Kill Shakespeare, the comic book series, was first released almost exactly fifteen years ago during the spring of 2010. Co-created by writers Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreary along with Andy Belanger as artist, the original twelve-issue Shakespearian mash-up series made an immediate impact on readers and critics. It spawned multiple sequels, all introducing new characters ripped from the Bard’s works, expanding the tale of Shakespeare, the magical manipulator, along with a whole host of his great creations – all experienced by fans in a new, wild light. With success, the various tales have been compiled in both softcover and hardcover collections and, over the years, adapted into a number of other platforms besides comic books.
Of course, any fan of the playwright and poet will already know that there are a myriad of Shakespearean interpretations throughout pop culture, but unless you’ve read previous chapters of the Kill Shakespeare mythos, you’ve yet to see anything like Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure. Truly, this remix of the Bard’s creations shows us that “There are more things in heaven and earth,” dear reader, “than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
Biff Bam Pop! got a chance to talk to Kill Shakespeare co-creator and writer, the Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Anthony Del Col, on the success he’s had with the immense sandbox that is the Shakespearean oeuvre of stories and characters and the latest chapter in the ongoing drama of Juliet and her Romeo.
JP Fallavollita: Since its original release in 2010 in comic book form, Kill Shakespeare has since been adapted to the stage, an audio drama and as a board game. You’ve written four continuing volumes of the hit series so far, which have been collected in both trade paperback and hardcover editions which have even been studied at both high schools and universities. The uptake and success of Kill Shakespeare must have exceeded your wildest dreams! Did you ever think you’d see this kind of success when you first envisioned the story?
Anthony Del Col: Well, I met with three witches just prior to coming up with the idea for Kill Shakespeare, so I knew exactly what was coming…
Just kidding, of course.
I think when any creator sits down to start writing, they have visions of creating something that will be read and consumed by large audiences. I mean, it’s what keeps us doing it during the hard and tough moments, right? But then we all realize that success like that is, in essence, lightning in the bottle, and soon move our expectations to creating a few hard-core fans/readers.
In the case of Kill Shakespeare, I think we’ve hit it in the middle of that success spectrum. We’ve sold a good number of books and created a few off-shoots and are immensely happy about that. We’ve traveled the world and made fans in all of those locations. We know it’s not the biggest franchise in the world, but we’re really happy with what we’ve created. And now… it’s time to do create new stories to meet the demand and also garner new fans and readers.
JP Fallavollita: Certainly, Shakespeare is timeless and wholly adaptable into all sorts of stories and platforms. With the release of the latest Kill Shakespeare chapter: Romeo Vs. Juliet, you’ll have a number of new readers enter the world you’ve created. What started everything off for you – how did the idea for a re-mixed version of Shakespeare’s classic characters and plays, set in a shared universe, come about?
Anthony Del Col: It was – and I’m shocked when I do the math on this – over twenty years that my Kill Shakespeare co-creator Conor McCreery and I came up with the idea. We were brainstorming ideas for video games and the film Kill Bill came up. We thought a video game adaptation would be incredible and was probably in development. We then joked about the story being about Bill Shakespeare, one in which all of his characters were trying to hunt him down and avenge the tragedies he had created. It was a “lightbulb moment” and we both knew it was a great idea. And when we realized no one else had done it – we realized we would have to.
JP Fallavollita: I loved the works of Shakespeare during my years of study – a love that has stayed with me through adulthood. What was your relationship to the Bard and his writings while at school and has that relationship changed while writing the Kill Shakespeare stories?
Anthony Del Col: I had the fortune/misfortune of having a really bad high school English teacher who introduced me to Shakespeare. I say “misfortune” as she was tasked with having us study The Merchant of Venice and was over her head. But because of that, it forced me to dive more into the Bard myself and I had the “fortune” of realizing how great the story and themes of the play were, and made me respect what Shakespeare had done with the tale. I then had some great teachers who built upon that respect and turn it into admiration.
As I started to work on Kill Shakespeare that admiration turned into obsessively fanhood. Now that I play with his characters, plots and themes in the sandbox, I realize how great an entertainer he was. For instance, I have so much more respect for how complex someone like Hamlet is, and how I would say he’s the greatest character ever created.
JP Fallavollita: The artist and colourist on Romeo Vs. Juliet, Stefan Tosheff, is new to the Kill Shakespeare world. He’s not only got a wonderful sense of movement in his linework with a dramatic command of shadows and light, but his colour palette is wonderful – reminiscent of Renaissance fairs and fantasy films of the late 70s and early 80s. How did your partnership come about, and what do you feel he brings to this tale?
Anthony Del Col: I hope Stefan’s reading this – he’ll really appreciate your kind words about his coloring in this book, which I think has gone under-the-radar thus far.
I was looking for the perfect artist for this book and my good friend and artist maven Keith Morris immediately suggested Stefan. He told me he’d be perfect for the project and as soon as I saw his art I concurred.
I think a lot of the stuff you’ve touched on is what he’s done to make Romeo Vs. Juliet so great. He had a great understanding of action and how to demonstrate movement within a panel and page. More importantly, though, he’s captured the emotional moments, especially with Juliet. I think “reaction shots” in comics are underused, and Stefan really brought these to the forefront in this book.
JP Fallavollita: Between writing the script and seeing finished art, what was the process like between you and Stefan?
Anthony Del Col: It was a seamless process! The book is divided into five acts (or chapters) and so I would send him each one at a time. It gave us both the opportunity to focus on that chapter and allow for us to tweak certain elements once we started to see how they were playing out (in some sense, very similar to a monthly comic series). For example, he really did some great work with Romeo and Egeus and the “bad guys” and it encouraged me to do a little more with their story.
JP Fallavollita: Originally, Kill Shakespeare was published by IDW Publishing. You’ve now moved the series to Gemstone Publishing, a company best known for publishing The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide along with guides to collecting concert and movie posters and other forms of pop culture paraphrenia. How did that business relationship come about and what’s it been like working with them?
Anthony Del Col: We had a great time launching the series with IDW Publishing and the team they had there at the time – Chris Ryall, Ted Adams, Alan Payne, Tom Waltz, Chris Mowry, Dirk Wood and everyone else. But over the years most of those people moved on and the place just wasn’t the same. A few years ago, we decided it was time to move on and find a new home for the project. It took a year or so for us to – what do they call it? – uncouple ourselves from them.
At that same time, I was talking to some friends at Diamond Comics and they suggested I chat with J.C. Vaughn, the president of Gemstone. He was looking to expand his operations and it only took a quick meeting to figure out that this was a great fit for the series.
As you probably already know, Gemstone isn’t involved in the recent bankruptcy filing and purchase, but since they’re loosely related there have been some interesting moments. But we can save that for another interview…
Long story short, Gemstone has been great and I’m excited to still be working with them, release Romeo Vs. Juliet and our second collected book this fall, Kill Shakespeare: Second Folio.
JP Fallavollita: You’ve billed Romeo Vs. Juliet as a “Shakesperean Western” and it really does have that kind of storytelling aesthetic where a seemingly rag tag group of disparate characters is assembled to protect a small village from the outside forces of evil. It’s very Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven. What made you think that kind of plot would work (it does!) with your Kill Shakespeare cast of characters?
Anthony Del Col: I’m so glad you liked it!
The original spirit of Kill Shakespeare was a mash-up of the Bard’s greatest characters, so when I devised of this story (all inspired by the central image of Juliet and Romeo in a Western stand-off) I immediately realized it would fit into our world. Our readers and fans really respond to the “what would happen if Character X met Character Y” facet of our story.
I’ve always been a fan of stories like The Magnificent Seven, The Wild Bunch or The Dirty Dozen, in which a motley crew is formed and we watch the personalities of these people clash and jell. And I love how much the “invading forces” turns the temperature up another level (or seven).
JP Fallavollita: Tell me a little about your Juliet. In the famous play that features her, Juliet is very much a child in love with love as much as she’s in love with her Romeo. Your Juliet is not like that at all. For one, she’s a true leader, and she can easily carry herself in combat. What drives her?
Anthony Del Col: It’s now about 5-6 years after her initial affair and (not-so-deadly-in-our-world) ending with Romeo. She originally thought that Romeo was still dead and felt extreme guilt over that. So she took that passion found in her origin story and guided it away from the arena of love and towards causes that would make humanity better. And then, after a degree of success, she allowed herself to open up romantically to someone: Hamlet.
And did I mention that she’s now pregnant? Spoiler alert?
What’s driving her in this story is a fear of hurting someone that she loves. She’s pushed Hamlet and all of her friends away and is afraid of what will come next for her (as a leader, a woman and a mother). But when she sees the plight of the women in the nunnery, she decides to get back to helping others.
JP Fallavollita: Your Shakespeare, a veritable wizard full of cunning plans, is never quite seen in Romeo Vs. Juliet and yet he permeates the entire story. For readers who perhaps haven’t experienced the previous stories, what are his motivations at this stage of the long form Kill Shakespeare tale?
Anthony Del Col: Conor and I always compared Shakespeare to a truant father – someone who loved his children (in this case, his creations) but decided he couldn’t – or shouldn’t – be around them. He was coaxed back in the original Kill Shakespeare arc, but now is out to experience the world in a very incognito-style.
However, he still yields incredible power and everyone would love to get him to join their side of the battle. Will he ever appear again? You’ll have to read the book to find out…
JP Fallavollita: Kill Shakespeare and indeed, Romeo vs. Juliet, is full of the Bard’s various creations – well-known characters and some deep cuts. Who stands out that hasn’t been a part of Kill Shakespeare as of yet? Who haven’t we seen that you might like to still incorporate into your ongoing narrative?
Anthony Del Col: There are so many! That’s the great thing about Shakespeare – he has countless incredible creations!
If I had to pick one character, I would love to be able to write for, it would be Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. I think she’s the most fascinating of all of the Bard’s creations and I tried to work her into this story but it just didn’t feel right (I went with Hermia instead). I have an idea for a future story that would allow her to take center stage (deservedly so) and I hope I can tell that story in the future.
JP Fallavollita: What’s next for you and the Kill Shakespeare story after the release of Romeo Vs. Juliet?
Anthony Del Col: Conor and I have a very rough roadmap of where we would like the tale to go next – and where the final destination point is (I LOVE this latter part!). However, it all depends on the success of Romeo Vs. Juliet. If it sells as well as we hope, we’ll be able to tell more stories. If not… well, never say die, right?
What this really means is… if you’re reading this, go forth and purchase a copy! You won’t regret it – and neither will we!
JP Fallavollita: Thank you so much for your time and best of luck with Romeo Vs. Juliet, Kill Shakespeare and your future endeavours!
Anthony Del Col: Thank YOU. These have been a lot of fun to answer.
A big thank you to Anthony Del Col for his time in answering our questions and for Pamela Mullin Horvath of Superfan Promotions for help making this interview happen.
The next exciting chapter of the Kill Shakespeare mythos, the 148-page trade paperback of Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure can be found at your local comic book shop or bookstore on Wednesday, April 23, timed perfectly with World Shakespeare Day. Go forth and seek it, along with the new Kill Shakespeare: First Folio (collecting volumes 1 and 2 of the acclaimed series)!
