Kill Shakespeare en route to Emerald City!
It's been pretty busy here on my end, with writing deadlines on the new Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night comic series arc, work on the board game, other Kill Shakespeare projects (to be announced later this year) and some other new stuff (including a big personal event). But as the weather starts to get a little warmer (well, it's supposed to get warmer, but hasn't done so here in Toronto yet...) a new season is upon us - spring convention season!Conor and I will be busy again over the next two months with a lot of appearances at conventions across North America and Europe (look out MCM London Expo!). We did a small warm-up with the Toronto Comic-Con two weeks ago and now things start in earnest this weekend with... Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle!
I attended Emerald City two years ago and was blown away by not only how big the show is but how much fun it is. It's a great group of people that run the event and there's an amazing roster of talent that will be attending this year.I will be at the show the entire weekend at our Table O-09 (WSCC Level 4) so come by and say hello, pick up a copy of our books, grab some ShakesGeare merchandise, etc.I am also on two panels/workshops over the weekend, and they are:New Comic Trends: Is 'Literary' the New 'Superhero'?Are fantasy, myth, historical and talking animal stories replacing superheroes as the most interesting comic tales of the day? David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Bryan J.L. Glass (Mice Templar), Anthony Del Col (Kill Shakespeare) and Adam Knave (Amelia Cole) debate this, with Stephanie Cooke moderating.Saturday, March 29, 5:20pm, Hall C, (Rooms 610) How to Market Your Indie Comic to the Masses This entertaining workshop - sold out last year! - will find IDW Publishing's Kill Shakespeare creator (and marketer) Anthony Del Col show you how to get your comics into the fans of readers, retailers and reviewers. Sunday, March 30, 12:00pm, ROOM 2B. So if you're at this year's show swing by and say hello! I look forward to seeing everyone there!
Kickstarter: We're funded! But there is more to be revealed!
Late yesterday afternoon we received a great piece of news - our Kill Shakespeare board game Kickstarter campaign has hit the funding goal of $25,000. THANKS SO MUCH to all of you that pre-ordered copies of the game, art, or anything else. We're extremely excited and happy about this - but we have plans for more!The campaign runs until March 15th - yes, the Ides of March! - and we will be announcing some really cool stretch goals. The next goal up is a Board Upgrade, which will upgrade the board to a 3mm thickness. That's almost twice as thick as a lot of what's in the market right now. You'll feel the difference instantly. Once we hit $40,000 this becomes unlocked for all games.And then we have more goodies to unlock beyond that so keep spreading the word!
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping us get to this point!
Pre-Order a Copy of our Board Game on Kickstarter!
Today is a big day. Launching just a few hours ago was a Kickstarter campaign for pre-sales and purchase of additional items and features for our forthcoming Kill Shakespeare Board Game.IDW Games, with Nate Murray and Jerry Bennington running point, has done a strong job putting the game together and now this campaign is the next step. Games will be retailing for about $60 upon release but the first 250 people that purchase the game online can get it at a price of $40. Also included are other features such as original art from the game, a collector's edition carrying game, dice, etc.You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here.
Spread the word - let everyone know! This isn't a game just for those that have read the books but any game fan, comics fan or Shakespeare fan.A few hours in and we've already made it to over 20% of our funding goal of $25K but beyond that we have a lot more, including special surprise rewards. So keep checking back and promoting the game and the campaign.We'll post updates as the next 25 days go on.
Brush up your (Kill) Shakespeare!
Over the last few years we have received a great deal of acclaim and had numerous special moments. Some of our greatest moments have been on the academic side of things. We have been studied, analyzed and written about by scholars all over the world. We have been taught in adaptation classes on at least two continents. And I myself have lectured at Oxford as well as the Globe Theatre, both personal highlights and instances of dreams coming true.However, we are happy to announce something that might top all of that.The amazing Professor Carrie Cole of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania has now designed an entire course around the study and analysis of Kill Shakespeare - our concept, our books, our theatre show, and the brand! The write-up for THTR 481-004: Interdisciplinary Performance: The KILL SHAKESPEARE Exploratorium is:The conceptual philosophy of this course mirrors that of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, a museum of science, art, and human perception, “a twenty-first-century learning laboratory, an eye-opening, always-changing, playful place to explore and tinker”. This course shares the Exploratorium’s vision that “following your curiosity and asking questions can lead to amazing moments of discovery, learning, and awareness and can increase your confidence in your ability to understand how the world works.” For more information about the Exploratorium, check out: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ Eventually, I envision “The Exploratorium” as a rotating topics course, but I wanted to begin, however, with a topic (and a world) that I have personally grown passionate about: the creative universe of KILL SHAKESPEARE. KILL SHAKESPEARE is “An epic adventure that will change the way you look at Shakespeare forever”—a series of graphic novels created by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery as the flagship component of Kill Shakespeare Entertainment Inc. KSE is “dedicated to creating an international transmedia entertainment franchise based on the KILL SHAKESPEARE intellectual property that "mashes up" the stories and characters of William Shakespeare, the most popular writer in history. It has released a successful award-nominated comic book and graphic novel series and is looking to expand into the formats of digital media, merchandise, film, video games, additional comic series and educational products”. The transmedia projects KILL SHAKESPEARE has already developed include a “live graphic novel” performance piece (think staged reading with art), and a board game that will be debuting this spring (which we may be among the first to beta-test). We are fortunate to have been given access to the franchise—and free reign to explore, tinker, explode and otherwise frolic in the universe that Conor and Anthony have created. Pending their travel schedule, one or both of the creators will be making a campus visit to IUP.And here are some photos of students in the first week of class, reading Kill Shakespeare and starting to learn more about the property:
We're hoping that the students will enjoy our story but in addition be inspired by the spirit of it to have fun in the sandbox that we've created and come up with new ways of telling our story. And we hope to be able to swing by class sometime to visit everyone!
Kill Shakespeare flies off the stage!
I was very fortunate to attend the G33K Art Show this past weekend in Kitchener, Ontario. Not only did I have a blast on Saturday at my table, hosting two workshops and panels, and meeting up with some old friends, but I also was able to attend Friday's night's KILL SHAKESPEARE: REINVENTED, a multidisciplinary production of our stage show.Despite technical difficulties (the artwork files could not be projected) it was a very fun show, with strong performances by the voice actors and interpretations of three key moments (the enchanting of the dagger by the Weird Sisters, a battle scene, and the reverse balcony) by circus performers. The reverse balcony was especially inspired, and the music performed throughout was perhaps the best of any production performed (that I have seen myself).Kudos to director/producer/performer Miroki Tong, as well as dramaturge Eric Weiss and the whole cast and crew. A great night!Here are some pictures (most photos taken by Duncan Clemens):
England loves Kill Shakespeare!
I just returned to Toronto last night after an amazing 10 days in England and I'm still on a bit of a high. Those that know me know that I love the city of London. And after three trips there in the last 18 months I love it even more - and have been discovering that the country is starting to love Kill Shakespeare as well!I've already posted photos from my appearance at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival and then my talk/stage walk at Shakespeare's Globe.Concluding my trip, I attended the MCM London Comic-Con at the ExCel Centre on London's southeast. I had attended the May version and, having enjoyed it, returned for some more. It was a great weekend - we sold completely out of books, sold most of our tshirts (again, apologies for those that really wanted our Shakespeare Fighter shirt, which sold out immediately), I hung out with some amazing people, did a great talk (and very well-attended) on How to Pitch and Market Your Indie Comic Book, and had a lot of fun.I have so many people to thank for this past weekend. First off, the organizers of the London Comic-Con, especially Gary Howe, for making my stay possible. Thanks to Emma Vieceli (and Andrew Ruddick) for also helping to coordinate my appearance and the talk. Thanks to the witty and fun Serena Obhrai for serving as hostess through the week (and make sure to check out her new comic series Elysia, available early next year!). Thanks to the boys at Traveling Man for helping to get my books to me. Thanks to Mike Holman, Scott Hatfill, Ben Cornish and everyone at Diamond for coordinating everything on the distribution side. And thanks to everyone who swung by the table (and my talk) to say hello, learn about KS, and chat! I love London!Here are a selection of photos from the weekend:
Swimming with fun at Lakes!
I've forgotten how much of British culture revolves around the pubs... I'm currently sitting in the only place with WiFi in Kendal city centre, a pub where I'm picking up northern British slang indirectly...I just finished the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival earlier today. The first (hopefully annual), it was a fun event in the beautiful Lakes district that brought some of comics' top talents (Ed Brubacher, Charlie Adlard, etc.). I was fortunate to be a last-second addition to the Clock Tower stable of talent for the weekend.Thanks to everyone that came out to the event - those from Kendal and those around the district. Thanks to Julie and Jenny, the chief organizers, who added me to the roster. Thanks to Owen and Emma for introducing me to the show. And thanks to Mike Holman at Diamond Comics UK who helped arrange for books to come (and Jon Harrison from Forbidden Planet who brought them).Here are a selection of photos from the weekend... Enjoy!
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!
We never slept - well, because it was New York...
I'm back in Toronto, finally catching up on everything from this past weekend. The New York Comic-Con was amazing - so much fun and we burst through to break our sales record - by quite a bit, actually. We sold out of our new Volume 3 on Saturday afternoon, and Volumes 1 and 2 early on Sunday.In addition, our tshirts flew off the table and our new Shakespeare Fighter design was a HUGE hit.Thanks to everyone who made it such an incredible weekend for us - the organizers of the show, REEDPop (especially Jenny Martin), our hosts (Vanessa, Eric, Stephanie), Oliver and Mike from Mad Scientists (helped store and deliver our tables), everyone from IDW, and most importantly, everyone that swung by to say hello!Here are a few pictures from the weekend.
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.
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...
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:
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:
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.
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.
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!
Photos from Toronto Comic-Con
This past weekend Conor and I took part in Toronto Comic-Con (formerly known as Toronto Fan Appreciation, I believe). Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, it was much bigger than the usual spring show mainly because it was attended by most of the main cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Alas, we did not find Patrick Stewart and force him to read our book on the spot...The event was a great way for me, specifically, to warm up for the soon-to-begin convention world tour - it feels like just yesterday that I attended my last convention yet it was back in October.Here are some pictures from the show. You can also see more at our Facebook page.
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):
Images from FanExpo
It's been a really hectic week so I'm a little slow in posting these images... FanExpo last weekend was fantastic! It's always great to attend the large show in your hometown (third largest in North America) and great to meet up with friends, fans and everyone in between. This year's show was great - sales were brisk (came just short of our all-time sales record!), we sold out of both volumes, I hosted a well-attended workshop, and more people became exposed to Kill Shakespeare!A big thanks to Keith Morris, our marketing intern extraordinaire, Geoff Moore (always be selling), Samara Nicholson (head of transportation), Sherri Chantler (head of Sunday snacks), Carol Zara (for her gift bag), Ian Herring (for putting up with us sitting beside him...), and everyone else that helped out over the weekend. Thanks to the organizers of the event, namely Kevin Boyd, who creates such a great environment for artists and creators at the show. And thanks to everyone who came up to our table to say hello, get their books signed, purchased books, or generally made us smile through the weekend!(Conor has more photos and should be posting them soon...)
Quick glimpse from FanExpo
We'll post photos from the show this week but here's one of myself and Conor with super-fan Wayne, who created this dagger for us for the booth!
