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.
Bonus Sneek Peak of Issue #4
With the skies pretty dreary here in Toronto and the temperature being a jerk and dropping from the lovely 20 degree days we'd enjoyed a week ago to as low as nine (seriously?). I know that I really need a pick-me up.So, I thought I'd share that impulse with the rest of you. Normally we only toss out four preview pages from any given Kill Shakespeare installment, but with issue #4 due out tomorrow and such a grey day around me I thought, what the heck? Go nuts.So here I am, going nuts (I'm a wild man, you should see me eating full-fat yoghurt... bad!).Enjoy! (As always all pencils and inks are by Andy B. while Shari Chankhamma turns in another superlative colours job).
Caption Contest!
Issue #4 of The Tide of Blood is being released this week (either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your country) and in anticipation of this we are running another caption contest.Please insert a caption for the image below (one of Juliet meeting a new opponent in her quest to find Hamlet and Romeo) and we will randomly select two winners on Wednesday (the 29th) for those that give us a caption below, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed. Winners will receive a signed copy of the issue (or any back issue from The Tide of Blood).
Captions can be funny, serious, or anywhere in-between.And don't forget to pick up a copy of our series when it's released this week!
Love is in the air. Kill Shakespeare-style!
UPDATE (May 28th, 2013): Julia Beckmann, who owns Amore Vita, saw the below post and super-kindly sent over a bunch of the most relevant Kill Shakespeare snaps. So while I would still VERY HEAVILY recommend you go over to her site (http://www.amorevitaphotos.com/) you can now look at some of those photos right here, right now!(How's that for service, huh?)
As the wonderful Mr. Anthony Del Col so kindly noted, a year ago this day was when the love of my life, Crystal Luxmore, and I got married.It's been a fantastic year and I'm blessed beyond belief to have met my perfect partner.I love you sweetie.But enough about that... because we've got ANOTHER awesome couple we need to focus on.Rico Renzi, part of the team of awesome dudes & dudettes behind Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, one of the top comic shops in the WORLD sent this very cool e-mail to me.It seems that Josh, one of Heroes' regulars, decided he needed to get his love of comics into his wedding photos. That, in itself, is cool: we love all things geeky and romancing up here in Kill Shakespeare headquarters.But what made this REALLY awesome? The bride to be, Denise? She seems to be a K.S. fan!Check out this link for Amore Vita - if you scroll about half-way down through Julia's pictures you'll see Kill Shakespeare's cameo (you'll also see some great visual references to Superman, Star Wars and other classic components of the geek canon).Hug someone you love!Conor
Preview Pages of The Tide of Blood #4
Just completed a full day of meetings and story activity here in London and head to the MCM London Expo tomorrow for the weekend...In the meantime, here are a couple preview pages of The Tide of Blood #4, to be released next week (Wed, May 29th)... As usual, all artwork is by Andy Belanger and colouring by Shari Chankhamma.
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...
Cover for Issue #4 (sneak peek)!
We've received word from IDW that the fourth issue of The Tide of Blood is being released next week - Wednesday, May 29th. We're pretty happy with the fourth issue - it takes the story in some new and cool directions. And, of course, the artwork by Andy Belanger is amazing.We'll be posting previews of the artwork from the next issue all of this week. Today we'll start by posting the cover of the issue.For this cover we brought in uber-talented Canadian illustrator Nimit Malavia to design a cover of Juliet and Romeo. It's a bit of a variation from earlier covers but I think adds a really nice flourish to the series. For those unfamiliar with Nimit's work check out his website here and Twitter page here.
And don't forget to pick up The Tide of Blood #4 in comic book shops next week!
Conor's Con Pix Galore! (And an ANDY B. retrospective: "A Man and his Beard")
The past few weeks have been a pretty busy time for the K.S. boys. You've seen Anthony jet off to exotic far-flung locales like... Ottawa and... Calgary...But while Anthony was enjoying the high-life, poor lil' ol me has been stuck doing AMAZING SHOWS in Chicago and right here in Toronto -- TCAF 2013.I've been quite the shutterbug as I learn to play with this new Galaxy Tablet and I even took a bit of video of the Kill Shakespeare stage show that played at C2E2. I wanted to share some memories of the events and thank all the amazing fans and friends who came out and supported us in both places. I had SUCH a good time talking with all of you.We've said it before, but I don't believe that any other book has such diverse and interesting fans as K.S. does!Now let's see some photos!Below are a few from the stageplay that went on at C2E2 and was put on by the amazing Strawdog Theatre. I've already posted a few on our Facebook account, but these are a few samples that I took of the show. The rest you can find in this album.
Of course C2E2 was more than just theatre -- we also had fans and cosplay galore. To get a flavour of the delightful madness here are a few shots to whet your appetite. You can see more of C2E2 in this album.
This past weekend was TCAF -- a more "refined" comics experience. While cos-play isn't really a "thing" at TCAF it was a great chance to see old friends and to steal a ukele
For more TCAF click here.And finally, for those of you who haven't seen Andy B. for awhile you may not know that he now owns the 1,965th best beard of ALL-TIME. He just passed this guy and is closing hard on these guys.Andy graciously agreed to pose for a series of photos so we can commerate a time when life was simpler, and all that mattered was a man, his beard, and how many birds could nest within it.
For the entire, surely to be award-winning, collection - click here... if you dare!
Images from Ottawa
Despite a severe allergy attack and a really bad cough, I was able to take part - and quite enjoy - the Ottawa Comic-Con this past weekend. It was only the show's second year but it was a really big one and the organizers - the same ones who put together the Montreal Comic-Con - have done a great job.I was really fortunate to be placed beside some amazingly talented (and really nice) artists - Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing, the upcoming Wonder Woman), Pia Guerra (my favourite series of all time, Y The Last Man) and Ian Boothby (Simpsons Comics) - they were great to chat with and share space with.And thanks to everyone who came to the show and swung by to chat, learn more about KS, pick up some books/ShakesGeare, etc. It was great meeting/chatting with all of you!Here are some photos from the weekend. You can find more on our Facebook page.
HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, TCAF!
Like many 10 year-olds the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is really precocious. The show has taken on the personality of its founders Chris and Peter from The Beguiling and has come to represent the best place to go to see the edges of comics culture.If you're the sort of person who says they don't read comics, or likely, given that you're reading this post, you're the kind of person who KNOWS someone who says they don't read comics THIS is the show to attend.At TCAF you'll see stories about EVERYTHING under the sun. This year the show will debut a quirky food driven bio (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen), an all-ages book written by Gilbert Hernandez, one half of the amazing team behind Love & Rockets (Marble Season), a comic totally devoid of dialogue (Silent Worlds), a story about facing death at the hands of Cancer (When David Lost His Voice), a love-story set in the World War 1 era Croatia (Black Paths) and a story told from a German Shepherd's perspective (uh, I 'm A German Shepherd).And of course their is plenty of the genre stuff you know and love with Sci-fi, Crime, horror and even superhero stories galore!It's also an amazing show because we get sleep in our own beds (yay!).So come out this weekend to TCAF and say hello to Conor at his sentry position at the entrance of the RAID room AKA Learning Centre 2.The show starts at 9 AM on Saturday and runs until 5pm (another reason they love them -- ample time for dinner!) and on Sunday the hours are from 11-5.
Anthony in the (Canadian) Nation's Capital this weekend!
After finally having a weekend off, I become a weekend warrior again this upcoming one as I attend the Ottawa Comic-Con from Fri, May 10 - 12th. This is our first time attending the event, run by the amazing organizers of the Montreal Comic-Con, so I'm excited to see what it's like.I will be at Table #A600 the entire weekend, which is plum in the middle of some of the top artists today - beside Pia Guerra (co-creator of my favourite series of all-time, Y The Last Man) and superstar artist Yanick Paquette (DC's Swamp Thing relaunch). You can find a floor plan of the show at this link.I am also conducting a workshop "HOW TO CREATE AND MARKET YOUR OWN COMICS" on Saturday at 2pm in Meeting Room B. I have put on this workshop at almost a dozen conventions so if you're at the show and would like to find out how to get your comic off the ground come by and pick up some tricks of the trade. The workshop description is:
Pics from Calgary!
After five weeks straight of traveling I'm finally at home for an extended period of time... Well, until next Thursday when I head to the Ottawa Comic-Con... And I've just gone through the photos from Calgary (below).What a great time I had in CowTown! Another Expo, another great time. We sold a lot of books, shirts, buttons and had a great time meeting new fans and readers. Lots of people - perhaps more than most other shows - were already fans of the series and picked up issues of the new Tide of Blood series.Thanks to everyone who helped out with the show - especially the volunteers, who were amazing! I'd like to single out Doug and Carrie-Ann, especially the latter, who provided sales relief during a good chunk of Saturday. And Tasha Zimich, who would inch over from her Sky Pirates booth to help out as well.I look forward to attending next year!
Great first day in Calgary!
Today was a great first day at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo! Thanks to everyone that came by to visit my table at P-10 to visit/buy books/shirts/ chat, etc.! Tomorrow should be an even busier day for us!
Also look for my pitching workshop on Saturday at 4:30pm.
Issue #3 is released today!
The day has arrived! Issue #3 of The Tide of Blood is in comic book shops around the world today!
We're quite excited about this issue. The continuation of the saga of Juliet, Romeo, Hamlet, Miranda and Prospero continues in this issue and not only are we happy with the story but Andy Belanger's artwork is amazing. He has a great take on the look of Prospero but also the mad wizard's setting.The early reviews are quite positive as well.Keith Silva from Comics Bulletin writes: "As aesthetics go, Kill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood comes as close to perfection -- to some sort of golden ratio of comic books -- as any art aspires to achieve. "Lyzard from AintitCoolNews.com writes: "What Belanger chooses to do with Prospero’s “study” works as both an homage to the source material and a giant leap from anything put to paper, canvas, stage, or film."Samantha Roehrig from Comic Bastards writes: "I love how raw the pictures are in this comic. It draws me into the play and I can’t stop thinking I should drink poison or stab myself with a dagger in order to fit in. I can’t wait for the big fight scene. I love Shakespeare and I am wondering why it took me so long to pick up this comic. So don’t miss out on this newest installment."
We're in both Calgary and Chicago this weekend!
It's a busy weekend for all of us as we're all at comic conventions this weekend!First off, I will be attending the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo in Western Canada this weekend. The show runs on Fri (12 - 8), Sat (10 - 7) and Sun (10 - 5) at the BMO Centre. The convention is one of the fastest growing conventions in the world - if not the fastest. I attended two years ago (Conor attended last year) and we sold out of everything by the middle of the day Saturday.I will be at Table P-10 all weekend. I will also be hosting a panel "How to Pitch Your Own Comic" will be on Saturday, Apr 27 @ 4:30pm in Palomino FG. Check it out for pointers on how to get a publishing deal, put together a pitch package, etc. It's been standing room only at numerous other conventions so this one should be good.
Whilst I'm in Calgary, Andy and Conor will be attending Chicago's C2E2 convention this weekend. I attended last year and it's another fast-growing event. The two will be positioned at Table 1037 all weekend.On top of that, Chicago's Strawdog Theatre will be doing a free preview/review performance of their acclaimed run of KILL SHAKESPEARE: LIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL at the show this weekend. It will be held on Fri, Apr 26 @ 3:15pm on the Variant Stage. If you're attending the show be sure to check it out
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM!
“It is my birthday. I had thought t' have held it poor”
- Antony and Cleopatra
Act 3, Scene 13
“Today is your birthday. It’s my birthday too, yeah”
- The Beatles
Yep, today is Willy Shakes birthday and the Bard is still going strong. In fact, our favourite, self-doubting, quill-wielding creator turns 449 today!
It's been a long run for Shakespeare and we're proud to say that this also is an anniversary of sorts for us. Way back on April 14th of 2010, just before Shakespeare's birthday, so we could maximize publicity - natch, we released the first issue of the first series of our little baby.
We weren't really sure what to expect. We'd sold our investors and families on the fact that we had this BIG idea, but who really knew what we had? After all of you made that first issue sold out and then we went into a second printing and you guys made sure THAT sold out too we had an inkling that we might actually have that BIG idea.
Since then, 13 more issues have hit the stands (with #14, the third issue of The Tide of Blood, hitting stores tomorrow), we've developed a stage show with one of Toronto's top theatre companies, Soulpepper, and seen that show tour across Canada, the U.S. and now Dubai, we've made t-shirts and buttons and all manner of ShakesGeare that people seem to like, we've been developing a mobile game and an enhanced graphic novel that we hope will take sequential storytelling to the next step, and we've been courted - quite feverently at times - by the world of Hollywood to make K.S. into T.V. or film...
So, while today is REALLY about the man who inspired us, and upon whose works all our ideas rest, we're still pretty proud of the little space we occupy for people who are excited that William Shakespeare was ever born.
Here's hoping for another 449 years from Shakespeare, and at least another 49 for Kill Shakespeare! And here's a HUGE thank-you to all of you, the fans, supporters, and Bardolaters who have taken our little idea and made it into the BIG one we hoped we had.
Conor
Caption Contest! Win an autographed copy of Issue #3!
To celebrate the release of The Tide of Blood #3 this Wednesday (April 24th), we are running another CAPTION CONTEST this week. Suggest a caption for this image of Miranda and Lady Macbeth entering the mad wizard Prospero's library for an opportunity to win an autographed copy of the issue! Winners will be selected randomly.You can also enter by suggesting a caption on our Facebook page or through our Twitter feed.
Boston Comic-Con Cancelled This Weekend
Just arrived in Watertown (yes, that Watertown) and en route to Boston today we discovered that the Comic-Con this weekend has been cancelled due to the recent events and city-wide lockdown. I'm disappointed that I won't be attending the event this weekend but hope to be able to take part when it's rescheduled at some point this year.For everyone that is in the Boston area please stay safe and we'll see you at a future event.
First Page of Issue #3 of The Tide of Blood
Yesterday we posted the cover for The Tide of Blood #3. Today we're going to do something different by posting the first page of the issue - with lettering.The issue begins with a significant character (hint: his name is in the title...) in hiding as as fool at a bar. What happens when he is discovered by two mysterious figures?The artwork is by Andy Belanger and coloured by Shari Hess.
