Pre-Order Your Copy of The Mask of Night #1!
We're two months away from the release of the first issue of our new mini-series The Mask of Night, and that means... It's now available in Previews magazine at comic book shops for pre-ordering!If you're super-excited about the new mini-series please head to a comic book shop (you can find your closest one here) and pre-order your copy (or copies, of course) of the issue. It's going to be a great one - we're really enjoying playing with our two new characters (Captain Cesario and Viola) and Andy B's art (combined with Shari H's colouring) is so incredible!
You have until the end of the month to pre-order your copy but don't wait - pick it up now! Just order it directly from your retailer (or give them the order code of APR140389.
Hamlet embarks to the Emerald City!
I returned from attending the Emerald City Comic-Con Monday night but have been swamped with work and a major IT issue the last two days. So I'm only now posting these pics and update.Emerald City this year was one of my favourite shows to attend from two years ago and returning (Conor attended last year) made it even better. It was great to meet up with fans who saw our stage show at the con last year, as well as people that I met two years. Thanks to everyone who came by the table to pick up a book, get a book signed, say hello, tell me how much they love the series, or anything else.Thanks also go out to those that attended by How to Market Your Indie Comic to the Masses on Sunday. And a big thanks to Stephanie Cooke, Bryan JL Glass David Petersen and Sean E. Williams for conducting a panel on Are Literary Comics the New Superhero on the Saturday.I should also thank Ben Hsu and Elaine Tipping (ET!) of Tiny Blue Dragon Studio (based in Portland) who helped out over the course of the weekend with our sales. Check out their really cool Licensed Heroes series.Here are a collection of pics from this weekend!
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!
We Did It!
Well the dust has settled and the final numbers have been tallied and people, we ROCKED this little thing called Kickstarter!
We ended up raising $38,585 dollars -- that's 154% MORE than our original goal. Because of you guys and your support, both in pledging, but just as importantly in spreading the word, we ended up hitting a stretch goal as well. The game now has a better board than it would have without you.And, I hear rumours, and these are JUST rumours that because we came so close to the SECOND stretch goal -- that we may end up seeing that happen anyway! Plus IDW has mentioned their might be some other surprises kicking about for those of you who pledged.Now I have been hearing a few common questions so let me answer them as best I can:
Q: Conor, I totally MEANT to support the kickstarter but I was kidnapped by Bolivian revolutionaries and just got back from Sucre... What do I do? Can I still get the Game?A: Yes. Yes, you can. The game is going to be distributed widely. IDW wants Kill Shakespeare and all the other games coming out to be easy to get. Your local comic shop can order them, as can any store that specializes in board games. We're told that most of these stores will be able to stock Kill Shakespeare starting in June. And of course, Anthony and I will probably bring a few copies to sell to most conventions.(Oh, and I hope you had a chance to say "hi" to Evo Morales when you were in Bolivia...)Q: When will I get my game if I supported the Kickstarter? Before those "Hamlet-come-lately" store buyers?A: We're told end of May is the likely time for that. The game has been thoroughly play-tested, we were just waiting to see what kickstarter goals we hit before sending the game to printers.Q: So, IS the game going to be even more awesome than I am currently thinking it will be?A: Yes! Definitely! I can't tell you what it's going to be but IDW and Pandasaurus have already GUARANTEED that there will be bonus content shipping with your game.
Q: When can I play you and Anthony?A: Why, we're glad you asked that! We're planning a couple of events, including one here in Toronto, that will give you a chance to play the game against us, see what all the fuss is about, and get copies for yourself.And right here, right now, I'm saying if you can manage to beat me I will.... uh... sign your comic books for free!(what can I say? I suck at games...)Q: Is there anything else I can do to help the game out?A: Yes, for sure. Once you have the game set up some nights for your friends, and then encourage them to go to their local store and get them to order it. The more we can pull games through the retail channels the more IDW is going to want to do expansion sets and then some of those other stretch goals we just missed out on may become a reality (Meeples anyone?)Again, you guys are amazing. We're the luckiest creators in the world to have friends and a fan-base like you.Much thanks,Conor & Anthony.
Uncertain Life and Sure Death
As the Ides of March approaches I’m kind of pondering that whole: “my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth” dilemma that Hamlet wrestles with. I mean, on one hand, murder is awful, bad, and often really messy – even if you’ve already covered the bathroom floor with a tarp and have the hack-saw and bag of quicklime on the go.On the OTHER hand – when Shakespeare does it, murder is pretty awesome. I mean, heads get chopped off, poison is consumed, there is not one, but TWO mass stabbings, people, Shakespeare once offed two kids by BAKING THEM IN A PIE and then SERVING THAT PIE TO THEIR MOM (“Mmm, this is good! Is this veal?” “No, it’s your kids, BOOM!”).So that got me to thinking about OTHER people who love Shakespeare like we do, and especially love the peculiar joy that comes with snuffing out some punk’s all too brief candle.This led us to David Malki ! and Ryan North – two of the creative engines behind the most excellent Machine of Death series of books and games. (PLUG ALERT: You may also know Ryan from his Blockbuster To Be or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure Kickstarter campaign.)Since Machine was such a HUGE success we thought it likely that it’s blend of wit, wordplay and cold-bloodedly hilarious focus on mass murder might be popular with you guys too, so David ! kindly let us design a BONUS SET OF CARDS for Machine of Death that has an all-Shakespeare flavour. You can download the card set here – these print and play beauties are ready to seamlessly fit into any Machine of Death game.
DOWNLOAD THE CARDS HERE: http://alice.idwpublishing.com/_7NERTM4cugLoZRBonus points (and prizes!) go to the first five people to correctly post in the comment section what play each card represents (or tweet us @IDWGAMES or @KillShakespeare). And if you know anyone who plays Machine, send’em over here – the more crossover between fans of Bardicide and fans of murder in general, the better.(plus, it means more credible suspects to throw the cops off your trail).Murderously yours,Conor
It's Official! A Brand New Mini-series Is On Its way!
It's official! Hamlet, Juliet, Shakespeare and our characters are coming back for more!IDW Publishing has officially announced this morning the release of Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night. Set to launch in June of this year, it is a four-issue series that continues our adventures but also allows us to introduce some new players to our stage. Oh, and there's pirates as well. The official summary of the series is:Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and Shakespeare become pawns in a deadly game between the infamous pirate Captain Cesario, his lover (and second mate) Viola, and the new terror on the seas, Titus Andronicus’ massive dreadnaught The Lavinia. Featuring pirate battles, action, violence, love, strong female heroines, comedy, death and an exploration of the power of myth, The Mask of Night continues the tales of Hamlet and Juliet from The Tide of Blood and also introduces new players (some of which will be featured in the board game) and mythologies.Yes, we are introducing Viola (from Twelfth Night) into our story. She is one of the most requested Shakespeare characters and we're excited to bring her into our story in a very unique take on her.Coming back to the series is its bedrock, Andy Belanger as artist for both interiors and covers. As he says, "Shari Chankhamma (colorist) and I have sharpened our pencils, made black our brushes and are ready to paint the high seas red in this next chapter of Kill Shakespeare! Get ready for BLOOD!"Conor and I are back on writing duties, and Shari is the colourist. Assisting us on our side is our amazing editorial assistant Keith Morris and we're excited to be working again with the team at IDW, from our editor Tom Waltz to designer Chris Mowry to everyone else (Chris Ryall, Ted Adams, Greg Goldstein, Dirk Wood, Rosalind Morehead, Kahlil Sweitzer, Alan Payne, Robbie Robbins and everyone else).Look for more updates in the coming months - we're excited about this!
Beware the Ides of March!
We now have just five days left on our Kickstarter campaign. And yes, the campaign ends on Saturday, March 15th, otherwise known to Shakespeare fans as... The Ides of March! This is your last opportunity to pre-order your copy of the game at a discount and, in the process, allow us to add extra features to the game!
Click here to check out the Kickstarter page and pledge your support!
Our New York debut is tonight!
For those that have missed it, our New York stage show debut occurs tonight! Gideon Productions is mounting our Kill Shakespeare: Live Graphic Novel at HERE for five nights beginning this evening. More about the event and tickets can be found here.
Break a leg, everyone! Lookin' forward to hearing how it went!
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!
Kickstarter Update: Day 1
Wow!What a first day.You guys and gals are AMAZING! We’re already more than 50% of the way to our goal and that’s because of your incredible support. I’m more excited than that time Falstaff and I went on a bender and TOTALLY spilled beer all over Richard III’s gimpy hand!Thank you SO much for getting this campaign off to a great start. This is the first Kickstarter that Anthony and I have been involved in and it’s been a great success so far.Please keep supporting our campaign, with your help we can reach more and more people and start to unlock some of the UNBELIEVABLE stretch goals – yes these goals are so mind-blowing you will literally find your brain short-circuit until you start saying things like: “I simply cannot believe they are offering me this – they must be mad, as mad as that rascally King Lear!”As a little bonus for you awesome-sauce folks we want to share with you an EXCLUSIVE piece of art from the game that NOBODY else in the world has seen (and those that have we’ll kill – just to make this even more special for you).
Take a bow, you magnificent bastards, you!
So please, keep sharing this with your friends, harass the tastemasters of the internet to talk about this, tell your Grandmother to finally get on the interwebs – because we want to make the Kill Shakespeare Board Game the best Shakespearean thing EVER!Oh, and for future sneak peeks – vote down in the comments if you want to see more exclusive game art or get a glimpse at ANOTHER awesome Kill Shakespeare project we’ve got on the boil (and bubble).The Game Play’s the thing! Conor McCreeryBardicidal maniacToronto, February 2014
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.
Fifth and Final Board Game Character Revealed! Something New Coming Next Week!
After posting character teaser posters for Hamlet, Juliet, Falstaff and Viola (Captain Cesario), today we are happy to release the fifth playable character in our upcoming board game, Othello. How could we not put the Moor in our game? He's a fan favourite (as artist Andy Belanger likes to say, he's the Incredible Hulk of our story) and should be a fun choice to play as in the game.Here's the poster featuring art by artist J.K. Woodward.
In addition to these five characters, Lady Macbeth and Richard are also key players in the game (characters you'll be fighting against) and we're also going to work in at least a dozen other throughout missions, events, etc.
Come back next week to find out more about a new development for the board game - we'll probably announce it mid-week or so.
We're on Tumblr!
Last week we launched a Kill Shakespeare Tumblr page, thanks to the amazing work of our editorial assistant Keith Morris. The Tumblr page will be updated a couple times a week and will feature detailed looks into the artistic process behind Kill Shakespeare as well as giving exclusive sneak peek previews and contests.
So if you're on Tumblr make sure to follow us!
Tickets available for Kill Shakespeare in New York!
I posted two weeks ago that Kill Shakespeare: Live Graphic Novel will be performed in New York in March of this year (March 1-5) and tickets are now on sale! If you'd like to purchase tickets (going for $15), you can do so at this link.And the official press release is here.
If you're in New York - go check out the show! It's an amazing cast and production company that really, really love the production. I may try to head down there myself to check it out too...
A New Character Boards Our Game!
We've had quite a bit of fun in the last couple of weeks showing off the character Wanted poster teases for our upcoming board game. The social media reaction to Hamlet, Juliet and Falstaff have been very strong. But today we introduce a completely new character to the Kill Shakespeare world!This is the poster (artwork by JK Woodward) for the pirate Captain Cessario (aka Viola)!
When we began to collaborate on the board game with IDW Games, Pandasaurus Games and designers Thomas Vande Ginste and Wolf Plancke, we immediately wanted to add to the experience by introducing a new character into our world. One of the most popular female characters in Shakespeare's oeuvre has been Viola from Twelfth Night and we've wanted to play with her traits so here she is!When the game is released we'll tell you more about the back story that we created for her but it's an interesting one, and something that people will be talking about quite a bit (and yes, it involves the famous trope of cross-dressing)!We're going to have another big announcement for the board game starting in just over a week so pay attention to this spot or our Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr pages.
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!
Find This Fool (in our board game)!
After posting teaser Wanted Posters of Hamlet and Juliet, we're now onto our third character reveal for our board game coming out in June of this year. And today's prey is... Falstaff!As per usual, the game designers have thoroughly enjoyed putting the fat comedic sidekick into the story and we're looking forward to drafting up some of the missions for him as well.
Once again, look for the game's release in June of this year by IDW Games and Pandasaurus Games!
The Kill Shakespeare Stage Show Is Going to New York!
Last year our KILL SHAKESPEARE: LIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL played in a number of cities (and internationally in Dubai) so we figured that it would be tough to top that year in terms of shows and performances. Well, 2014 is getting off to a great start for the show as it will be making its official New York City debut in March of this year!The creative Gideon Productions will be putting on the stage show for five performances from March 1 - 5th as part of the HERE: Coop's Sublet Series. The production will be directed by artistic director Jordana Williams (one of NYTheatre.com's 2012 People of the Year) and feature a great cast of equity and non-equity actors.
Yes, you may recall that Gideon put on the production at the 2012 New York Comic-Con but that was an abridged version of the tale. This will be a full production and, knowing the cast and crew, one that will really make the visuals and story fly.Tickets are not available for sale yet but once they are we will keep you updated.
Enter the Radical (into our board game)!
Last week we revealed that the first playable character in the upcoming Kill Shakespeare board game is Hamlet (of course). And this week we reveal our second playable character - Juliet!Yes, it's pretty much as obvious as Hamlet is but why mess with a good thing? We've gotten great feedback over the last few years on our interpretation of Juliet and we look forward to new audiences experiencing the great Prodigal leader when the game is released in May/June of this year.
Again, great artwork by J.K. Woodward!
First Character of Board Game Revealed!
Though I haven't been posting many updates in the last couple weeks it's because things have been pretty busy on this end, with some big announcements coming in the future.The item that is public knowledge, of course, is our upcoming board game, slated for release in late-May of this year. We're excited about it and the progress has been a blast to be a part of.IDW has just released the first character teaser for the game (created by artist J.K. Woodward), which is right here:
Surprised? Not really, I'm guessing. Hamlet is our main character in our story so it would be inevitable that he would be featured as a character in the game.Over the next few weeks we'll be revealing more characters so stay tuned to this site, our Twitter account, or our Facebook page (and we should also have a Tumblr page up in the next week or two as well).