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.
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!
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).
The Stage Show Returns Next Month!
It was just announced earlier this week that on Friday, November 22nd our KILL SHAKESPEARE: LIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL stage show will be put on in Kitchener, Canada. The opening night celebration of the G33K Art Show, the show will be directed and produced by the multi-talented Miroki Tong. From what Miroki's told us it's going to be an interpretation of the graphic novel like no others before it - it's going to involve some circus arts, illustrations and potentially some animation. Should be great!I will also be attendance at the opening night show (Conor will be attending the Miami Book Fair that weekend) and will also be appearing at the show on Saturday, November 23rd to sell/sign books and tshirts as well as conduct a Pitching and Marketing workshop for attendees.
If you live in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph area and have not had an opportunity to see our show, please come out and check it out. It'll be great to again visit the K-Dub area, at which Conor, myself and artist Andy Belanger spent a good amount of time (Conor and I for university, Andy for his youth and high school years).You can purchase tickets by clicking on the poster.
All the World's the Globe Stage!
It has been an amazing time here in England and one of the highlights was my experience last night (Tue, Oct 22).I was invited by Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper to speak to her Shakespeare adaptation class about Kill Shakespeare, our interpretation of the characters, our next steps, etc. It was a great chat and we discussed everything from feminism to Game of Thrones.Thanks to all the students who came out to the class.And then afterwards Dr. Karim-Cooper offered me the opportunity to hop on stage. The stage wasn't in use that evening so they turned on the lights and let me walk the boards. It was a simply amazing experience and one that I will never regret! I couldn't hide my glee and felt better when Dr. Karim-Cooper mentioned that Dr. Stephen Greenblatt, one of the world's top Shakespeare academics, had a similar reaction.I am still on a high from this, 24 hours after the fact.Here are some photos from the day:
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!
It's Official: Kill Shakespeare board game to be released in 2014!
We are proud to announce that we have signed a deal with the newly-formed IDW Games and Pandasaurus Games to develop a Kill Shakespeare board game, which is slated for release in late-spring 2014!
IDW approached us a few months ago with the idea of our title being one of the first board games under their new division, which will feature games based on some of their best-selling properties. We immediately jumped at the opportunity - a good number of our fans have been suggesting this to us over the last little while and the timing is going to work out perfectly for us.There are still many details to be worked out but we will keep you updated over the next 6-8 months as we further develop the game and may be looking for people to give us suggestions and feedback on what we can do. So stay tuned!The official press release: IDW Opens New Division: Introducing IDW Games! IDW Publishing Partners With Pandasaurus Games To Launch IDW Games San Diego, CA (October5, 2013) – As IDW Publishing looks forward to celebrating its 15th year as a leader in the comic-book industry, they are proud to announce a partnership with board-game giant, Pandasaurus Games, for the launch of a new division, IDW Games. “We’re well known for diversity at IDW, in the world of entertainment and comics,” said CEO &PublisherTedAdams.“With all of the great properties we publish, it seemed natural that a lot of them would make fantastic games. We’ve found the perfect partner in Pandasaurus Games to help us make that happen.” “We at Pandasaurus Games are thrilled to be working with the talented team at IDW to develop incredible games built on the amazing worlds of their comics. The wealth of creative talent that IDW has worked with is unmatched.More than that, their comic books create living breathing worlds that drip theme and beg readers to dive into headfirst. We can't wait to help bring these worlds to life for gamers everywhere. Pandasaurus and IDW are committed to working hand in hand with world class designers and artists to build original experiences from the ground up based on the living worlds created in the pages of IDW comics," said PandasaurusPresident/Founder Nathan McNair. IDW Games will specialize in high-quality big-box games developed around several of IDW’s key properties, beginning in the late spring of 2014 with Kill Shakespeare and 30 Days of Night. Readers and gamers alike will now be given the chance to battle the Bard or the vampires of Barrow, Alaska in these tabletop games developed by the same game designers that brought us the critically acclaimed fan-favorite,Yedo. “We're incredibly excited to move into tabletop gaming and give fans a way to spend even more time with their favorite titles. This is a very strong pair of games to launch right out of the gate, and over the next few months we'll be making more major announcements that should have the gaming community buzzing,” said IDW New Business Development Director Jerry Bennington. IDW is home to many exciting titles so look forward to the release of more details in the coming months, including new game announcements that are sure to excite both fans of IDW titles and tabletop gaming.
New ShakesGeare designs (looking for suggestions)
We have done quite well with our current line of ShakesGeare merchandise in the almost two years since we launched them. The top-seller - by quite a bit, actually - is our Justice League of Shakespeare but the other designs have also been a hit.People have been asking for more shirts and more designs and so we are now entering the design phase, looking to launch new ones this fall.So we'd like to take it to you - our fans, readers and wearers of our product - to give us suggestions. What would YOU like on a new Kill Shakespeare t-shirt? Feel free to reach out to us on email, Twitter or Facebook.
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:
Anthony in London this weekend (UK)!
I will be traveling to the home country of Mr. Shakespeare himself this week. Departing tomorrow, I will be attending the MCM London Comic-Con this upcoming weekend (May 24 - 26) in London this weekend. I will be in the Comics Village the entire weekend so if you - or anyone that you know - will be attending swing by to say hello and pick up a book or issue (or two).
I will then be heading over to Oxford to teach a Shakespeare class and take in some other meetings.I'm looking forward to revisiting England. Last year's trip was amazing - attending the Bristol and Kapow! shows, visiting Oxford and, of course, Stratford-upon-Avon. And it'll be great to reconnect with friends from last year's show - and make new ones.Check out the video that Conor and I shot at Shakespeare's Birthplace last year...
The Kill Shakespeare Bar!
Yes, for one weekend in late March there will indeed be a Kill Shakespeare bar...As a part of FableTown and Beyond (March 22-24) a spot known as Brad's Place will be going back in time to become the Kill Shakespeare Bar, which will host all the attendees. It's a pretty cool olde english-y type of pub that hopefully will inspire some great conversations, laughter, and perhaps even a bar fight or two (but that'll only be between myself and our intern extraordinaire Keith Morris, I predict, though I'm sure that I have many other enemies...).Here is a quick screen grab from the YouTube clip, also show below.
As the Fabletown and Beyond website says:"Every convention has the one bar where everyone ends up hanging out. But, as far as we know, no convention has opened it’s own private bar, specifically for the event. We’re rather proud to be the first. During the entire three days of the show, we’ll have the Kill Shakespeare bar open for the exclusive use of our attendees. It’s in the Lord Essex room of the Kahler Hotel, operated by your host, Brad Thomte (of San Diego Fables Panel fame), as a place where you can enjoy good drinks, good food, and unprecedented small-group access to our wonderful and erudite guests. Buying them a drink in order to ply them for inside information on your favorite Mythic Fiction books is not only allowed—it’s ordained."
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.
Top Play of 2012!
It came to our attention earlier today that the Halifax stage production of Kill Shakespeare: Live Stage Reading (which played from Oct 30 - Nov 3 with Lions Den/Vile Passeist production companies) was named by The Coast's Kate Watson as the top play of 2012 in the city! Counting down her top picks, the production was listed as #1, stating:
"This was a unique theatre experience: A combination of projections from a graphic novel and radio-play-style dialogue. The engaging format coupled with an intriguing storyline made Kill Shakespeare a high point for me."
In addition, The Chronicle Herald also listed the production as one of the top twelve of the year, showing a great appreciation for Andy's artwork in the production. You can read their listing here.Congrats to the theatre companies, co-directors Dan Bray and Christine Daniels, the cast and crew, as well as our partner in the event, Hal-Con!
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...
We made Boing Boing's 2012 Gift Guide!
For those that don't know, Boing Boing is one of the top websites for geeks and overall culture influencers. They put together late last month the items on their 2012 Gift Guide and we are listed on it!
Their pop culture columnist Jamie Frevele, who we met at New York Comic-Con last month, highlights our series and recommends it, "for the Shakespeare lover in your life."
Check out the complete list by clicking on the Boing Boing logo above.(Thanks to Alison Gibbins for being the first to let us know about this!)
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...
Bardicide at Bus Stop!
There are tons of memories and photos to share from the Halifax ComicCon, and I promise I'll get right on that but, first, I wanted to make sure our friends and fans in Nova Scotia know they can come and support Kill Shakespeare by attending our....FIRST EVER PRESENTATION OF THE KILL SHAKESPEARE STAGE SHOW ON A "MAINSTREAM" STAGE!!!!The Kill Shakespeare stage show is a 90 minute (including intermission) theatre extravaganza that takes all of Andy's amazing art and uses it as backdrop for a team of actors to stage a radio-play style performance complete with live foley and music.
We've teamed up with the amazing people from Lion's Den Theatre and Vile Passeist Theatre to put the show on for a whole week from Tuesday October 30th, to Sunday November 4th. We'd love for you to come join us. And if you can't make it please think of sharing the news on Facebook and Twitter.
Kill Shakespeare at Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax):
Tickets $20, $15 for students and anyone with a HalCon pass.
October 30th - 8 PM. Opening Night: stay for drinks and snacks with the cast, director and co-writer!October 31st - 8 PM Halloween Madness: Costumed guests pay student rate. Free lootbags! November 1st - 8 PMNovember 2nd - 8 PMNovember 3rd – 8 PMNovember 4th – 2 PM Matinee, 8 PM Closing Night/Trivia: Free K.S. swag for winners!See you at the show!
Kill Shakespeare is coming to HalCon and the stage!
Halifax has ALWAYS been one of our, if not our absolute, favourite shows on the schedule.
The combination of excellent organizers, a lively and interested crowd, and the hospitality Atlantic Canada is famous for makes it a winner in our books.This year we're going to be doing even more at HalCon than usual -- we're bringing the Kill Shakespeare stageshow!On Saturday at 3:45 PM Kill Shakespeare will be presented by the amazing Lion's Den Theatre in association with Vile Passeist. The two groups have banded together and have been rehearsing the show for almost a month.
Yes, a MONTH. And it isn't JUST because they'll be putting the show on at HalCon.Nope.No siree.You see THIS time around, Kill Shakespeare is going to step beyond the convention scene for THE FIRST TIME EVER.That's right, Kill Shakespeare is hitting the stage in downtown Halifax.
Kill Shakespeare at Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax):
Tickets $20, $15 for students and anyone with their HalCon pass.
October 30th - 8 PM. Opening Night: stay for drinks and snacks with the cast, director and co-writer!October 31st - 8 PM Halloween Madness: Costumed guests pay student rate. Free lootbags! November 1st - 8 PMNovember 2nd - 8 PMNovember 3rd – 8 PMNovember 4th – 2 PM Matinee, 8 PM Closing Night/Trivia: Free K.S. swag for winners!We hope all of our East Coast friends will be at HalCon and can catch the free show. We'd also love it if you tweet and post about the Bus Stop theatre run.Better yet, come out with your HalCon pass and get a $5 discount and bring a friend who missed HalCon to the show.This is our chance to prove that comic culture and Shakespeare mix like chocolate and peanut butter!See you soon!Conor
Rehearsals for this Saturday's NYCC show
Conor and I arrived in New York earlier today and immediately brought all of our stock and supplies for the show to the Javits Centre. Afterwards, though, we were treated to an invite to visit a rehearsal of our Live Stage Reading which will be performed this Saturday at the New York Comic-Con.
Produced by Gideon Productions, it's a really talented cast and I'm excited to see what they do in front of a comic-con crowd. It should be fantastic - the actors were really sinking their teeth into the roles and Conor and I laughed quite a bit. They've got great foley work and two (!) musicians accompanying the action throughout.The show is on Sat, Oct 13th at 11am on the Variant Stage. If you're at the show check out the hour-long presentation for a great time!
