Another Kill Shakespeare Appearance in the Digital World

We were approached by Daniel Fischlin, a professor at the University of Guelph and the Director of the Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project (CASP), earlier this year to be involved in a cool new digital project they were putting together.  After a few months of development and beta testing, the product is in!

ROMEO & JULIET: THE SHAKESPEARE APP is now released and available on iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  It is described as such:Simply the most complete, media-rich app. of a Shakespeare play ever created, the InteractiveReaders’ version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet gives you the full play with integrated easy to use notes, facts, critical readings, and multimedia, including videos with well-known Shakespearean experts talking about the play, and all the source texts Shakespeare used to write the play.  Read Shakespeare like you’ve never read him before.   Use the cleverly designed interface to take notes and search the play.  Discover unusual facts about the play.  Learn vocabulary.  Interact with a variety of media that allow you to explore how Romeo and Juliet has been adapted and remade over the centuries since Shakespeare wrote it.  Look up words or phrases you don’t understand.  Get act-by-act plot summaries.  Get important information about all the characters in the play.  Access hard-to-find source materials Shakespeare used to write the play. See how pop culture has adapted the play into graphic novels and movies.There is a section in the App that gives a preview and synopsis of Kill Shakespeare so it's great to see other applications incorporate our tale into theirs.You can go directly to the iTunes page for the App by clicking on the image above or going here.Also, we will be presenting at a Shakespeare Conference that Dr. Fischlin is putting together on November 1st of this year in Guelph so look for more details in the near future.

WORD!

The sun was shining, fans of the written word were laughing and comparing notes on their favourite authors, exotic meats and vegetables were grilling... it was definitely a great Sunday to be at Word on the Street.And so the Kill Shakespeare team braved this paradise (though we somehow forgot to grab any Tiny Tom donuts -- for shame, what we're we thinking?) to do our second  presentation at WOTS - which is a huge honour for us. We love getting the chance to mingle with so many readers and we especially appreciate the chance to try to open people's eyes to the humble comic book.In fact for next year I'm hoping to convince WOTS to give us and a few other creators a panel with some sort of provocative title ("You're dumb if you're not reading comics" ?) in order to really shake up the notion that comics are for kids.But that's enough of my little sideline passion.This post is really about thanking Nicola at WOTS for organizing the event and getting the K.S. boys a panel. And it is about thanking the people who came to hear us speak (standing room only!), and it is about appreciating the passion and energy the entire festival brought to the day. For those of you have not been to a WOTS it is getting bigger and bigger all the time, and the one in Toronto was easily the busiest I'd ever seen. And you don't even have to be in Toronto to enjoy the fun. The Toronto WOTS is held in conjunction with events across the country, including one in Halifax where our dear friend Chris Benjamin was a guest of honour.It's a great venue for hearing readings, picking up cool books, getting discounted magazine subscriptions (as my fiancee may have done) and mingling. It's also a great venue for kids so we invite all our fans to come down next year to join the party at Queen's Park - and come support the "comics are literature too" movement we'll be trying to drum up.As for the panel itself? Well, first off, we were scheduled to present at the "This is Not the Shakespeare Stage" -- perhaps the greatest literary omen since the 'Ides of March' (although I think our day worked out a LITTLE better than Caesar's). Once we got there we were greeted by a large and enthusiastic crowd and received a wonderful intro from the festival organizers.Then Anthony and I spent an hour going through the "ins and outs" of writing and drawing comics (poor Andy was in NYC and couldn't join us) and providing tips about how to become a creative entrepreneur. As I mentioned above the crowd was fantastic, especially Scott who graciously volunteered to be a guinea pig and talk through a comic book he was working on that had stalled.We also found time to plug the excellent Kate Beaton and her work Hark, A Vagrant!, to do a little high-fashion runway modelling, and to be COMPLETELY charmed by two adorable moppets in the front row who answered more questions than all the adults in the tent combined.At the end there was nothing left to do but treat the crowd to a brief sneak-preview of "Kill Shakespeare: The Musical" (starring the Bear from 'A Winter's Tale', naturally). We were told it was the first time that someone had ended a WOTS presentation with a soft-shoe routine.We hope that all of you who attended ended up gaining some value from our presentation, and please we'd love to hear feedback so that we can continue to improve our talks. We'd be honoured if something we said or did inspired your own creative spirits.All the best, and thanks again Toronto for the best Word on the Street yet!A smattering of the many photos the lovely Crystal Luxmore, the aforementioned fiancee, took of the day are below.

Anthony preparing to launch into "Kill Shakespeare: The Musical"

Appearance at Toronto's Word on the Street Festival

Conor, Andy and I will be taking part in this year's THE WORD ON THE STREET festival in Toronto this Sunday.  An annual festival held through five major Canadian cities, it is a day that celebrates literature and includes author readings, workshops, signings and retailers.  I've attended a number of years and quite enjoy it.We will be conducting a one-hour seminar called HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN COMIC, which will be held from 2:30 - 3:30pm in the This is Not the Shakespeare Stage.  Yes, that's the name of the stage.  It's a stage for teen-oriented events and activities.  The description reads:Kill Shakespeare co-creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, as well as series artist Andy Belanger, demonstrate how a comic is put together from the earliest stages of writing (the beat sheet) through the art process (penciling, inking, colouring) to the final production elements (lettering).The three entrepreneurs will also give tips on how to launch your own entertainment project. Come out and check us - and the Word on the Street Festival - out this weekend!

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.

Advertising in Stratford!

Our good friend Steve Pigozzo, who lives in Stratford, Ontario, decided that he'd like to help advertise Kill Shakespeare so he did what he could - he painted our website onto his front porch!  Any visitors driving on Ontario Street, the major street in the city, will pass his place (it's right by the Dairy Queen) and check out the site.Of course, why didn't he paint a QR Code onto the porch as well...?

Just a test

So I'm trying something out here people. Do me a favour and those of you with QR readers help us make sure this code actually takes you to the first issue's online home.

Shakespeare as Skull Master?

During an interview on Canada's Sun TV that Conor had last month, he met author and writer Stephen Marche, who has written a recently-released book, How Shakespeare Changed Everything.  It's an interesting look at the Bard's influence in today's pop culture.

I was listening last week to an interview that Marche did with CBC Radio's Q in which he states that Shakespeare is the most influential human being of all-time.  Amongst the suggestions that Marche makes is this: "William Shakespeare is the most influential person who ever lived." One example is the popularity of skulls in art and pop culture these,tracing them back to the gravedigger scene in Hamlet.

Do you think that Shakespeare is responsible for the popularity of skull iconography today?

We Come to Praise Stratford

On Thursday of this week we will be doing a presentation and talk at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as part of their TALKING THEATRE summer program.  On a weekly basis they host a series of discussions and talks on the themes of the season.

Conor and I will be there to discuss our comic series and our take on the Bard.  If you're near the Stratford area come by to visit us - we'll make you laugh, cry, sigh and be entertained. Click on the Stratford logo to see more about the talk and discussion series, and the program description is below.

They Come to Praise Shakespeare, Not to Bury Him Thursday, July 14  - 9:30 - 10:30am - Tom Patterson Theatre (Stratford, Canada)Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col discuss their controversial graphic novel series Kill Shakespeare – the series that takes the Bard's greatest heroes and most menacing villains and pits them against each other in a race to kill, or save, a mysterious wizard named William Shakespeare. The two co-creators talk about why they feel the comic medium is perfect for the Bard, and how their "mashed-up" storyline actually helps readers better appreciate Shakespeare.

Ve are big in Chermany!

(Deborah forgive me for my teasing...)So, one of the best things about Kill Shakespeare, to me at least, is knowing that teachers and educators are finding it interesting.So it was with GREAT excitement that I saw this e-mail in my inbox the other day. It was from Deborah Altenbeck a German graduate student who is a BIG fan of Kill Shakespeare. She had been hoping to do a paper on us and wrote to me to provide an update.The e-mail started off a LITTLE depressingly:I apologize for not keeping in touch. I was very busy doing my final exams and my final paper for the university. But I'm through with everything now. Unfortunately I couldn't write one of my research papers on Kill Shakespeare as I've originally planned, but I was forced to write it on a different topic. Crap.So much for our inaugural German language paper. But as I read the e-mail I realized what Deborah HAD done was way, WAY, cooler.However, I am still working for the Institution for gifted children and still teach the Shakespeare course and I thought I should let you know what we're doing... ...A few lessons ago we finally started on the Comics Section. I assigned the various main characters from Kill Shakespeare to individual students and they made posters, researching information on:1. which play they are from2. their alignment (good ----- bad)3. a description4. a strength5. a weakness6. 5 adjectives to describe the character7. family tree8. a famous quotation9. pictures from the internetand I provided them with character artwork that I found on your website.When we were all finished, posters were presented to the group so that everyone knew each character. I attached some photos of the results. So I wanted to share with you, our fans, some of those photos so you can see how Kill Shakespeare is being used to help kids get into the Bard in a whole different way.As you can imagine this makes Anthony, Andy and I enormously proud of our work and it is something special to think that our little comic has made it across the sea.Going forward Deborah says she plans to read the whole series to her class and hope to put together a teaching guide for Kill Shakespeare.So a big Danke to Deborah. You have made our week.Conor

PS: The second coolest thing about her Shakespeare unit besides the fact it used Kill Shakespeare? The fact that she had the students do in-character job interviews. Can you imagine Hamlethaving to try to land a gig as an air-traffic controller?Interviewer: "So, Mr. Hamlet. Can you provide me some examples of times when you were under a great deal of pressure and we're able to make snap decisions?"Hamlet: ....Interviewer: Mr. Hamlet?Hamlet:...Interviewer: Mr. Hamlet, are you awake?Hamlet:...Interviewer: Mr. Hamlet!Hamlet ... yes.Interviewer: Well then, can you answer me the question, please. Can you think of an example of when you successfully made a quick decision?Hamlet: ...Hamlet:...Hamlet:....  Maybe?

And now he's trying to become writer too!

No only does eight-year-old Miles Chantler desire to become the artist for Kill Shakespeare (as mentioned earlier today), he also wants to write it as well.  He came home from school today with this summary of the Hamlet sword scene...

The next artist for Kill Shakespeare!

Though Andy Belanger's work on our series has been fantastic (and the work that he's just finishing off on Issue #12 is perhaps his best ever), there comes a time when an artist must pass on the mantle to another.  This is that exact moment.  I wish to introduce the world to the future artist for Kill Shakespeare, Mr. Miles Chantler...

For those that don't recognize the name, Miles (second grade) is the offspring of Scott Chantler.  (Hopefully Miles will be able to write more personalized inscription than his father does...)  More importantly, his art services are repped by the fantastic Shari Chantler so if you'd like to hire him you can go through her...

It's all worth it because of letters like this...

After a really long week of working on our script, prepping Issue #12 and other various Kill Shakespeare business, I'm really burned out and look forward to Canada's Victoria Day long weekend.  However, no matter how hectic things are, it all becomes worth it when I receive an email like this, as I did yesterday from a young reader and fan:Dear Anthony,How can i get a hold of volume 2? Your comic changed my life! What made you want to write this? What was your inspiration? You have heightened my passion for shakespeare that much more, further emphasizing my passion to become an English teacher. Thank you!  You guys do incredible, incredible work. SUPER FAN! Alec

Conor on Sun TV tonight!

For those in Canada, Conor will be on the new Sun TV tonight.  Featured at around 6:40pm EST (or so), he will be discussing Kill Shakespeare, the Bard in general, and the new Stephen Marche book How Shakespeare Changed Everything.  If you're around, check him out - and let us know what you think of the interview!

Caption Contest!

Send us a caption for this image of Richard III from Issue #10 and win an autographed copy of the issue!  The caption can be funny, serious, weird, a pun, anything.  We will randomly be selecting two winners this Friday morning.

The comic cover contest imbroligio

First of all let me apologize, and take responsibility, for the ill-will being felt here.  I was the one who set up the contest and I was the one who screwed up.I need to make a mea culpa as we had two posts on our site that said opposite things.  As several of you have pointed out in the original post we did say the comic cover contest would be "decided by the vote of the fans".In the post that accompanied the announcement of the five finalists (BEFORE VOTING OPENED) the language was changed to: "and we want you, the fan, to HELP us choose who gets the coveted win."I get why you guys and gals are pissed - if you vote for something and feel your vote doesn't matter then "why on earth did these a$$wipes hold a vote?"It didn't occur to me (and I wish it had) to set up a SEPARATE POST to make sure people saw the contest rules had changed BEFORE VOTING OPENED. At least then you could have chosen not to vote if you felt the voting system was unfair.So again, I made a mistake, and I want to apologize.Now I want to explain WHY the change was made - it was for two reasons:1) Because our social marketing advisor told us that, sadly, FB and Twitter contests are often "gamed". Instead of the contest being decided by a group of critical feedback it becomes about spamming, bots or other tactics.This held a lot of weight with us because we feel we LOST a contest like this (to get tens of thousands in financing from a Canadian entrepreneurship foundation) after a rival's vote totals soared by a couple of thousand in just a minute or so. Clearly bots were involved and while the award was given, the organizers had told us they were going to be scrapping the format.Now, I'm not saying that is what happened here, I think we had a fair contest, I don't think we saw any bots being used or anything like that -- but we were worried we might.2) The SECOND reason was more business concerned. Our publisher wanted a say in what went on the front of the cover. They didn't make the final decision, but they wanted to have their input.I realize had I made sure this was explained earlier none of this would have happened. So, again, my apologies.We did make sure that the vote was weighted towards the votes (and in fact the two covers that had the most support finished 1-2). As I mentioned on FB once I saw this huge gap between two of the covers and the remaining three I asked IDW if we could perhaps do TWO alternate covers and declare the contest a tie. But, because retailers had already made their orders on a two-cover issue IDW said no.I do want to remind everyone that ALL the work will be published in issue #11. I have also contacted our runner-up, Allyssa Pirone, about a future cover or pin-up when the second series is launched.Again, I want to apologize if this contest left fans of Kill Shakespeare and Allyssa feeling disempowered and/or lied to.Conor(And just to show that this wasn't a "What the creators say, went" decision - I organized the contest and the cover I voted for finished a distant third.)

A fantastic live reading!

This past Saturday, to celebrate the birth/death anniversary of Mr. Shakespeare, we worked with the fantastic folks at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto on the first ever live reading of Kill Shakespeare.  A number of their company actors did the reading and it took the form of a radio play set to the images of Issue #1 (broken down panel-by-panel).

It was a great event with a full crowd delving into our tale.  Kudos to each of the actors involved - Albert Schultz (narrator), Mike Ross (a myriad of roles AND in charge of music and effects), Jeff Lillico (Hamlet and other various sounds), Nancy Palk (Gertrude, Witches, Lady M, dog), Kevin Bundy (Richard III, other sounds) and Sir Toby Malone (various roles) , who also happens to be one of our biggest followers on Twitter.  Thanks to everyone else at Soulpepper - Claire, Noora, T.J., Greg, Grant and Peter for their help on the event.We unfortunately couldn't do any video or audio recordings of the event but we should have official photos in the next day or two and will post them once we do.

Happy Birthday Bard!

Today, April 23rd, is a special day in the history of literature, drama and storytelling.  It was on this day back in 1564 that a man by the name of William Shakespeare was born.  And now, more than 400 years later, he is still perceived to be the greatest writer of all-time.

We (the Kill Shakespeare creative team) consider ourselves fortunate to be able to play in a sandbox full of his characters - the greatest of all-time.  If you haven't read or watched any of his stories lately, take some time to do so today or this weekend.  Or, perhaps read Kill Shakespeare?...Of course, we should also point out that he apparently died on this same day in 1616 - how much more dramatic can you get?...

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...

ANNOUNCEMENT: We will be halting publication of our series

Effective immediately, we are being forced to stop publication of KILL SHAKESPEARE.Earlier this week we were served by paperwork by the heirs of William Shakespeare, who not only did not appreciate the title of our work but also the fact that we were incorporating characters created by Mr. Shakespeare himself.

We have been advised by our legal team to not officially comment on this letter and intend to appeal the California court decision.  However, IDW Publishing has also been served and will be destroying all existing copies of the comic books and graphic novels.We will post more info as soon as we are allowed to.

The finalists have been chosen

By now I hope most of you have heard of the cover contest we are running for issue #11. Since Anthony and I are newbies to the world of comics we wanted to give someone else a chance to break in.So we opened up a cover-design contest across North America and the entries flowed in. We've now narrowed down our five favourites - and we want you, the fan, to help us choose who gets the coveted win.So cruise on over to our FB page and vote by "liking" the cover (or covers) you think deserve the crown.Below our some more of the finalists (though not all, we want to keep SOME suspense) as well as our favourite "honourable mention").