Excitement! Electricity! Edmonton!
I attended the Edmonton Expo this past weekend and it was an amazing time! The Edmonton Expo merged with the organizers of the Calgary Expo two years ago and this year attendance doubled so I was glad to be part of such an amazing show.Thanks to the organizer, Shane Turgeon, the artists I was placed with, and most importantly, everyone who came by my table to say hello, get something signed, pick up a book/shirt/buttons, or just threw a smile in my direction. A special thanks to my Aunt Elizabeth who provided accommodation, rides - and perogies! And thanks to Aunt Adeline and Uncle J.D. for coming out and also helping with meals during my stay.I hope to attend next year's show!Here are some pics from the weekend...
Kill Shakespeare to make a splash at New York Comic-Con next week!
We will be attending the New York Comic-Con next week and it will be a big weekend for us. We have a number of exclusives premieres at the show, including Volume 3: The Tide of Blood (in stores October 22nd), a brand new ShakesGeare tshirt (a Shakespeare Fighter-themed one that will be revealed to you early next week) and also a special announcement...So if you're heading to the New York Comic-Con make sure to stop by BOOTH 1249 (floor map here) and check out our new stuff!
Heading to Edmonton this weekend!
The organizers of the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo last year launched a sister convention in Edmonton and apparently it went quite well. When I took part in the Calgary show this past spring I heard nothing but great things about it (and it seemed like half of our customers at the show were from Edmonton) so we decided to attend the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo this upcoming weekend.
I'll be heading to Edmonton on Friday (hello Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Adeline and Uncle J.D.!) and be at the show both full days - Sat, Sept 28 and Sun, Sept 29. I'm looking forward to the event - there are some great guests like Richard Starkings, Francis Manapul, Boo Cook, Adrian Alphona and others.I will be at Table X01 all weekend so swing by and say hello, bring a copy of one of our books to be signed, or pick one up!
Anthony talks Oscars!
With the ending of the Toronto International Film Festival, Oscar season is in full-swing! A big area of interest for me is the annual Oscar race and I've done interviews on a number of media shows to discuss the politics and campaigning around this season.One show I've been on a number of times is The Stephen Holt Show (the self-prescribed Oscar Messenger), based in New York. Stephen was in Toronto last week for TIFF and I sat down with him at the beginning of the fest (just before heading out to Baltimore) to talk Oscars. Here is part one of the interview (Part 2 is here):
Good morning, Baltimore!
Last weekend I visited one of the top east coast comic-cons - the Baltimore Comic-Con! I spent the weekend chatting with fans, signing and selling books, attending the Harvey Awards, eating crab cakes, and having a great time. Thanks to everyone that I saw over the course of the weekend!Here are some photos from the weekend:
Heading to Baltimore this weekend!
With Labour Day signifying the end of summer (though I'll deny that fact until late-September at the earliest...) we are now looking ahead to a busy fall convention season (but not as busy as our spring traveling season was). We're still locking in dates and shows but we will have conventions for most of September and October. The ones that we can announce are Baltimore (see below) this weekend, Montreal (Sept 13-15), Edmonton (Sept 28-29) and New York Comic-Con (Oct 10-13).The first one up is the Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend (Sept 7-8) and I'll be there the entire weekend!I'll be at Table #A98 (you can find a map here) and I will also be sitting in on the IDW Publishing panel on Sunday from 2-3pm in Room #302-303.
So come and visit me - and perhaps join me on a tour of haunts from The Wire...
The Tide of Blood concludes in stores today!
We're excited that after a small delay The Tide of Blood #5, the final issue of our mini-series, is in stores today (Wed, Aug 28th)!Let us know what you think about our final installment - we're quite excited to see what the reaction is. We know that our editor was shocked by the conclusion when we first sent it to him.
And the early reviews are quite positive - check out this one and this one.
FAN EXPO 2013 - Part the First
All hail FanExpo!Thanks to all of you awesome people who came out to Canada's largest pop-culture show this past weekend. The Kill Shakespeare gang had a fantastic time meeting new friends, saying hello to old ones, and crossing (verbal) swords with anyone who came within shouting range!A big thank you to Keith Morris and Sam Zimmerman, our AMAZING interns who did a fantastic job selling books and merch with us (well, thanks to Keith for the the five minutes he actually bothered to SHOW UP).There will be tons more photos, but here are a few to whet your appetite for the weekend!
LOVE IS IN THE AIR - Well actually a box...
A Kill Shakespeare team-member is getting married!(Don't worry ladies, it isn't Anthony, you can put your hearts back in your throats - GRIN).No, this is the rather unsung Alex Bethke, part of the team that has been working hard to design a prototype for a Kill Shakespeare inspired word battle game.Alex let me know that last night, he proposed to his now fiance, Kienan Marie Walker, and she said YES!Of course, given what Alex DID for his proposal how could she say no?First off, the ring, a THIRD generation heirloom, was pretty cool.
But then there was what Kienan had to do to get to the ring. You see, Alex decided to go full Geek-Fu on this proposal and designed, and built, a 977 PIECE PUZZLE BOX for her to master.I could't even PUT TOGETHER a 977 piece lego set -- and he designed it AND built it (based on the Hellraiser design, naturally).What's more, the box had over a DOZEN puzzle elements -- Kienan even needed a hint to try to solve one of them.Alex filmed the four hours it took him to build the box as a gift and then presented the whole thing to her at night, surrounded by candles, on their balcony (using the Fight Club "Your one perfect moment..." quote as the lead in).
And she said yes!So, we congratulate Alex and Kienan on what will undoubtedly be a very entertaining life together (I'm just wondering if Alex is going to show up at the altar submerged in a giant aquarium and have to make a Houdini-like escape in order to kiss the bride).All the best to the new couple from the rest of us the Kill Shakespeare team!
Prospero attacks Shakespeare (sneak peek)!
Last week we posted a preview of Page 1 of The Tide of Blood #5, the final issue in our mini-series. Here you'll find Page 5 of the series, as Prospero prepares to take all of Shakespeare's knowledge from him...
The issue comes out next Wednesday (the 28th). Be prepared to be shocked by our ending...
The team reunites at FanExpo this weekend
With our busy schedules these days, one of us having a child, and living in different cities, it's often tough for myself, Conor and Andy to actually be in the same place at the same time. That's what makes this upcoming weekend's FanExpo something for us to look forward to!
Yes, all three of us will be appearing at FanExpo this weekend, Toronto's largest comic and fan convention!
The show takes place at the Metro Convention Centre from Thursday (the 22nd) until Sunday (the 25th). We will be appearing at Table #P128D by all of the other comic guests and artist alley (around the food court area).So swing by our table, pick up some books/issues/shirts and also get a preview of what's coming up for us - our final issue of The Tide of Blood (released August 28th), new t-shirt designs, and perhaps even a glimpse at our mobile game...
See you there!
The Long Wait is Over - final Tide hits stores on August 28th
After what seemed like FOREVER, the final issue of Kill Shakespeare, The Tide of Blood is steaming its way from the printers in Korea to YOUR local comic book shop!(o.k., it probably isn't STEAMING its way here, since this isn't 1910, but "dieseling" doesn't have the same romance now, does it?)The issue will finally run aground at your LCS on the 28th of August. We apologize for the big gap between issues #4 and 5 -- there were some script issues we had to iron out and Andy hit a crazy busy patch in his work and personal life and it all conspired to see us JUST miss our July deadline.But that is the past, and the future is....... well, one HECK of an amazing end to the latest series! Issue #5 is a wild, break-neck race across the island you've grown to fear.This puppy will wrap up the increasingly jagged love triangle between Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, will result in a wild three-way between Prospero, Shakespeare and Lady M (a WIZARD BATTLE you sicko, get your mind out of the gutter), and we'll get a better sense of just what Sycorax has in store for our heroes as well.I might even say it all ends on a "high tide"?(No? No, I shouldn't? In fact I should never try that pun again?Fair enough...)"Groaners" aside, because we're generous guys, below is a sneak preview of the VERY first page. I don't know how many other special peeks we can give you, every page is a spoiler in this 28-page juggernaut, but we can at least get you licking your chops for some Shakespearean action!Thanks for being patient, and for being the best fans in the world! (and for those of you who may have missed it, I'm also including the cover here as well)
CONOR
Battlin' in Boston (pics)!
I just returned last night from a weekend excursion in Boston to attend the 2013 Boston Comic-Con and enjoy a bit of the city. It was a really fun weekend and the show was amazing, having doubled in size from the last time I was there, back in 2011.Thanks to everyone who made it a great weekend - our new fans and readers, the organizers of the show, Beata and Loren for helping out with logistics, the amazing Lisa for her pictures and patience, and the city of Boston!Here are some photos from the weekend:
Anthony is attending the Boston Comic-Con this weekend
I am heading to Boston on Friday to take part in this weekend's Boston Comic-Con (held on Sat/3 and Sun/4 at Seaport World Trade Center. I was originally scheduled to take part in the convention back in April but the Boston Marathon bombing and arrest of the two suspects forced Jim and the organizers to cancel the event (yes, I was actually situated about six blocks away from the arrest of the second suspect in Watertown, MA on Fri, Apr 19th).I attended the Boston show back in 2011 and really enjoyed it (I had to cancel my plans to attend in 2012 because of another show). This upcoming weekend should be a great one with lots of top guests and a good crowd expected.
I will be at TABLE AA252 all weekend so swing by and say hello, pick up a book, and get a special sneak peek at the final issue of The Tide of Blood (due in stores later this month)!I am also doing my HOW TO PITCH YOUR COMIC TO PUBLISHERS workshop at the show. The workshop will take place on Sun, Aug 4th from 2 - 2:45pm in the Beacon Hill Room.
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.
Tide of Blood #5 Cover!
Though we've been a little more silent than usual with our blogging and updates this summer, the entire Kill Shakespeare team has been pretty busy with a number of cool things that we'll hopefully be able to share at some point in the near future. One of those things, though, we're quite happy to announce - the release of the final issue (#5) of The Tide of Blood!We haven't received an official release date from our publisher IDW yet but we expect that it will be either Wed, Aug 14th or 21st - which is great as it'll be just in time for Toronto's FanExpo (the biggest show for us every year). Once the official release date is confirmed we will announce it here.And in anticipation of this release, here is the official cover for Issue #5, done by British artist Simon Davis (who did our wildly-popular The Tide of Blood #1 cover).
Yes, the cover hints at a number of things that will take place in the issue - books, blood and... Prospero (I couldn't think of something else that starts with a "b"...). So keep coming back and checking for more information and sneak peeks of the issue!
Anthony talks libraries (video)
At the American Library Association Annual Conference a few weeks ago in Chicago I sat down with Jennifer "Bill" Billingsley from the Glenwood-Lynwood Public Library to talk about Kill Shakespeare, my thoughts on libraries, our stage show, growing up at libraries in northern Canada, and a range of other things.The video was shot on her iPad so the video is in a different perspective (and the audio isn't great) but you get the gist of what we're talking about...
Kill Shakespeare at San Diego Comic-Con
The biggest comic convention in the world begins next Wednesday in San Diego... It's Comic-Con!Neither Conor nor I will be attending Comic-Con this year - we're both busy with writing deadlines and other events - but in our place artist Andy Belanger will be attending!
Andy will be busy through the weekend with meetings but you should be able to find him in many place - just look for the guy with the French-Canadian lumberjack beard... As well, he will be signing at the IDW Publishing booth (Booth #2643) as part of their "Independents Day" signing on Sunday (July 21st) from 12 noon - 2pm. So if you'd like to pick up copies of Kill Shakespeare or bring anything to be signed, make sure to visit him then!For those attending the show - have a great time! And we're jealous that you'll be there while we're missing it!
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:
Check out the Nerdist Comic Writer's Panel
When I talk at schools or at comic conventions, a lot of people who are looking to get into comics (or are at the beginning of their comic careers) ask me for references - books/series to read, etc. I have a number of recommendations that I give out but I always feel weird doing so - I feel like I myself have a lot to learn as well. With this being the case, I make a HUGE point on a regular basis to listen to podcasts, read blogs and books about the craft of storytelling in the comics medium as well as film, television, stage, etc.
One of the podcasts that I've listened to quite a bit in the last year is the Nerdist Writers Panel. Host Ben Blacker interviews (live) a number of television writers every week about the writing process, the stories they have told/are telling, and gathers a number of great insights.Recently he has started up a new podcast devoted to writing comics, the Nerdist Comics Writers Panel. They have just aired two episodes and both feature a panel consisting of the great Len Wein (creator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing), Adam Beechen (Batman Beyond) and Heath Corson (Aim High). Neither of the two episodes have knocked me out (but have done a good job of talking about the history of the medium) but the show has a lot of potential to bring on other guests and get more insights into the tricky task of writing for comics.So if you're looking for some insights in the process of writing for comics I recommend checking out the podcast - download it on iTunes. And if you'd like some other podcasting suggestions (or have suggestions for me) please reach out to me!