Kill Shakespeare hits Toronto ComicCon this weekend
Anthony and I will be at the Toronto ComicCon this weekend.
The show is at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and starts at 11 o'clock on both Saturday and Sunday.You can find us in Artist Alley at Table P20. Rumour has it, though it cannot be confirmed, that Anthony might get killed by a Chantler again.Hope to see all of you there!Conor
Sleepless (with excitement) in Seattle.
This past weekend was a hum-dinger for the Kill Shakespeare crew.While Andy, and Anthony did a whirlwind tour of Southern Ontario I was off in the Pacific Northwest getting a chance to enjoy the hospitality of the great folks who run the Emerald City Comic Con.The show was a HUGE success. Yes, we sold all our books, oodles of t-shirts, buttons, and prints, but that wasn’t what made the show work for me. What made EmCity so amazing were the legions of people we met who came by to express their support, to talk comics or Shakespeare or Canada (especially the Canadian sorry dance).It was also a real treat to see so many people come out to my writing and business panels as well as to over one-hundred people who saw the Kill Shakespeare Dramatic Reading performed live at the convention. The actors were great, the crowd even better (they even laughed at all my post-show ‘jokes’) and I can honestly say I haven’t been as proud of Anthony, Andy or my work as I was in that moment.Seattle, I salute thee.And next year I have to come in a day early so I can tour the underground city. I didn't know this but Seattle is basically a double decker city down by the water - how cool is that?Below are some photos from the weekend. To see more surf on over to our Facebook page (Kill Shakespeare).
Attacked at Guelph's The Dragon!
Andy and I, along with the uber-talented and amazing Becky Cloonan, headed to Guelph this past weekend to do a signing at The Dragon, the Eisner Award-winning comics retailer. It was a fun afternoon that involved visits from family members, theft of Eisner Awards, employee Tyler Jirik receiving a raise and then being fired and then hired again, and another attack at the hands of Mason (this is the third or fourth now, I believe...).Here are some pics from the day!
Kill Shakespeare heads to Emerald City!
This weekend the intrepid duo of Kill Shakespeare will be forced to split up.Anthony stays in Toronto to oversee our big gallery show at the Comic Book Lounge (587A College St.) on Saturday evening, which if you are in Toronto you REALLY need to go to, while I head out to the left coast to hit Emerald City Comic Con.I've never been to the Seattle show but am excited for many reasons:
1) Show founder Jim Demonakos is an amazing guy AND married to the lovely Canadian comics fanatic Andrea Demonakos (nee Ball)! So any chance to see their smiling faces is one you HAVE to take.2) Jim, and Kyle Stevens, the dynamic duo behind the awesome Nerd Rock band, Kirby Krackle, will be performing on their home turf as part of Kracklefest 3!
3) The Kill Shakespeare Dramatic Reading is going to hit the ECCC stage on Saturday at 5 P.M. I can't WAIT to see what the amazing people at Balagan Theatre will do with our baby when it hits hall 2ABand4) I get to host two different panels. One on writing at 3 PM on Friday in room #401 the other is on the business of creation on Sunday at 5 PM, also in room #401So if you are attending Emerald City please swing by artist alley, table J-02, to say 'hello' and pick up your copy of Tide of Blood Issue #1!Hugs, Conor
Silver Snail Signing Photos
This past Saturday (the 23rd) Conor and I celebrated the release of The Tide of Blood #1 with a signing at Toronto's Silver Snail Comics. It was our first signing at their new location and it was a fantastically fun time for all of us!Joining us on this adventure was Maya Nord, who illustrated a Silver Snail Exclusive cover for Issue #1. Featuring the old and new stores, as well as employees of the Snail and characters from our series, it was a big hit on Saturday and will continue to be over the year - a definite collector's edition!Here are some pictures from the event:
Sneak Peek: Cast photo for Kill Shakespeare in Dubai
We're on quite a theatrical run here of late, eh?This morning Anthony and I were treated to a lovely surprise when Gautam Goenka, the mastermind behind Kill Shakespeare's Dubai stage debut, sent us a photo of a cast rehearsal.
In the photo from L to R are our Iago (Amod Munga), Othello (Eben Thomas), Hamlet (Ahmed Rabieh), Gautam (the director of the piece) and Juliet (Priyanka Johri). I'm definitely digging the fact that almost half the cast are using tablets to run their lines -- it's a digital world now, baby!Unquestionably the Middle East Film & Comic Con is going to be one of the highlights of the year for Anthony and I. Not only do we get to escape the cold Canadian spring for the warmth of Dubai (MEFCC runs April 5th and 6th), and help grow comic culture in the Middle East, we'll also get to see all the great work Gautam and his dedicated team of actors are doing in person.(Even if I will burn like a son-of-a-gun out there in the desert).Ta,Conor
Release Day Signing at Paradise Comics (Photos)
Back on April 14, 2010 the very first issue of Kill Shakespeare was launched (boy, that seems like such a long time ago...) and on that very day we did a signing at Toronto's Paradise Comics. To see a couple photos from that day you can click here.With the release of our new series The Tide of Blood we were able to repeat our release day signing spot and return to one of our home stores (we seem to have a few, seeing as how we're blessed to have a number of really great stores in Toronto; I was chatting yesterday with one of the top comics journalists and he made sure to point that out). It was great to visit Doug and Pete at Paradise and sell/sign some books.Here are some photos from our signing this past Wednesday (the 20th):
WAY MORE AWESOME: TIME OUT CHICAGO PREVIEWS THE KILL SHAKESPEARE DRAMATIC READING
One of the most exciting and, for me, nerve-wracking projects for Kill Shakespeare in 2013 is the on-going roll-out of the stageshow.It's exciting because the stageshow allows us to reach an entirely different audience and get new people interested in stepping into the Kill Shakespeare world. It's nerve-wracking though for that same reason: new people means new opportunities for misunderstanding the "point" of Kill Shakespeare. We're here to praise the Bard, not to bury him, as those who've attended a convention with us have probably heard us say, but not everyone gets that.Moving to the stage is also a bit intimidating because theatre audiences can have a reputation for… well, let’s put ths kindly, bone-shattering snobbery.
And theatre critics? Oh, man they can be the WORST: with a glass of chardonnay in one hand, a wheel of camembert in the other, and cheekbones that could cut glass, they scare the hell out of me by just SAYING the name Brecht.Add to all THAT, the reality that in about a week the most ambitious undertaking of the dramatic reading EVER attempted is hitting the stage in Chicago, and you can tell why my already poor sleep habits might take a further nose dive.Imagine my relief when Anderson Lawfer, the head-cheese over at Strawdog Theatre, the folks who are going to put Kill Shakespeare on stage for an unprecedented THREE WEEK run, called me to tell me that Time Out Chicago wanted to do an article on the show. It seems like those arbitrers of all that is cool in the Windy City think Kill Shakespeare fits the bill.And indeed they have, and they seem quite excited about the whole thing. Kill Shakespeare: The Dramtic Reading will hit the boards on March 4th and goes until the 26th in Strawdog's cabaret space (the warm-and-fuzzily named Hugen Hall - grab tickets here).
Aside from talking up the show, Time Out goes in-depth aboutAnderson and the rest of the Strawdog team and their penchant for staging some of the most interesting and innovative theatre in the city.I certainly hope that fans of ours in and around Chicago will be able to attend the show -- from what Anderson tells us it is going to be an experience unlike anything else that you have seen.And if Ms. Snooty-critic with the killer cheekbones and the gluten-free diet doesn't like it? Well fine... I'll sleep soundly regardless.(plus, I'd just show her this)Conor
The Tide of Blood is Released Today!
After a year of work and preparation, our new mini-series The Tide of Blood debuts today in comic book shops in the United States, Canada and the U.K.!We've already received a great number of emails, tweets and Facebook messages and posts (from readers, fans and retailers) telling us how excited they are to see the issues on the shelves. And we received these photos earlier today:
We are, of course, celebrating today's release with a signing at Toronto's Paradise Comics this evening from 4-7pm. We are also signing at The Silver Snail on Saturday (the 23rd) from 1-4pm and then our Toronto Launch Party is next Friday from 8-11pm at The Comic Book Lounge and Gallery.
And check out this review of the first issue, which gives the it a 5 out of 5, from Comics Bulletin's Keith Silva, praising the story and the art.Please send us images of the book as you purchase them - we're excited to post as many of them as possible!
Caption Contest!
We ran a successful Caption Contest last week so we figured we'd do it again this week!Leave a caption for the image here either on this site, our Facebook page, or our Twitter account, and we will randomly select two winners this week to win autographed copies of Issue #1 of The Tide of Blood.This is an image from Issue #1 of the series, a moment in which Romeo, Lysander and other members of the Prodigal forces are on the look-out. What do they see?
New Toronto signing announced! Silver Snail next Saturday (Feb 23rd)
We just confirmed late this week that we will be doing a third Toronto signing this month to celebrate the launch of our new The Tide of Blood series.One week from today, we will doing a Saturday afternoon (February the 23rd) signing at Toronto's The Silver Snail. It's our first signing at their brand new location, right at the busy intersection of Yonge/Dundas. We'll be there from 1-4pm.In addition to that, it will be the premiere of the Silver Snail exclusive cover of the issue. We - along with the Snail - commissioned Toronto artist Maya Nord to create a Silver Snail-centric cover, available only to those that purchase the issue through the Snail. It features the old and new locations of the store, and Kill Shakespeare characters helping Silver Snail employees with the move.
For those in Toronto that want this limited cover, visit the Snail beginning on Wednesday the 20th. For those from outside of Toronto that want to order it, you'll have to contact the Snail (you can find their website here).I'll also post more information about the cover in the next week.
First full review is a positive one!
The first review is in... and it's a positive one! The comics blog Part-Time Fanboy, overseen by a former Aint It Cool News reviewer, posted a review of the first issue of The Tide of Blood earlier this week and praises it for how we've been able to take our characters in new directions. What is really cool is this section:"I want to give major kudos to Andy Belanger as he continues to do a fantastic job on the illustration chores. Belanger has changed his style somewhat from the art of the original series. I don’t know what it is…it seems as if the art in Tide of Blood is a bit rawer and less refined. I actually like this sort of newfound revision to Belanger’s technique. It adds to the feel of a rag-tag group of characters trying to pull a new society together. It gives the whole thing a sort of a “survivalist Shakespeare” vibe that I loved. Also different is the palette of the whole book. From what I remember of the original series it consisted of a lot of reds and browns that added a nice warmth to the book. The colors in this first issue of Tide of Blood are decidedly different. The hues and shades are somewhat brighter than the previous series and that gives TOB very much a feeling of being an all-new chapter in an ongoing saga. It’d be very easy for colorist Shari Chankhamma to stick to the look of the first series since it was such a success. This very slight change in the visuals of the book struck me as a bit of a bold move on her part which made me feel that the people behind Kill Shakespeare were going to be as courageous with their choices in this mini-series as they were with their first outing."Click on the image below to read the entire review.
Valentine Movies Guys Won't Hate (The Morning Show clip)
Conor and I appeared on Global TV's Morning Show again this morning, this time discussing "guy-friendly" Valentine's Day/romantic films. We appeared again with our excellent co-panelist Daniel Reynolds, a film/basketball blogger.It was a fun segment where we each listed two films that guys would enjoy on this day. What exactly were our picks? Check out the video footage below...
Toronto Launch Party on March 1st!
Another day, another Toronto signing notice...We're excited to announce that the Toronto Launch Party for The Tide of Blood will be taking place on the evening of Friday, March 1st at The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery. It's a great space and not only will it be a signing but also double as an art gallery showing of the work of our artist Andy Belanger and Becky Cloonan. Yes, that means that Andy will be in attendance, making his return to Toronto! Unfortunately, Conor will not be attendance as he will be at Emerald City Comic-Con that weekend.Also taking place that weekend will be an afternoon signing at Guelph's Dragon Comics. Times are TBA.Here is the poster for the Launch Party (click on the link to go to the Facebook invite):
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!
Caption Contest!
Over the next couple of weeks we'll be running a few CAPTION CONTESTS to give followers the opportunity to win autographed copies of our upcoming Issue #1 of The Tide of Blood (due out Wed, Feb 20th in North America).Here is this week's photo, of Richard III attacking Shakespeare (I figured that it would be appropriate, given the recent discovery of Richard 3's remains), near the end of our Volume 2. Please leave a caption here, on our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, and we will randomly select two winners on Wednesday to receive copies.
Trailer for The Tide of Blood released!
With the launch of the Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood in just under two weeks (February 20th!) we're quite happy to release our official teaser trailer.Designed by young filmmaker Adrien Benson, and produced by our amazing marketing intern Keith Morris, the trailer is a nice teaser of the journey that our characters embark upon in this series. The music is a piece entitled "Moon Interpretation" by Jeremy Gulino.Check it out - and spread the word by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere!
First Page Preview of The Tide of Blood #1
Here is the artwork for Page #1 of The Tide of Blood mini-series, debuting later this month (either the 20th or 27th, depending on when they are shipped). The issue starts off with this page, the beginning of a dream sequence that will set the tone for the rest of the series...Amazing art by Andy Belanger, as always (see his layouts and inked versions of the page here). As well, it's a great introduction to our amazing new colourist, Shari Chankhamma, who was discovered by Andy and Becky Cloonan and is doing fantastic work in the new series (her colours in Issue #2 are off-the-charts!).
Glimpse at the process behind Andy B's artwork
With Issue #1 of The Tide of Blood being released later this month (either the 20th or 27th) I thought it would be cool to tease out previews of our first page. But what's cool about this is that it gives a really cool insight into how our amazing artist Andy B works.Featured below are two pages - the original thumbnails sketch for Page 1 of the series. I wanted to post the interim step - the penciled version of the page - but for some reason Photoshop wouldn't open up the file properly.So here are the pages. Tomorrow I'll post the coloured version of Page 1.
