EATSLEEPGEEK says: "Kill Shakespeare: 'All the Goodness of the Bard, none of the suck'"

With the first trade starting to proliferate across stores (comic shops have had it for one or two Wednesdays depending on their locale, and bookstores join in the fun this Tuesday), we're starting to see reviews that come from areas that are less comic-focused.While EATSLEEPGEEK certainly knows their comics they are more of a general pop-culture site - so it is great to see that they too think there is a little bit of awesome to be had within the comics pages.It's also one of the better critiques of the art -- and Andy and Ian both come through with flying colours (appropriate for Ian, no?)So click here for the review, and pass it on to some friends you know who may still be on the fence on the series.

"Comics That You'll Feel Smarter for Reading"

On our Google Alerts earlier today I saw that we were mentioned on a cool blog with a very unique listing: "Comics That You'll Feel Smarter for Reading".  It's on a blog called On the Subject of Being Awesome, which apparently is run by Matthew Funk out of Oregon.  It lists Kill Shakespeare as #10 on the list, which also includes such great titles as Watchmen, Daytripper and Chew.  Wow.  Great company to be included in.  Click on the graphic to link to the list.

Thanks for enjoying the series, Matthew.  We'll keep writing 'em and hopefully we can eventually match the intelligence of our readers...

Issue #5 - ComicBookResources Review

We haven't been reviewed by CBR since our first issue (one of our negative reviews) so it's great to see that they've covered Issue #5 and given it a very good review!  The highlight quote:"Belanger’s art propels the tale into greater territory as he deftly flips between talking heads, gruesome battle scenes, spectral visitors, and men in frocks. It feels like Belanger never offers us the same page layout. I appreciate his fresh variety of delivery. It keeps the pages of the book dynamic and the story feeling just that bit edgier than old Shakespeare has the right to feel."

Compared to Sondheim...

Conor and I met with the very talented artist J-Bone to discuss something special (details to be announced in the future) and in the midst of our discussion the topic of composer Stephen Sondheim came up.  We debated the merit of his work with one person being a huge fan of his, while another appreciating his body of work but noting some of his faults.

Within the next few hours our first review of Kill Shakespeare #5 was released and what are we compared to?  Stephen Sondheim, of course (the exact quote is, "As Sondheim did with the Brothers Grimm when producing the musical Into The Woods, McCreery and Del Col mine and weave the various works of Shakespeare into this ambitious story.")!  In his musical Into the Woods, Sonheim mashed up a number of fairy tales to form a new story, which is similar to Kill Shakespeare.The review, by Jason Rosas of BuzzFocus.com, was a very positive one, and can be found by clicking on the image of Sondheim.

We turn a heretic into a believer!

We've been fortunate to recieve a few pretty decent reviews so far - but this latest one may be one of the most special. It isn't just because the reveiwer gives us 10's across the board, it isn't just because the reviewer sees Kill Shakespeare as complex and intriguing. It's because when this guy first heard about Kill Shakespeare he HATED the idea. He absolutely LOATHED it. He made Kimberly Cox look like our #1 fan!!!So the fact that once he was able to delve into the work we were able to convince him that we really are on to something -- well that's really satisfying!You can read the review here.

"KILL SHAKESPEARE did something that no English teacher ever could"

We have received a LOT of very positive reviews of late (I'm still buzzing from the one that mentioned the term "genius", though not sure if we deserve it...) but it's always great to get another one - this time from AintItCool.com.  We received a positive review of the first issue back in April but this time the review is for our fourth issue - and the three leading up to it.Perhaps the best line from the review: "What I do want is writers who know how to dream and artists who brush with their souls. To that end, KILL SHAKESPEARE is a smashing success."

Check out the review by clicking on the image.

"Pick this up and support one of the more creative books out there."

Our first review for Issue #4 is a strong one.  Walter Richardson from Multiversity Comics has posted a strong review of our latest issue (now available at stores) and you can read it by clicking on the image.

"The essence of this book can be favorably compared to chocolate and peanut butter."

Issue #4 was released yesterday and we have our second (!) rave review!  Noel Bartocci from Broken Frontier gives us a very high grade and some great quotes (perhaps we can use them as blurbs for future issues)!  My favourite is this:"The essence of this book can be favorably compared to chocolate and peanut butter. Two great tastes, taste great together. Shakespeare’s massive library of characters juxtaposed with the more modern hero structure (Joseph Campbell, anyone?). That an idea that seems gimmicky works this well and has this much vitality is a credit to the creators."You can read the full review by clicking on the - yes, you guessed it - image of chocolate and peanut butter...

Getting the humour of Issue #3

Greg Burgas from ComicBookResources gives a breakdown of the comics that he purchased this past week, and says some smart things about Kill Shakespeare #3... "His Puck is creepy, slightly terrifying, but also radiant, and the final few pages, when Macbeth realizes he's in a bad situation, is scary, as Belanger shows his fate from his perspective, which adds to the terror."

"One of the most striking books I’ve looked at in a long, long time"

And for the third - and final - review post of the day we turn to SoldierHawk at Weekly Comic Book Review...After a very positive review for the first two issues, they have given us an even higher grade this month!  My favourite comments were with respect to Andy and Ian's artwork, in which she mentions: "The expression “feast for the eyes” is rather cliché, but there are very, very few pages in this book that don’t fit that description... The rich colors back up the pencils perfectly, and the result is just beautiful."

You can read the review by clicking on the link.

"McCreery and Del Col are placing their heart and soul into this work"

Another review... Another positive review of Issue #3!...Our next review today was Comic Book Revolution, a site that normally discusses and reviews top titles of D.C. and Marvel.  As the reviewer himself, Rokk, points out, he is starting to stray away from the mainstream stuff and check out new indie titles.  And he suggests that Kill Shakespeare should be one of those!

What I really enjoyed about Rokk's interview, other than the complete nature of his review, is that he compares us directly to major titles and says that, "if you are interested in reading something outside of the standard fare offered up by Marvel and DC then I would certainly recommend giving Kill Shakespeare a chance."

"You can mark this one in the genius column"

With the release of Issue #3 earlier today, a couple reviews have started to be posted online.  The first one up today was from Ryan at WeeklyCrisis.com, a well-constructed website that does regular reviews of new titles.  This is one of the most positive reviews we've received thus far, which is what we've been hoping for (we always thought that our story starts to hit its stride in the third issue, as it not only picks up the pace but also adds a lot of comedy).

Ryan's verdict?  "Must Read. I’ll put it this way, remember the last time you probably heard the premise behind a comic that was this bizarre? Chances are, it was probably Chew, which was one of the most critically acclaimed comics to debut in 2009. At its halfway point, Kill Shakespeare is the Chew of 2010. It’s seriously that good and you seriously shouldn’t miss it under any circumstances."You can click on the image to read the review.

2010 Summer Reading List

Earlier today the site Good Comics for Kids released a 2010 Summer Reading List.  And on it, in the Teen category, is Kill Shakespeare!  I guess that Kate Dacey (who reviewed our first two issues last month) enjoyed it enough to recommend it for inclusion on a list that includes the final Scott Pilgrim book and the Zuda Comics collection Bayou.  Congrats to our team for this honour, and thanks to Good Comics for Kids!The great quote from the blurb (which can be accessed by clicking on the image) is this: "Dynamic art, break-neck pacing, and clever use of the Bard’s own words make this series fun and educational."

"A book that makes me feel that I’m not smart enough."

One of the comic book reviewers that we really like - and respect his opinion - is Graeme McMillan, who has written for a number of publications and knows story quite well.  On the weekend Graeme posted a review of Kill Shakespeare #1 that is quite balanced and raises some good points and some things to watch out for (which we feel we address as the series moves on).  Click on the link for the review...

"A perfect comic book"!

Yesterday a review was posted that may be, as Conor mentioned, the "best review we'll ever get in our lives."  A really cool website, Panels on Pages, which takes a look at one comic book every week, reviewed Kill Shakespeare.  The review was amazing (click on the image to read the full review) and my favourite line is this:

"The first issue of Kill Shakespeare not only makes me want to keep reading, it makes me want to read other things... This is the sort of comic we need more of - a book that dares to push the boundaries of the medium and of the reader alike, almost daring us to broaden our horizons and truly engage ourselves in what we read; bold, imaginative storytelling paying homage to the great works which made it possible."

Rave Review for Kill Shakespeare #1!

It's always fun to start a week with a rave review...CraveOnline is a really cool entertainment website that serves as a portal for a lot of entertainment sites dealing with film, game, comics, sports and video.  We did a fun chat interview with Joey Esposito yesterday and he has posted the interview as well as the review on the site.

The review is quite nice and features some really great thoughts on the first issue, including..."Be it sonnets, tragedies, comedies or anything in between, The Bard will forever be worshiped as perhaps the greatest storyteller of all time. That's why, when some two-bit comic book creators want to come along and shake things up, thespians and literature geeks might cringe at first mention.  Except they shouldn't.""The writers have struck a nice balance to satisfy both Shakespeare junkies and those just looking to read the next big thing.""What really stands out in issue #1 of Kill Shakespeare is Belanger's visceral layouts. Every page feels different and dynamic, drawing the eye wherever it needs to go regardless of the panel layout. Belanger is sure to be a staple of the industry in the next decade, and Kill Shakespeare just might be the book to get him there."