - additional photos can be seen on our Facebook page.
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.